Aerospace - Royal Aeronautical Society

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June 2013
A350 COUNTDOWN
EUROPEAN
DEFENCE INDUSTRY
CONSOLIDATION
ROLLS-ROYCE
TECHNOLOGY HORIZONS
YEAR
OF
THE
UCAV
NEXT GENERATION UNMANNED SYSTEMS
EVOLVE
Welcome to the World’s
Foremost Aerospace Community
The Royal Aeronautical Society is the
world’s only professional body dedicated
to the entire aerospace community.
Established in 1866 to further the art,
science and engineering of aeronautics,
the Society has been at the forefront of
developments in aerospace ever since.
What do we do?
■ Promote the highest possible standards in all aerospace disciplines
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What does Society
membership offer you?
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Volume 40 Number 6
June 2013
14
Year of the UCAV
The robotic revolution
is here as unmanned
combat air vehicles
(UCAVs) evolve.
18
Technology horizons
Ric Parker of
Rolls-Royce outlines
his company’s
innovation secrets.
Contents
Correspondence on all aerospace matters is welcome at: The Editor, AEROSPACE, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK
publications@aerosociety.com
Regulars
Comment
Setting the agenda
Welcome to the very first edition of AEROSPACE, the Royal
Aeronautical Society’s new flagship magazine for the global
aerospace and aviation sector. As well as keeping you updated on
current news and topics, AEROSPACE will aim to provide expert
insight and provoke thought and debate on the future of aerospace,
aviation and spaceflight through stimulating and relevant features.
We believe that this new features-led format still retains the essential
elements from its predecessors but delivered in a contemporary and
exciting style.
In an age of instantaneous online news and influential social
networks, AEROSPACE will complement other news items, articles
and features already delivered through the Society’s website and
its other social media channels, for example, RAeS e-newsletters
and blogs. However, AEROSPACE, as the flagship publication of the
Society, will very much remain a prime benefit of being a member
of the world’s oldest and most respected professional membership
organisation on aerospace and aviation.
We wholeheartedly encourage your feedback and getting
involved with your Society through these pages. Write us a letter,
send us an e-mail, contribute an article, comment on the RAeS
Facebook page or even tweet me at @RAeSTimR. This is your
magazine, a forum for you to set the aerospace agenda and debate
the issues that matter. I look forward to hearing from you.
4 Radome
The latest aviation and
aeronautical intelligence,
analysis and comment from
around the world.
11 On the move
The latest aerospace job
changes and promotions.
Editor-in-Chief
Tim Robinson
+44 (0)20 7670 4353
tim.robinson@aerosociety.com
AEROSPACE is published by the Royal
Aeronautical Society (RAeS).
AEROSPACE subscription rates:
Non-members, £140
Chief Executive
Simon C Luxmoore
Deputy Editor
Bill Read
+44 (0)20 7670 4351
bill.read@aerosociety.com
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Chris Male
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chris.male@aerosociety.com
Unless specifically attributed, no
material in AEROSPACE shall be taken
to represent the opinion of the RAeS.
Production Editor
Wayne J Davis
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wayne.davis@aerosociety.com
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ISSN 2052-451X
22
26
EC passenger compensation
European airlines express
concern over financial and
safety implications of revisions
to new EC Regulation 261.
European defence industry
Are we about to enter an
era of consolidation in the
European aerospace and
defence sector?
32
36
A350 countdown
The new Airbus A350 XWB
undergoes final tests prior to
its first flight.
Bugatti’s blue dream
The project to build a flyable
replica of the 1930’s French
Bugatti100P racer.
39 Afterburner
40 Messages from our President and Chief Executive
41 Biography of new RAeS President Jenny Body
42 Book Reviews
46 Italian Flair
47 IT FLIES USA 2013
48 Australian division profile
50 Diary
51 Corporate Partners
52 Test pilots’ memorial
53 RAeS elections
54 Munich Branch
www.aerosociety.com
13 Transmission
Your letters, tweets and
messages.
Features
Tim Robinson
tim.robinson@aerosociety.com
NEWS
IN BRIEF
12 News in Focus
Preview of the forthcoming
2013 Paris Air Show on
17-23 June.
56 Obituary
Online
Additional features and content
are available to view online on
www.mediaaerosociety.com/
aerospace-insight
including: Paris Air Show preview,
European Regions Airline Association
conference report, Dreamliner recharged,
Video of first flight of RAeS/Boeing
Build-a-Plane project.
58 The Last Word
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JUNE 2013
13
Radome
INTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT
Size
It’s a larger aircraft in span and
length than a Boeing or Airbus of
the same class but its wetted area
and wings are smaller by 30%
Wing
Its wing geometry, is an almost
perfect ellipse, giving it a 95%
wing efficiency.
Passenger comfort
The concept is to exchange ceiling
height for legroom, hence the
partial upper deck at the thicker
point of the fuselage. Economy
passengers will benefit from 40
inches seat pitch, the equivalent of
a premium class.
NEWS IN BRIEF
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Powerplant
The engines are smaller and
lighter than for comparable sized
airliners but give sufficient power
because the aircraft needs much
less thrust.
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4
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
Range
4,600 miles at 468mph
V-tail
The tail is a ‘V’ configuration to
keep it out of engine wake and
also reduce wetted area by
eliminating the vertical fin.
Wings
They are long and thin (high aspect
ratio) and help reduce the drag in a
spectacular fashion. They are also
smaller in area and volume
than those of a classic aircraft.
AIR TRANSPORT
Eco-elegance
From industrial designer and pilot Francois de Waterville comes this concept for a fuel-efficient 245-seat passenger
airliner — the AGA-33. The extreme streamlined fuselage, says de Waterville, exchanges cabin height for legroom
and also allows 14 beds onboard. With long and thin high-aspect wings, the fuel burn of the AGA-33, he says, would
be 4,500lb an hour or 93 miles to the gallon — the equivalent to a small hybrid car with four passengers. Says de
Waterville: “This project started out of pure curiosity and became an obsession to determine the following: What
would a fuel-efficient aircraft of the future look like; how far can we refine its aerodynamics; and what kind of
performance can we expect from it?”
Could this then be one vision of future air transport? Later this month, expect to see more glimpses of future aviation designs at the biennial Paris Air
Show, now celebrating its 50th Le Bourget anniversary.
See Paris Air Show preview p12
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(Computer rendering by Kaktus Digital)
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JUNE 2013
5
Radome
AEROSPACE
SPACEFLIGHT
Space debris highlighted
The Russian Ball
Lens In The Space
(Blits) nano-satellite
used for precision
laser-measurement
experiments may have
been destroyed by a
piece of space debris –
or not.
Russian sources first
said that a piece of debris
from a 2007 Chinese
anti-satellite test was the
culprit but US Department
of Defense officials say
that the piece of Chinese
debris has an unchanged
orbit and so could not
have caused the damage.
The ‘Space Traffic Control’
conference on 2 July
at the RAeS in London
will be an opportunity to
hear the latest about the
growing risk from space
debris from technical,
legal, insurance and space
agency experts.
Boeing
DEFENCE
X-51A flies into record books on
final flight
The US Air Force has
successfully flown the
last of four Boeing
X-51A Waverider
hypersonic test vehicles
on 1 May.
After being dropped
at 50,000ft from a B-52H
bomber over the Pacific
Ocean, the 14ft long, JP-7
hydrocarbon jet fuel-
powered missile reached
a speed of Mach 5·1
during a six-minute flight
travelling 230nm — the
first air-breathing missile
to achieve this speed
and duration. The three
previous tests of the X-51
all experienced problems.
The first caught fire, the
second flamed out in flight
and the third lost a control
fin and disintegrated.
The flight is the last
in a $300m nine-year
hypersonic test programme
conducted by the USAF,
the results of which will be
used in the High Speed
Strike Weapon programme
at the Air Force Research
Laboratory.
RAF Reaper UAVs
controlled from UK
The RAF has begun
controlling Reaper UAVs
over Afghanistan from the
UK for the first time.
RAF Waddington is
the new British groundcontrol base, with 13
Squadron flying the first
remote UAV missions.
Previously RAF UAS
operators were based at
Creech AFB in Nevada
and used the USAF’s
control facilities.
United order E-175s
US carrier United Airlines has ordered 30
76-seat Embraer E-175 regional jets plus
40 options. The order is worth $2·9bn.
NEWS IN BRIEF
BAE Systems has
conducted a UK
unmanned milestone with
the flight of a Jetstream
acting as a UAV in
controlled airspace with
only safety pilots onboard.
US carrier WestJet has
ordered ten new Boeing
737-800s.
Russian air force Backfire
bombers, escorted by
Su-27 fighters have carried
out mock attacks against
6
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
Stockholm, according
to Swedish media. The
training exercises saw the
aircraft approach to 3040km away from Swedish
territorial waters.
NASA has successfully
tested the Orion capsule’s
ability to land safely after
a parachute failure. In the
test carried out in Yuma,
Arizona, the capsule was
dropped from 25,000ft
with one of its three
parachutes deliberately
rigged not to inflate.
NetJets has taken delivery
of the first of an order
for 50 Signature Series
Phenom 300 light jets
from Embraer. NetJets also
has options for a further
75 Phenom 300s.
A new report from the
European Transport Safety
Council (ETSC) has raised
concerns from scientists
that the European
Union’s revised rules on
pilot fatigue have been
compiled without sufficient
scientific input, contrary to
the remit given to the EU
by the European Aviation
Safety Agency (EASA).
Kuwait Airways is reported
to be close to placing an
order for ten Airbus A350900s and 15 A320neos.
The Middle East carrier
will also lease a further 13
Airbus A320s and A330s.
The first Block 2A
configuration Lockheed
Martin F-35A has been
delivered to the USAF at
the main JSF training base
at Eglin AFB, Florida.
In April, Russia launched
three Soyuz rockets in
quick succession. On
19 April a Soyuz put a
biomedical experiment
into orbit while, on 24
April a Progress resupply
craft was launched to the
ISS. Finally, on 26 April, a
Glonass navigation satellite
was also put into orbit.
A pilot with the Red Bull
Flying Bulls display team
Honda Aircraft
has announced
that it is to delay
certification of
its HondaJet
light business
jet until the end
of 2014 to allow
more time to
test the aircraft’s
GE Honda Aero
HF120 engines.
The HondaJet
was scheduled
for certification
in the first half
of 2013 but the
engines are now
not expected to
be certificated
until the end
of this year.
Previous delays
involving engine
issues were
announced in
2009 and 2011.
has been killed when his
Bede BD-5J microjet
crashed on 2 May in
Austria.
The US Congress has
passed measures to
reverse the threat of
FAA air traffic controller
furloughs and closure
of some ATC towers,
due to the impact of
sequestration. ATC
controller furloughs have
caused thousands of flight
delays and disruption since
21 April.
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DEFENCE
Peekaboo! Painted
A350 XWB revealed
USAF KC-135 tanker
lost
Airbus
HondaJet
delay
AEROSPACE
Airbus has rolled-out
the first completed A350
XWB painted in the
company colours.
The roll-out of the
first flying prototype
MSN1 from the
paintshop in Toulouse
on 13 May was a
low-key affair with only
Airbus employees in
attendence It is expected
to make its first flight in
the middle of June. See
‘A350 countdown’ on page
32.
Three aircrew were killed
on 3 May when a US Air
Force KC-135R
re-fuelling tanker
crashed near ChonaAryk on the KyrgyzstanKazakhstan border.
The aircraft went down
shortly after take-off from
the USAF base at Manas
in Kyrgyzstan which is used
by air tankers and other
military assets transiting
in and out of Afghanistan.
The cause of the crash has
not yet been determined
but local media reports
that a wing from the
aircraft landed close to a
residential house, while
eyewitnesses reported an
explosion and the aircraft
breaking up. US and
Kyrgyzhstan authorities are
each conducting their own
independent investigations.
AIR TRANSPORT
AVOIDing the ash
EasyJet is to test the efficacy of its
new AVOID onboard aircraft system
designed to detect volcanic ash
by creating an artificial ash cloud.
The test will involve two Airbus test
aircraft, the first of which will be
carrying a tonne of Icelandic volcanic
ash which will be dispersed into
the atmosphere at 30,000ft. The
second aircraft will then test the
AVOID system (wingtip sensor, left)
to see if the aircraft can successfully
detect and avoid the ash cloud at
distances of up to 100km. The test
is scheduled for August.
small prototype satellites.
Named Phantom Phoenix,
the satellites range from
4-1,000kg in weight.
maximum landing charges
that can be applied at
Stansted, Gatwick and
Heathrow.
A test pilot ejected safely
from an Aermacchi M346
advanced trainer on 11
May in Italy. It is the second
of three prototypes to be
lost.
Slovenian GA
manufacturer Pipistrel has
flown its new Panthera
light aircraft across the
Alps to AERO Expo in
Germany. The four-seat
aircraft made its first flight
a month earlier.
Singapore Airlines is
to increase its stake in
Virgin Australia from 10%
to 19·9% at a cost of
A$123m. SA purchased
its initial 10% stake in
the Australian carrier in
November 2012.
Boeing Phantom Works
has announced that it is
developing a series of
The UK CAA is to reveal
an overhaul in airport
regulation, with new
The US Navy has issued a
request for proposals for
the Presidental Helicopter
The national flag carrier of
Nepal, Nepal Airlines, has
signed a MoU to buy two
Airbus A320s, becoming
Airbus’ newest customer.
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easyJet
GENERAL
AVIATION
Replacement Program
(VXX) to be awarded in
mid-2014. The contract is
for six test helicopters and
an eventual production run
of 17 aircraft.
SpaceX has flown its
Grasshopper vertical
take-off and landing
(VTOL) launcher to a
height of 820ft. In the fifth
test of the launcher, the
Grasshopper took off from
its launch pad and then
returned to the pad in a
controlled descent.
JUNE 2013
7
Radome
AIR TRANSPORT
GENERAL AVIATION
Etihad signs for stake in
Jet Airways
New IMC rules
proposed
Abu Dhabi’s Etihad
Airways has signed a
$379m deal to acquire
up to 24% in India’s Jet
Airways.
The deal also sees Etihad
paying $70m to acquire
Jet’s take-off and landing
The European Aviation
Safety Agency (EASA)
is proposing new rules
on flying in instrument
meteorological conditions
(IMC) which it hopes will
increase safety for GA
pilots.
slots. This is the first
foreign investment in an
Indian airline since the
government shook up
ownership rules last year
to allow Indian carriers to
offer up to a 49% stake to
outside investors.
DEFENCE
Israel
conducts
air strikes
on Syria
The new rules would
amend training and
checking requirements
for competency-based
instrument rating and an
en route instrument rating
for private and commercial
pilot licence holders.
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo reached supersonic
speeds for the first time during its first rocketpowered test flight on 29 April. After being carried
to an altitude of 46,000ft above the Mojave Air and
Spaceport, California aboard the WhiteKnightTwo
mothership, SS2 fired a 16 second burn which took it
to a height of 56,000ft.
SpaceShipTwo
goes supersonic on
first powered flight
MarsScientific.com/Clay Center Observatory via Virgin Galactic
SPACEFLIGHT
The Israeli Air
Force carried out
two air strikes on
Syria between
3-5 May. The
first raid, which
was launched
from Lebanese
air space using
stand-off missiles,
targeted a
convoy of longrange Fateh-110
surface-to-surface
missiles which
were claimed to
be on their way
from Syria to
Hezbollah forces
in Lebanon. A
second raid,
meanwhile, hit a
weapons depot
and a scientfic
research centre.
NEWS IN BRIEF
A WW1 replica pilot has
died during a pre-display
season practice at Middle
Wallop, UK, on 27 April.
The aircraft involved was
believed to be a single-seat
Fokker Eindecker replica.
According to news reports
Boeing’s board has given
approval to begin selling
a new version of the 777
airliner, the 777X. It will
feature composite wings,
GE engines and around
400 seats.
8
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
British Airways’ parent
group IAG has signed an
MoU to acquire 18 Airbus
A350-1000 airliners, along
with options for a further
18.
French Guiana. It put three
satellites in orbit including
the Proba-V vegatation sat.
A US Air Force Beechcraft
MC-12 Liberty crashed
in Zabul Province in
Afghanistan on 27 April,
killing all four crew.
The European Aviation
Safety Authority (EASA)
and the US Federal
Aviation Administration
(FAA) have each
certificated two Dassault
business jets, the Falcon
2000S and Falcon
2000LXS.
On 7 May, Europe’s
second light launcher,
Vega, was launched from
Rolls-Royce is to sell its
50% stake in the RTM322
military helicopter engine
joint venture to Safran’s
Turbomeca for €293m.
Workers at three leading
Israeli airlines have gone
on strike in protest against
a government decision
to ratify an open skies
agreement with Europe.
Workers at El Al, Arkia
and Israir claim that the
agreement, which goes
into effect from April 2014,
would threaten their jobs.
The RAF has taken
delivery of its fourth Airbus
A330 Voyager tanker. The
military tanker/transport
aircraft was delivered
to RAF Brize Norton in
Oxfordshire on 26 April.
Space company ATK has
completed the preliminary
design review of its solid
rocket booster. The booster
will be used on NASA’s
Space Launch System
which will fly in 2017.
Czech Republic
manufacturer Jihlavan
airplanes is working on
DEFENCE
MPs call for Heathrow
expansion
A report published
on 10 May by the UK
House of Commons
Transport Committee
has recommended that
the Government reject
proposals for a new ‘Boris
Island’ Thames Estuary
Airport in favour of the
expansion of Heathrow.
The all-party group
rejected any Thames
Estuary plan as too costly,
impractical and also as
being harmful to wildlife.
However, the report
suggested that a third
runway at Heathrow is
necessary and that a fourth
would have merit.
French defence
review
France has unveiled a new defence White Paper, charting its future
military planning.
The equipment plan will see $479bn allocated to its defence budget between
2014 and 2015. This envisages the French armed forces to operate 225 Rafale
fighters (down from 286), 50 transports and 12 aerial tankers. Paris also plans
to acquire 12 surveillance UAVs. However, the White Paper also sets out cuts in
personnel of 24,000 by 2019, on top of 54,000 posts already being axed.
AEROSPACE
SPACEFLIGHT
Ground control to
Commander Chris
Airlines across the world have begun flying Boeing 787
Dreamliners again, following the US Federal Aviation
Adminstration (FAA) approving Boeing’s lithium-ion battery fix
on 22 April. The first 787 to return to commercial service was
operated by Ethiopian Airlines on 27 April on a flight from Addis
Ababa to Nairobi with the aircraft’s other seven current operators
following suit. All the 50 Dreamliners which were grounded in
January are now being modified with new battery containment
systems from Boeing. Since the grounding Read more online about
on 17 January, Boeing has continued
the 787 battery fix on the
Aerospace Insight blog
production of the 787 and increased
‘Dreamliner
production rates for the 787 from seven to —
recharged’
ten per month by the end of May.
The Expedition 35 crew
from the International
Space Station (ISS) has
returned to Earth after
144 days in space.
The three-man crew
landed successfully in
Kazakhstan on 14 May
aboard a Soyuz capsule.
The day before leaving the
ISS, Canadian commander
Chris Hadfield recorded
a zero gravity version
of David Bowie’s Space
Oddity which has now had
5·6m hits on YouTube.
Commander Hadfield’s
tweets, photos and videos
of everyday life on the
station has seen him
become a social media
sensation.
Martin F-16 shot down a
Hezbollah militant UAV
launched from Lebanon on
25 April.
service centre for the
manufacturer’s entire King
Air, Baron and Bonanza
product lines.
Two astronauts took a
spacewalk outside the
International Space Station
on 11 May to replace a
faulty pump which they
believe is responsible for
an ammonia leak from the
ISS’s cooling system.
Boeing is set to reduce
its production rate on the
747-8 from two aircraft
a month to 1·75 a month,
citing sluggish demand for
the jumbo.
AgustaWestland and
Embraer have cancelled
plans for a Joint Venture in
Brazil to build helicopters
in the country.
Kazakhstan operator Air
Astana has taken delivery
of its first Airbus A320
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equipped with fuel-saving
sharklet wing tips.
A Russian Air Force test
pilot has flown the Sukhoi
PAK-FA fifth generation
stealth fighter for the first
time, from Zhukovsky
airfield near Moscow on
25 April.
According to scientists,
NASA’s Kepler space
telescope has identified a
pair of Earth-like planets
some 1,200 light years
away.
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African aircraft charter and
maintenance company
DAV Aviation is to take
delivery of the first of six
Cessna Grand Caravan EX
turboprops.
Wreckage from an airliner
that crashed into the World
Trade Centre on 9/11
has been found, 12 years
on, wedged between two
buildings.
Israel reports that an Israeli
Air Force (IAF) Lockheed
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Flying Colours has been
appointed by Beechcraft
as an authorised
Canadian Space Agency
787s return to flight after FAA
approves battery fix
plans to produce a new
light sport ultralight aircraft.
Called the Skyleader 400,
the aircraft is a low-wing,
two-seat, all-metal light
aircraft with a range of up
to 930miles.
Dassault
AIR TRANSPORT
Flights were suspended at
Puebla Airport in Mexico
on 8 May due to volcanic
ash from Popocatepetl
volcano.
JUNE 2013
9
Radome
Reality
TV trip to
Mars?
Dutch company
Mars One has
begun its search
for candidates
for an ambitious
one-way space
mission to Mars.
The company
is intending to
fund the mission
through rights
as the ultimate
reality TV show
and is seeking
four volunteers
to make the first
landing in 2023.
The trip will be
one-way, with
additional Mars
colonists to be
sent every two
years. Already the
company has had
80,000 applicants
register an
interest.
AEROSPACE
Solar Impulse trans-US flight
The Swiss solar-powered aircraft
Solar Impulse has completed the
first of five stages of a mission to
fly across the US. The aircraft flew
from Moffett Airfield in California to
Phoenix Arizona in a flight lasting
18hr 18mins.
GENERAL AVIATION
AIR TRANSPORT
Air ambulance Nextant
400XT
China’s CAS signs for
60 Airbus airliners
Remanufactured bizjet
specialist Nextant
Aerospace has unveiled
a new air ambulance
conversion kit for its
400XT.
Airbus has announced
that China’s CAS (China
Aviation Supplies Holding
Company) has signed a
general terms agreement
(GTA) for 60 airliners.
The module, from
Spectrum Aeromed, allows
the 400XT to be converted
from VIP configuration into
the air ambulance role,
complete with bed.
The purchase breaks down
into 42 A320 single-aisle
aircraft and 18 A330 twinaisle airliners. The deal is
worth around $8bn at list
prices.
NEWS IN BRIEF
EADS North America has
delivered the 250th
UH-72A Lakota helicopter
to the US Army.
NASA has completed
design tests on a Near
Earth Object Camera
(NEOCam) which can
help detect and track the
movement of asteroids.
Hawker Beechcraft has
sold two new Beechcraft
King Air B200s to the
Royal Flying Doctors
10
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
Service in Queensland,
Australia.
Apache attack helicopters
to South Korea.
Mexican airport operator
GAP has announced a
26·4% rise in first quarter
profits up to $43·55m.
Revenues over the same
period rose by 4·5%.
ESA has opened two new
space centres in the UK
— the European Centre
for Space Applications and
Telecoms and the Satellite
Applications Catapult. Both
are in Harwell, Oxfordshire.
New Tunisian carrier
Syphax Airlines has
launched an initial public
offering of shares.
Boeing has won a contract
to supply 36 AH-64E
The Corporate Jet Division
of Qatar Airways is to
provide heavy maintenance
and repair checks to
Bombardier business jet
operators.
Rolls-Royce is to
sponsor the Bloodhound
supersonic rocket-powered
car project.
Aer Arann has taken
delivery of the first of an
eventual seven ATR 72700 regional turboprops.
FLYHT Aerospace
Solutions has received an
order for seven AFIRS 228
automatic flight information
reporting systems for
Lockheed Martin C-130
Hercules military transport
aircraft operated by an
unnamed Middle Eastern
air force.
Sierra Nevada’s Dream
Chaser orbital spaceplane
has been moved to NASA
Dryden for glide tests.
New UK light aircraft
prototype, the e-Go,
is set to be on display
at AeroExpo at Sywell
Aerodome. It features a
canard layout, Wankel
engine and glass cockpit.
©Solar Impulse/J Revillard
SPACEFLIGHT
SPACEFLIGHT
DEFENCE
Antares makes maiden
flight
The first Antares rocket
from commercial
space company Orbital
Sciences Corporation
has successfully
launched from NASA’s
Wallops Flight Facility in
Virginia.
The unmanned launcher,
which took off on 21
AEROSPACE
New Zealand to
acquire ex-RAN
Super Seasprites
April, made its first
flight into orbit carrying
a simulated payload.
The next test flight will
see the Cygnus cargo
ship launched. Further
launches are planned for
Antares to carry supplies
to the International Space
Station (ISS).
New Zealand is to buy ten ex-Australian
Super Seasprite ASW helicopters from
Kaman Aerospace in a deal worth up to
$242m. The SH-2G(I) Super Seasprites
were rejected by Australia in 2008.
The helicopters will now replace New
Zealand’s existing five Seasprites. First
deliveries will begin in 2014.
GENERAL AVIATION
Sikorsky
S-92 gets automated oil rig
approach approval
The US Federal Aviation Adminstration has given approval for a new option on the Sikorsky S-92 to be able to fly
automated approaches to offshore oil rigs. The ‘hands-off’ Platform Approach System reduces cockpit workload
by 60%.
747
freighter
crash at
Bagram
A military chartered
Boeing 747-400 freighter
crashed in Afghanistan
on 29 April.
The National Air Cargo
Aircraft with seven crew
aboard crashed shortly
after take-off from Bagram
airfield. All crew on board
were killed. A dashcam
video on the Internet
showed the 747s final
moments.
The aircraft was
destined for Dubai with a
cargo of MRAP vehicles
and other equipment as a
charter for US Air Mobility
Command. The aircraft
had landed at Bagram for
a refuelling stop, having
been first loaded at Camp
Bastion. No additional
cargo was loaded while on
the ground at Bagram. The
US National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB)
along with the Afghanistan
Aviation Authority is now
investigating.
ON THE MOVE
The International Air
Transport Association
(IATA) has appointed
Warren Jones as Head of
Cargo Services.
The Chairman of fashion
retailer Next, John Barton,
is to become the new
Chairman of easyJet.
Alan Barnes is the new
Group MD of Biggin Hillbased business aviation
company JETS.
@aerosociety
i
Secretary of the US Air
Force Michael Donley is to
step down from 21 June.
The new Global Aviation
Manager of Puma Energy
is Diego Lamarche.
Former Lufthansa CEO,
Wolfgang Mayrhuber,
has been appointed as
Chairman of the airline’s
supervisory board.
Rolls-Royce has appointed
Tony Wood to be the next
President of its Aerospace
division, replacing Mark
King who has resigned
after four months in the
role.
Ms Heike Fölster has
been appointed as Chief
Financial Operator of
Berlin Brandenburg
Airport.
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facebook.com/raes
The Eurofighter consortium
has appointed Albert Jose
Gutierrez Moreno as the
CEO and Maurizio De
www.aerosociety.com
Mitri as Chairman of the
Supervisory Board.
Rockwell Collins
has appointed Scott
Gunnufson as VP of Sales,
Marketing and Support
for Commercial Systems.
Meanwhile Thierry Tosi is
VP and General Manager,
Service Solutions,
International & Service
Solutions (I&SS).
Lieutenant Stephen Collins
RN, a FAA exchange pilot
flying with the US Navy
Super Hornet fighter
squadron, has been
selected for the ‘Top Gun’
course — the first British
pilot to attend it.
Patrick Ky will become the
new Executive Director of
EASA from 1 September.
Five student teams have
now been shortlisted for
Airbus’ Fly Your Ideas
challenge. A winner will be
announced on 14 June.
JUNE 2013
11
Knaapo
Paris
ariris
is Ai
Air Sh
Air
Show
ow p
preview
revi
re
view
vi
ew
e
w
PARIS IN NUMBERS
Taking place on
17-23 June at Le
Bourget will be the
Salon International de
l’Aeronautique et de
l’Espace or Paris Air
Show.
This year the show
promises an enhanced
experience for both
exhibitors and visitors with
WiFi across the show, a
dedicated radio station
to give information about
traffic jams and longer
opening hours. The
organiser also promise a
focus on SMEs and the
supply chain, along with
B2B meetings.

VISITORS: 2011
151,000 TRADE
204,000 PUBLIC
290 OFFICIAL DELEGATIONS

Aircraft confirmed for static and flying display: Boeing 787, Airbus
A400M, Airbus A380, Sukhoi Su-35, Yak-130, Antonov An-70,
Antonov An-148, Kamov Ka-52, Superjet S100, Dassault Rafale,
Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Patrouille de France (Alphajets).
The A400M will enter
service this year with
the French Air Force.
EXHIBITORS
2011 2013
2,113 2,160
2013 — 54,000M2 OF STANDS
340 BUSINESS CHALETS
27 NATIONAL PAVILIONS
Dassault
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year is the
Dassault Falcon. This immaculately restored
Mystere 20 bizjet, forerunner of the Falcon line, will
be on display at the show.
The Air Show will feature a
SALES: 2011
brand new exhibit in the
1,400 AIRCRAFT SOLD
£102·5BN WORTH OF DEALS
‘Careers plane’. This
static area — a life-size
representation of an
into sections and
allow young people to
ONLINE
see how the different
www.paris-air-show.com
parts of the aerospace
Or read the full preview on http://media.aerosociety.
com/aerospace-insight/2013/05/10/paris-air-showpreview-2013/8081/
12
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
industry combine to
make a complete product.
GIFAS
aircraft will be split
Airbus Military
2011 2013
150 130

AIRCRAFT ON DISPLAY
Transmission
First flight of the Schools RAeS/Boeing Build-a-Plane
RANS Coyote II on 12 April.
f
Response to ‘VIDEO: The
School’s Build-a-Plane
project takes flight’(1)
John Paw MRAeS says:
Most Excellent! Congrats
and also “Jia Yue” (literal
translation; “add oil”) to
the other school groups
still in progress. During
my college and university
days in England, I had
often wished to be able
to get hands-on in such
undertakings but did not
know how to go about it.
It is truly heart warming to
know that the youngsters
now have this opportunity
to convert a spark into a
flame in their hearts.
May this flame never die.
Facebook Question of the month:
Samoa Air is the first airline to introduce ‘Pay-asyou-weigh’ airfares, which it says could catch on
with other airlines. What do you think?
Kate Harverye: Better
for people with
kids rather
than
paying
full
adult
price
for a
two year
old.
Salsa Dip: It would
be naive to think your
airline ticket will cost you
less than what you’re
paying now even though
you may weigh less.
John Macilree:
Increasing airline
@aerosociety
i
passenger weights are
a safety issue for
regulators. Here
is a link to a
2009 report
for EASA:
http://
www.easa.
europa.eu/
rulemaking/
docs/research/
Weight%20
Survey%20
R20090095%20Final.pdf
In New Zealand standard
weights were surveyed
back in 2003: http://www.
caa.govt.nz/public_and_
media_info/caa_releases/
media_release_05_
dec_03.pdf.
linkedin.com/raes
f
facebook.com/raes
Response to ‘Dreamliner
recharged’(2)
Paulo M: This has been
one of the better analysis
looking at the battery issue
and solution. The solution
seeks to eliminate entirely
any risks the prior battery
design posed to the aircraft
and its occupants and this
has been well presented
here. I think for now, the
solution is reminiscent
of the cargo containers
introduced following Pan
Am Flight 103. Perhaps a
more thorough look at the
cost — what sort of extra
costs the operator may
incur. Nice post.
Response to ‘Wake-up
call for pilot fatigue’(3)
OZ says: I really hope
for the authorities to pay
close attention to what
pilot fatigue is capable of.
I wonder if BALPA also
has some sort of FRMG
like IATA. It would be good
for airlines to have one of
their own and for it to be
presented to every flight
Andrew Smith photography
ONLINE
crew on their briefing.
However, the main issue
about fatigue is that pilots
do not like to admit that
they are suffering from it.
We need to open a clear
path to every employee for
them to feel safe to admit
that they feel tired and
need to rest. The airlines
need to understand this as
well and do the necessary
adjustment without placing
in risk the pilot’s career.
Portrait of Eric
‘Winkle’ Brown
@colin_haynes: best
book about test flying I
ever read. Wings on my
Sleeve.
@josephaviation :
[On Regional Airline
Summit(4)] that’s an
interesting view... gladiators
killing for amusement in
the airline industry.
@HistoryNeedsYou:
[On Eric Winkle Brown]
The greatest ever pilot,
a truly great and very
intelligent man − not an
ego on legs.
@navalhistorian: & with
an extremely interesting
life outside of the test
piloting too.
@odedkramer: [On
Israeli airstrikes inside
Syria] The alleged target
near Damascus is only
40km (25mi) from Israeli
border. No need to enter
any country’s airspace.
@Lewi320: RAeS
Membership confirmed
today. Time to start work
towards becoming a
Fellow! :)
@NigelINrh: [On P-3 model at FAST] I recall something
like that model from the mid-80s at Waddington when the
Nimrod AEW3 was being trialled against the E-3.
1. aerospace-insight/2013/04/19/schools-build-a-plane-project-takes-flight/8004/
2. aerospace-insight/2013 /04/26/dreamliner-recharged/8025/
3. aerospace-insight/2013/04/05/wake-up-call/7968/
4. aerospace-insight/2013/05/03/regional-summit-the-era-conference/8054/
Online
Additional features and content are available to view
online at http://media.aerosociety.com/aerospace-insight
www.aerosociety.com
JUNE 2013
13
DEFENCE
UCAV programmes
Year of the UCAV
Unmanned combat accelerates
As Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) prototypes
take to the skies, TIM ROBINSON asks: is this the
beginning of the next generation of air warfare?
Dassault nEUROn
(France)
12·5m
wingspan
Northrop
Grumman X-47B
(US)
19m
wingspan
T
he past 12 years since 9/11 and the
subsequent war on terror, including
operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya
and elsewhere have seen an explosion in
military UAV/UAS types and missions —
ranging from 737 wingspan-sized Global Hawks, to
mini and nano-helicopters. Armed ‘drones’ are now
an established weapon system. Yet the majority of
these platforms have had one thing in common; they
are all designed to work in permissive environments
against enemies that lack SAMs, AAA and fighter
defences. However, that is now about to change
with a new generation of unmanned vehicles — the
UCAV. These, unlike the armed-UAVs, are designed
from the beginning with stealth in mind to penetrate
hostile airspace and complete their mission.
Removing the pilot also means that the aircraft’s
vertical profile can be reduced, lowering its radar
cross-section (RCS). It is no coincidence, then that
almost all these low-observable aircraft share the
same triangular radar-defeating shape.
Building on a decade or so of research
subscale prototypes and models, companies and
governments across the globe are now working
to develop new technology demonstrators. In
the space of 12 months, two European UCAV
demonstrators will have flown while, in the US, a
naval UCAV has made history with the first carrier
deck launch. Beyond the US and Europe, nations
such as China, India and Russia are also looking to
develop their own UCAV programmes. Let’s take a
look at the current projects.
range. This demonstrator, currently under the US
Navy’s UCAS-D (Unmanned Combat Air System
Demonstration) was spun out of DARPA’s earlier
USN/USAF J-UCAS (Joint -Unmanned Combat Air
Systems). J-UCAS, which saw an earlier Northrop
Grumman UCAV, the X-47, evaluated with Boeing’s
X-45, was axed in 2006, leaving the Navy to go
it alone with the UCAS-D. Northrop has built two
flying X-47B prototypes for UCAS-D which, in the
past year have carried out carrier interoperability
tests, the first land-based catapult launch and, on 4
May, the first arrested landing at the US Navy’s test
centre at Patuxent River. The next series of tests,
started in mid-May, began with an at sea launch
from the USS George H.W. Bush.
Should these tests validate the decade of work
on this concept, the US Navy plans to move to the
next stage with an operational version — UCLASS
(Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance
and Strike System). An RFP for this is expected
to be launched this summer, with the UCAV
expected to be in limited service by 2020. Already
industrial competitors are jockeying for position
to win this contract. NG itself is expected to offer
a development of the X-47, the X-47C. Boeing,
meanwhile, building on experience with its X-45
and privately-funded Phantom Ray demonstrator
is also expected to bid. General Atomics has a
low-observable jet-powered design — the
Predator C - Sea Avenger. Finally, in April this
year, Lockheed Martin revealed its proposal for
UCLASS, with a UCAV design that echoes the
RQ-170 Sentinel.
Northrop Grumman X-47B
BAE Systems
Taranis
(UK)
10m
wingspan
14
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
On 14 May, off the coast of Virginia, the US Navy
conducted a historic event in naval aviation — the
first catapult launch at sea of a UCAV from an
aircraft carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush. The
UCAV in question? The Northrop Grumman X-47B
which first flew in 2011. This is a 19m wingspan
stealth UAS, with a P&W F100 engine and 2,100nm
Dassault nEUROn
But late last year, while the X-47 was undergoing
tests in the US, across the Atlantic another UCAV
made its first flight on 1 December at the Istres
test centre in France. This was the €405m panEuropean Dassault nEUROn demonstrator. This
12·5m wingspan vehicle, which is powered by a
BAE Systems Taranis
The second stealth UCAV demonstrator from
Europe is probably, outside China, the most
secretive — BAE Systems’ Taranis. Named after the
Celtic god of thunder, Taranis was first publically
unveiled in 2010. It builds on BAE’s experience in
autonomy and UAS from UAVs such as Herti, to
earlier projects like Raven and Corax. Additionally,
BAE also has experience of low-observable
platforms, through projects such as Replica.
Though like nEUROn and the X-47B, it
is a technology demonstrator not an
operational weapon system —
with the stated intention of
‘informing’ plans for the
UK’s combat
capability. This then links into
earlier FOAS (Future Offensive
Air
System) MoD studies which
aimed
at developing a replacement
for the
Tornado strike aircraft. However,
as noted
above, the MoD is extremely coy about Taranis
and its capabilities. Informed observers suggest
that, like the nEUROn, the vehicle is powered by
a R-R Adour engine. But, while the nEUROn flew
in France, BAE is understood to be transporting
Taranis to Australia to the vast Woomera range to
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facebook.com/raes
make its first flight there. It follows the company’s
pattern of testing other UAV products in these large
uninhabited ranges which simultaneously provides
extra safety and also protects a stealth design from
prying eyes.
Beyond this, the UK is engaged with France
on UCAV collaboration. This perhaps will see, if
the requirements converge, a joint Anglo-French
UCAV demonstrator, or potentially even the leap to
a production version. However, with the European
aerospace industry desperate for a new combat
aircraft programme, the devil is likely to be in the
detail.
Shenyang/
Hongdu Lijian
‘Sharp Sword’
(China)
14m
wingspan
China
But Europe and the US are not the only ones
interested in this leap in combat aircraft technology.
Recent years have seen a massive explosion in
China’s military aircraft projects, including a number
of UAVs. Some of these, it is clear, are intended to
be armed. There also appear to be signs of UCAV
research, including sub-scale demonstrators. Only
in May there appeared images on the Internet of
what is claimed to be a Chinese UCAV the Lijian
(Sharp Sword) undergoing taxiing tests. Gauging
whether any of these designs, sometimes spotted
in model form at exhibitions, on leaked webpages or
on academic posters, will reach production or enter
service is problematic. But the strategic surprise of
China unveiling not one but two new stealth fighters
in quick succession shows that Beijing is serious
about expanding its military aircraft capabilities. It
clearly sees UCAV technology as an avenue worth
pursuing.
India
Another rising power in the
Asia-Pacific, India, is
also
developing
its own
UCAV technology
demonstrator
programme, the
Indian
Unmanned Strike
Air Vehicle
(IUSAV). The air vehicle
from the
Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) is called Aura
and is currently in the design and optimisation
stage. Aura will feature weapon bays for precision
missiles and will be powered by India’s Kaveri
engine. A first flight is planned for the 2015-16
timeframe.
www.aerosociety.com
MiG Skat
(Russia)
11·5m
wingspan
DRDO AURA
(India)
15m
wingspan
Dassault
R-R Adour engine, is equipped with a weapons bay
building on Dassault’s earlier experience over the
previous 13 years with subscale demonstrators
such as the Petit Duc and Moyen Duc. Although
Dassault is the prime contractor, the nEUROn has
been expanded into a larger pan-European project,
with other partners consisting of Greece’s EAB,
Italy’s Alenia, Spain’s EADS CASA, Sweden’s Saab,
and Swiss RUAG Aerospace. Saab, in particular,
also brings its experience of sub-scale stealth
demonstrators, like FILUR, to the programme. The
nEUROn has a two-year test programme ahead of
it, with flight tests in France and then operational
tests in Sweden, culminating in weapon-release
tests. Despite its weapons bay, this is still very much
a technology demonstrator aimed at building up
European expertise in this area. Whether another
demonstrator or a production UCAV is the next
step probably hinges on Anglo-French UCAV
collaboration decisions and the willingness of
the UK to merge its project, below, into a larger
European programme.
JUNE 2013
15
DEFENCE
BAE Systems
UCAV programmes
BAE Systems’ Taranis is set to
make its first flight this year in
Australia.
Russia
Russia, too, has had its own UCAV programme, in
the form of the MiG Skat (Manta Ray) demonstrator,
a full-size model of which was unveiled at the 2007
Moscow Air Show. Interestingly, a manned version of
this tailless vehicle was planned, possibly because
of a lack of experience in these flying wing designs
compared to western companies. However, the
Skat is now believed to have been shelved, with
MiG’s experience on this project to be merged with
Sukhoi in developing a new heavyweight strike UAV.
Russia‘s immediate need, however, is ISR UAVs,
which may explain why it has reset its UCAV effort.
Black programmes
In addition to these public ‘white world’ efforts it
is also probable that a number of ‘black’ classified
UCAV prototypes are also in development or even
may be in limited service already. It is notable, for
instance, that Israel, one of the premier nations in
exploiting and developing unmanned systems, has
not yet revealed a UCAV technology demonstrator,
leading some to speculate it may be working on a
clandestine UCAV project.
Further speculation exists around a rumoured
US long-endurance stealthy UAS that may be the
real reason why the Global Hawk HALE platform
could be retired. This, according to at least one
media report, may have a bomb-bay, giving it a
precision strike capability.
THIS MAY
IN FACT BE
THE BIGGEST
BREAKTHROUGH
IN COMBAT
AIRCRAFT
Enabling technologies
SINCE THE
INTRODUCTION Yet the introduction of UCAVs into service as they
stand might not qualify on its own as a revolution
OF THE JET
in combat aviation. An unmanned, less flexible
ENGINE.
F-117 strike aircraft might be the equivalent.
16
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
However, there are other technologies now under
development that, if added to the UCAV, promise a
true transformation in military aviation.
Firstly is the concept of ‘UCAV wingmen’. With
a two-seat manned fighter, a backseat weapons
officer could command UCAVs to strike SAM
threats ahead of a vital attack or use the LO vehicles
to thread between air defence zones to clear the
way for manned, unstealthy fighters. Advances in
HMI (human machine interface) or voice recognition
may mean that a single pilot could control them,
treating each UCAV like a human wingman that
responds to voice or datalink commands. This
may even also allow a stealth fighter datalinked to
UCAVs with BRVAAM air-to-air missiles as a sort of
‘in-flight reload’ — allowing a massive volley of first
shots without putting extra humans at risk. HumanUAV wingman control has already been tested
in the UK using a Tornado and a BAC 1-11 as a
surrogate UAV.
Another enabling technology is air-to-air
refuelling. Although some UAVs feature extreme
persistence, adding an AAR ability would allow
UCAVs to refuel and stay on station almost
indefinitely, barring weapon reloads or limitations in
the reliability of other systems on board. Challenges
remain (would a UCAV tanker also need to be
low-observable and would avionics now need
space-satellite levels of reliability?) but again this
concept is already being tested. In 2012 NASA
flew two Global Hawk UAVs in close formation as
part of unmanned AAR tests. Meanwhile, in the UK
Cobham has been investigating automated probeand-drogue refuelling as part of the civil ASTRAEA
project. The UCAS-D programme also includes
automated aerial refuelling trials.
The final piece in this puzzle is the potential of
directed energy weapons (DEW) — either lasers or
microwave weapons to equip these UCAVs.
A rechargeable weapon with unlimited shots, carried
by an invisible strike aircraft able to stay aloft for
days, perhaps weeks at a time, would truly be a
game-changing technology.
Challenges
DRAGON
RISING
On the 15 May
this image
appeared on
Chinese Internet
forums showing
what purports to
be the ‘Sharp
Sword’ UCAV
undergoing
taxiing tests.
Summary
In conclusion, as these demonstrators take to the
air, this is a highly significant time for the future of
combat aviation. Although (ultra-classified black
programmes aside) we are still some time away
from operational squadrons of UCAVs, the trend is
clear. This may in fact be the biggest breakthrough
in combat aircraft since the introduction of the
jet engine. Early UCAVs, like the early jet fighters,
may be limited in roles and capability but these
may quickly evolve. And, while fighter pilots may
worry that a robot may eventually replace them, for
the foreseeable future the UCAV will supplement
manned fighters — bringing new capabilities to
allow the fighter pilot to become a ‘battlespace
commander’ and dominate space and, now with
persistence of unmanned systems, time. Welcome
to the future.
US Navy
Yet, despite the potential advantages of these
UCAVS, there still remain a number of obstacles
to developing and fielding such airborne weapon
systems. The first, quite obviously, is cost. As the
complexity of a UAV increases and its systems
become more refined, so does the cost increase.
Add stealth, and a UCAV becomes anything but
a throwaway disposable asset. Some observers
estimate that a production UCAV could cost as
much as a F-35. For today’s western militaries,
including the US, where it has had to ground
one-third of its combat air wings this year due
to sequestration, cost is a major concern. It is
thus likely that true UCAVs will be niche weapon
systems, affordable by only the wealthiest powers
for the near future. Replacing strike aircraft one-forone, therefore, seems highly unlikely.
This neatly leads on to the second challenge. If
the market is still unknown, can UCAVs support the
previous manned fighter industrial footprint? There
is also the question whether today’s UCAVs will
lead to the quick extinction of the manned fighter,
or whether these programmes will help bridge the
gap between today’s fighters and notional ‘sixth
generation’ combat aircraft. The jury on this still
appears to be out but industry faces hard choices.
Previously in Europe, for example, splits in fighter
requirements and industrial haggling led to the
Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab
Gripen. Will this be repeated for any European
UCAVs — where production numbers might be even
lower?
The final obstacle, according to some insiders,
may be the biggest. That of culture. Although
UAVs have grown enormously in the past decade
or so, it is because they have taken the dull, dirty
and dangerous roles. UCAVs on the other hand,
potentially threaten the role of the fighter pilot and
just as ‘turkeys don’t vote for Christmas‘ so the
introduction of UCAVs may be resisted by vested
interests. However, ingrained as this culture may be,
it is likely to change over time. Not too long ago, the
USAF high command, for example, was dominated
by the ‘bomber barons’, who elevated SAC into prime
position. Today, when the USAF trains more UAV
operators than fighter pilots, there may come a time
when the ‘UAV mafia’ occupy the command slots.
Left: On 14 May the Northrop
Grumman X-47B was
launched from the deck of a
US Navy aircraft carrier.
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JUNE 2013
17
Ric Parker
Director of Reseach and Technology, Rolls-Royce
Horizons
How does engine giant Rolls-Royce maintain its lead in
technology and innovation? Professor RIC PARKER,
Director of Research and Technology, Rolls-Royce,
provides an insight into his work.
A
s a long-serving veteran of Rolls-Royce,
I have to say that the role of Director of
Research and Technology is one of the
most challenging but enjoyable positions
I have occupied in my professional
career. It has its own unique set of challenges,
occupying the interface between the customer-facing
side of our business and the research that allows us to
develop our leading-edge technology.
I have the privilege of working for one of the
most innovative companies in a nation of innovators.
With 475 patent applications (262 of which were
in the UK), we were the top filing UK company in
2012. This is built upon a tradition of 100 years
of innovation: Henry Royce himself filed 301
successful patents in his lifetime.
When we look at innovation in Rolls-Royce, we
have our customer foremost in our mind. If we’re not
creating the right technology in the right time frame
for the right people, then all the clever research in
the world is no good. So we need to understand the
customers’ needs and requirements, both business
and regulatory.
The challenges are considerable. In civil
aerospace, for example, the Advisory Council for
Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe has set
some very ambitious goals for its Flight Path 2050.
These include a 75% reduction in C02 emissions,
a 90% reduction in NOx emissions and a 65%
reduction in noise, all relative to year 2000 levels.
While this may seem a long way off to a layman,
with lead times for development of aerospace
technology being anything up to 20 years, and
in-service life often exceeding 50 years, if the right
choices aren’t made today, the products will not be
there in 2050.
Then there are commercial pressures, such
as the rising fuel costs for operators which have
seen a 200% increase in the past decade. This has
reached the point where fuel now makes up some
18
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
50% of an airline’s direct operating costs. In a highly
competitive civil market, a 1% difference in fuel burn
can mean our engine being in or out of an airframe
programme for 20 years. That’s because this can
equate to a saving of up to $0·5m per aircraft, per
year for our customers.
Our shareholders are aware of our need to
invest in R&D but they expect to see a return on
this investment. They know, over a long enough
period of time, commodity prices will continue to
rise while the price we can charge for our engines
will remain fixed by fierce competition. With over
half of our revenue coming from services delivered
on original equipment, it is vital we keep costs
low across the entire lifecycle of our products.
Technology can both improve performance and
reduce costs.
The Rolls-Royce approach
Remaining competitive in the aerospace industry
requires a significant investment of time and money.
With finite resources, it is important to ensure the
priorities are agreed and investment is made in the
correct technologies.
To manage this, Rolls-Royce applies the
Technology Readiness Level (TRL) process devised
by NASA. All technology and capability projects
must progress through six stages, to ensure that
its maturity is being demonstrated as required and
the potential applications are understood. At all
stages, it is not enough to prove that the technology
functions but that it performs the role that the
customer requires of it.
From the earliest strategic research at TRL1,
increasing levels of validation evidence are required
in representative operating environments, before
the technology is considered de-risked at TRL6 and
can be passed into the new product introduction
process.
Rolls-Royce 2012
R&D spend
£919m
Rolls-Royce
patent
applications in
2012
475
The majority of late-stage technology validation
(TRL5-6) require service equivalent demonstration
and is typically done in-house by Rolls-Royce.
However, this is not the case for earlier stages
of research activity (TRLs 1-4). Unlike our major
competitors, we do not have a large in-house
research centre. Instead we have created an
extensive range of partnerships and collaborations
around the globe through our network of 28
University Technology Centres (UTCs).
This network celebrates its 22nd anniversary
this year. It is a source of both technology and
highly skilled people — with a significant number of
doctoral graduates coming to work for the Group
upon completion of their degree.
We have applied a similar model to developing
our manufacturing processes. Starting with the
Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre in
Sheffield, Rolls-Royce has developed a network
of research centres to develop manufacturing
capability through the mid-stage readiness levels;
bridging the gap between university research and
industrialisation in the supply chain. There are
now six operational facilities, the latest having
opened in Crosspointe, Virginia, in late 2012.
These foster collaboration between companies at
all stages of the supply chain, from the Original
Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to material
suppliers, measurement systems providers and tool
manufacturers.
Funding
You can’t get world-class research without
consistent levels of funding and it is one of my
main responsibilities as Director of Research
and Technology to ensure that this continues to
be secured with our government partners and
channelled to the right areas. Our average annual
spend on R&D is high, with £919m invested in
2012 and around £8bn over the past decade.
Some two thirds of this goes on further improving
the environmental performance of our products, in
particular, reducing emissions.
Rolls-Royce research and follow-on activities
offer significant benefits to the areas we operate in.
In the UK, for every one employee in Rolls-Royce,
we support a further six jobs in the supply chain.
The spill over into other sectors of the technology
we generate helps bring long-term industrial growth
that spans decades.
At present, we are participating in the
Aerospace Technology Institute, alongside Airbus
and others, to help develop the technologies that
will help keep the UK aerospace sector at the
forefront of world aerospace manufacturing. We
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are also participating in Clean Sky I, the European
Commission’s research investment focused on
applied technology for environmental improvement
in aerospace. In collaboration with European
partners, Rolls-Royce is investing its share of the
available funds on demonstrator vehicles, including
a number of flight test vehicles to be installed on
our Boeing 747 flying test bed.
These sort of partnerships carry significant
benefits for small and medium sized enterprises
(SMEs) throughout the supply chain. SMEs cannot
afford to invest significant amounts in longer-term
strategic R&D but, by becoming part of a larger
partnership, they can participate in and benefit from
the programmes we help to drive.
IN THE UK, FOR
EVERY ONE
EMPLOYEE IN
ROLLS-ROYCE,
WE SUPPORT
A FURTHER SIX
JOBS IN THE
SUPPLY CHAIN.
Vision 5, 10, 20
To ensure that there is a pipeline of technology
and a balanced portfolio of research with target
applications in both the near and long-term, RollsRoyce has adopted five, ten and 20-year visions for
the technology it develops.
Vision 5 constitutes the low-risk technology
ready for application within five years. However, this
is not limited to the next new product. Where the
opportunity exists, technology is retrofitted into
in-service products to provide efficiency and
reliability improvements for the customer.
Vision 10 describes the next generation of
technology or capability. These will require further
demonstration to verify the benefits and de-risk the
system prior to application.
Vision 20 describes emerging, or as yet
unproven, technologies aimed at our future
generations of products, much of which will be
applied right across our product range in all sectors.
A number of Vision 20 studies are currently
exploring future generations of aircraft architectures
that may provide significant improvements,
particularly in areas of fuel burn, noise and
emissions.
New engine materials
As I alluded to earlier, fuel price is one of the key
drivers for our customers, not just for airlines but
also amongst defence departments worldwide
looking to reduce the operating costs of their large
aircraft fleets. As engineers, we have two potential
routes to improve engine efficiency. We can either
increase thermal efficiency, increasing the energy
we draw from the fuel, or propulsive efficiency, how
well that energy is then converted into thrust.
Propulsive efficiency has historically been
improved by increasing the proportion of air flowing
through the fan and bypassing the internal gas
path. For example, the Trent XWB has twice the
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Rolls-Royce
Partnerships
JUNE 2013
19
Ric Parker
Director of Reseach and Technology, Rolls-Royce
Trent XWB
2x
bypass ratio
of RB211
lean side. In a lean burn system there is no need
to jump through stoichiometric point, where the
maximum NOx is produced, thus the combustion
is always lean. The leaner the design, the lower
the NOx. It is not without its challenges, such as
keeping the weak flame alight at high altitude, but
rig testing already undertaken in Stuttgart University
as part of the German LUFO programme shows
promising results.
bypass ratio (BPR) of the early RB211s. While
the hollow titanium blades currently used on the
Trent family provide a low weight solution, the trend
for increasing fan diameters to provide the large
BPRs of the future will drive a system-level change,
enabled by composite materials. Composite blades,
for example, would also allow for a low mass fan
containment system and could reduce engine
weight by over 700lb. Rolls-Royce is currently
exploring use of composites through a joint venture
with GKN, to develop the fan system of the future.
Thermal efficiency has been improved via ever
increasing temperatures, requiring new materials
with improved abilities to tolerate the heat. With the
latest generation of metal super alloys operating
well above their melting points, they are reliant
on cooling air and exotic coatings to cope with
extreme temperatures. For the future, ceramic
matrix composites (CMCs) are being developed for
static components but the long-term vision is to look
for potential applications in rotating components
such as blades. However, while CO2 emissions are
reduced proportionally as we drive down fuel burn,
NOx levels increase with combustion temperature
and pressure. We are using the money from
CleanSky II, to develop a lean burn combustion
system which will combat this NOx challenge.
Manufacturing
New and innovative manufacturing techniques
can also have a significant impact on cost. The
design requirements for key structural components,
coupled with the use of high capability but complex
to manufacture materials, has led to low ‘fly to
buy’ ratios and high unit costs. Once machined,
only a fraction of the original metal will remain,
with the rest left as swarf to be recycled. Near
net shape manufacturing technologies offer a
potential solution to this wastage. Powder HIP (hot
isostatic pressing) methods can produce structural
components from the latest materials with minimal
machining required. Additive manufacture via
methods such as direct laser deposition (DLD) not
only reduce material wastage but also open up the
design space. For example, the cooling passages in
combustor tiles are both high cost and shape limited
by the laser hole drilling process. However, DLD tiles
can be produced cheaply with exotic hole shapes to
increase the cooling effectiveness at no extra cost.
Lean burn combustion
NOx, which is produced during any combustion
process in air, can be limited by a technology
called lean burn. Conventional combustion systems
operate on what is known as the RQL system of
combustor design. The R stands for rich, the Q is
for quench and the L is for lean. In considering the
combustion of fuel, there are two points either side
of the ideal stoichiometric temperature where a
given temperature rise is achieved, one on the lean
side of stoichiometric and the other on the rich side.
In the RQL system the start of the system is rich
and rapidly jumps through the stoichiometric to the
Capability
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce UltraFan concept
20
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
However, R&T is not just focused at product
technologies. We must also develop world-class
design tools. The investment required to develop a
new large gas turbine in the civil market is huge and
the need to minimise this cost, while maintaining
the quality and achieving the required timescales
is vital. While we will be required to test engines to
demonstrate performance and reliability for many
years to come, advances in our analytical and
predictive capability has allowed us to significantly
descope and de-risk the costly test programme
without impacting the quality of the outcome. These
tools can then be used across the Rolls-Royce
Group’s product range. For example, the CFD
codes developed to optimise our large fan systems
on our aerospace products are now applied to
marine propellers and waterjets to improve their
hydrodynamics. These were used in our latest
offshore vessel which won the ‘Ship of the Year’
award in 2012. With its new wave-piercing bow,
it is able to cut through waves rather than riding
over them; reducing fuel consumption and greatly
improving crew comfort and safety.
Rolls-Royce
Vision 20
Looking further into the future we can envisage and
explore with our partners and aircraft customers
the possibilities of novel aircraft which use
‘integrated power systems’ solutions. The term
integrated power systems is used within RollsRoyce to consider a number of the near-term
improvements which can be achieved through closer
integration of the aircraft and propulsion system.
These improvements can vary from integrating the
propulsion system into the airframe to reduced drag
and noise, better integration of sub-systems and
the use of more electric systems offering greater
system flexibility, to considering novel technologies
such as fuel cells, energy storage and energy
harvesting.
We can see the intelligent power management
technologies, electrical machine and power
electronics technologies and the integration of
the propulsion system sub-systems as a key
development in aerospace. Combining these
technologies will help provide optimised power
systems and reduced operator workload for manned
and unmanned aircraft.
Distributed propulsion has also long been
considered as one of the novel concepts capable of
meeting the increasing challenges of the continuous
growth in the aviation industry.
UltraFan
The ultimate evolution of the aero gas turbine is
likely to be an UltraFan engine, offering higher
bypass ratio with an ultra-quiet low-speed variable
pitch fan of up to six metres diameter to give
higher propulsive efficiency. The concept includes
a slim-line active flow nacelle and avoids the need
for a heavy fan containment system and thrust
reverser. Significant further weight and efficiency
improvements come from embedding a recuperated
APU and LP driven generators plus integrating
electrical accessories and power management. In
the core, an ultra-low emissions combustor, cooling
air and extensive use of ceramic matrix composites
will deliver excellent thermal efficiency and
extended time on-wing.
Distributed propulsion
Just as in the electric ship, where separating
power generation from electrical propulsion has
liberated designers of ship architecture, so a further
increase in the power density of electrical systems
will enable the same step change in the air. The
use of multiple distributed fans powered by a low
number of large gas generators is widely preferred
to distributed engines. The worse thermal efficiency
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Rolls-Royce distributed
propulsion concept would
see smaller engines, similar
to the latest electrical marine
propulsion systems bring
benefits in reduced fuel burn.
of a small engine is likely to offset any propulsive
benefit from distributed whole engines. Boundary
layer ingestion (BLI) could also give a benefit to the
overall aircraft aerodynamics. This novel technology
involves the ingestion and re-acceleration of slow
moving boundary-layer air (aircraft wake) to improve
the propulsion efficiency of a vehicle. While the
re-energisation of the wake enables less kinetic
energy to be wasted, this will create a significant
challenge, since current fan designs will not accept
these distorted inlet flows without some loss of
stability.
The figures above show just one of the
distributed propulsion concept aircraft Rolls-Royce
is now helping to shape. Rolls-Royce plc and
EADS Innovation Works collaboratively compared
and contrasted a number of distributed propulsion
solutions to investigate the potential BLI benefit.
One possibility involves the use of distributed gas
turbines on the upper wing surface and separate
mechanically driven or electrically-driven distributed
fans. The high-level study concluded that using a
distributed fan propulsion approach with boundary
layer ingesting intakes can yield significant savings
in fuel burn coming from the higher propulsive
efficiency.
An Olympic effort
At our annual meeting of University Technology
Centre Directors this year, we were fortunate to be
addressed by two of the leading sports scientists
working on the UK Sports team that helped to
produce such fine results for the UK at the 2012
Olympics. During the talk, I was struck by how
many similarities our two disparate fields shared.
Both require clear, well-researched goals, broken
down into a timetable with ambitious yet achievable
milestones. You need talent, teamwork, investment
and, above all, a willingness to commit for the long
term. That’s how you get world-class results.
That’s how you create better power for a
changing world.
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A DISTRIBUTED
FAN
PROPULSION
APPROACH
WITH
BOUNDARYLAYER
INGESTING
INTAKES
CAN YIELD
SIGNIFICANT
SAVINGS IN
FUEL BURN
JUNE 2013
21
LEGISLATION
Passenger rights
EC passenger compensation
— a licence to print money?
Do proposed revisions to EC Regulation 261 rules governing passenger
compensation rights offer a welcome financial lifebelt for stranded passengers
or impose an unfair financial burden on carriers which could even endanger
air transport safety? BILL READ reports.
p
WE BELIEVE
THAT THIS IS
A BALANCED
PROPOSAL
WHICH WILL
GIVE PRIORITY
TO CARE AND
ASSISTANCE
FOR STRANDED
PASSENGERS
WITHIN A
REALISTIC
ECONOMIC
FRAMEWORK.
Jean-Louis Colson
EC Head of Consumer
Rights
22
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
E
uropean airlines already have plenty
of worries to concern them — from
rising fuel prices, passenger taxes and
the Emissions Trading System (ETS).
However, the current hottest subject
of debate among European regional carriers is
proposed amendments to European Commission
(EC) Regulation 261/2004 which establishes
common rules on compensation and assistance
to air passengers flying from or within the EU or
into the EU on a European carrier in the event
of cancellation or flight delays. In force since 17
February 2005, EC 261 has been the subject
of much criticism by airlines, particularly with
regard to uncertaincy as to the conditions under
which it applies and a lack of consistency in its
enforcement across the European Union (EU).
A central element of the current regulations
is the definition of ‘extraordinary circumstances’
which could delay or cancel flights but which would
not oblige the airline to pay any compensation as
they were beyond its control. The interpretation
of what could or could not count as extraordinary
circumstances has been subject to much debate
and legal wrangles ever since EC261 came into
force. For example, a case against Alitalia in
3. Right to financial compensation in qualifying
circumstances (such as denied boarding, long
delay or short notice cancellation)
4. Right to refund of your ticket in cases when
the delay is longer than five hours and, where
appropriate, a return flight to first point of
departure
5. Right to refund of the ticket (or re-rerouting in
the case of denied boarding or cancellation)

2008 (Wallentin-Hermann vs Alitalia) ruled that
mechanical problems with an aircraft did not qualify
as extraordinary circumstances. Compensation for
flight delays was also not implicit in the regulations
until another court case in 2009 (Sturgeon vs
Condor) resulted in the EU Court of Justice adding
this requirement to the rules.
On 13 March, in an attempt to make EC261
fairer and more straightforward, the EC published its
proposals for a revised set of air passenger rights.
However, no good deed goes unpunished and
the new proposals have been welcomed with little
enthusiasm from airline operators. The International
Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced
its ‘disappointment’ with the revisions saying that
the changes still leave major deficiencies in the
legislation, will be difficult for governments to
enforce, add unnecessary costs and will ‘incentivise
behaviours by industry that will be ultimately
detrimental to the interest of passengers’.
Passenger rights
The first public presentation of the revisions the
Commission intends to make to EC261 was given
at a recent conference hosted by the European
Regions Airline Association (ERA). Jean-Louis
Colson, EC Head of Consumer Rights, explained
how, under the current 261/2004 regulations,
passengers are given five basic rights for what they
can expect from airlines in the case of flight delays
or cancellations, as follows:
1. Right to information
2. Right to care (meals, refreshments and, if
appropriate, accommodation)
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“What we are proposing is to clarify the grey
areas and close loopholes,” said Colson. “A central
element of the regulations is a clearer definition of
‘extraordinary circumstances’ and we wish to clarify
which flights it might apply to. Our other aims are
to simplify complaint handling, better co-ordination
of enforcement policies which currently differ in
different EC member countries and to ensure a
realistic financial cost.”
As a result of the Sturgeon judgement, carriers
are now required to compensate passengers when
their flight is delayed for over three hours. The right
of compensation for delays has now been included
implicitly within the new rules but the EC proposes
raising the cut off point to over five hours for intraEurope flights with even higher limits for longer
flights. The new rules will also set temporal and
monetary limits on the care obligations of airlines, i.e.:
1. Passengers' right to compensation for delays
to be raised from current limit of delays of over
three hours to over five hours for intra-EU
flights, nine hours for 3,500-6,000km flights
and 12 hours for 6,000km+ flights.
2. A passenger’s right to accommodation from
an airline to be limited to a maximum of three
nights at a maximum €100/night.
“We don’t want to increase costs for airlines which is
why we are proposing to raise the delay threshold,”
said Colson. “We believe that this is a balanced
proposal which will give priority to care and
assistance for stranded passengers within a realistic
economic framework.”
The airlines do not agree. While they are pleased
with the proposed change to the delay threshold
from three to five hours, there are many other
aspects of the new proposals which they do not like.
“The revisions have a few good things and
some bad things,” says Simon McNamara, Director
General of ERA. “We welcome the EC’s efforts to
begin to put a limit on an airline’s liability and to
clarify when an airline is held responsible and when
it is not.
“Passenger compensation adds costs to the
airline industry,” states Martin Isler, Executive VP
of Luxair. “Regional carriers operate in a highly
competitive environment. We can’t always compete
on price with the larger carriers, so we compete on
quality of service and passenger care. Customers
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WE DON’T
NEED THESE
REGULATIONS
TO PROTECT
OUR
PASSENGERS
AND WE DON’T
NEED MORE
FINANCIAL
BURDEN.
THIS PROPOSAL
RISKS
WRECKING
REGIONAL
AVIATION
AND PUTTING
THOUSANDS OF
JOBS AT RISK.
Martin Isler
Executive VP, Luxair
JUNE 2013
23
LEGISLATION
Passenger rights
can make their own choice who to fly with. We don’t
need these regulations to protect our passengers
and we don’t need more financial burden. This
proposal risks wrecking regional aviation and putting
thousands of jobs at risk.”
“There is a lack of balance in these regulations,”
says Caroline Green, Head of Customer Service
at Ryanair. “EU Regulation 261/2004 is the only
known law to impose unlimited financial liability and
obligations on a business entity to its customers for
events that are beyond its control. Other transport
operators don’t have this.” She cited the example
of a recent Ryanair flight in which the captain was
ill and the airline had to pay €21,000 for a flight
which only generated €9,000 of revenue. She also
highlighted a continued lack of clarity over the
definition of ‘extraordinary circumstances’.
of Ryanair. “We incur significant legal costs every
week.”
Several speakers touched on the subject of travel
insurance, arguing that it should be these policies
that paid out in the event of delays. “What about the
personal responsibility of passengers to be responsible
for themselves?” asked Simon McNamara. However,
the small print of travel insurance policies have far
more exclusions that airlines can claim. “Insurance
doesn’t cover much,” agreed Caroline Green of
Ryanair. “In cases when policies do have to pay out,
we’ve had had travel insurers try to claim the money
back off us. We tried to insure the airline against ash
incidents but no one would insure us.” “Insurance
companies are not as good to claim from as airlines,”
adds Martin Isler of Luxair.
Re-routing
Claim culture
EU REGULATION
261/2004 IS THE
ONLY KNOWN
LAW TO IMPOSE
UNLIMITED
FINANCIAL
LIABILITY AND
OBLIGATIONS
ON A BUSINESS
ENTITY TO ITS
CUSTOMERS
FOR EVENTS
THAT ARE
BEYOND ITS
CONTROL.
Caroline Green
Head of Customer Service,
Ryanair
24
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
Carriers are also concerned that EC Reg 261
is moving away from its original intention of
looking after stranded passengers to making
European airlines a target for refunds. Simon
McNamara of ERA highlighted the recent growth of
companies who made their living out of passenger
compensation claims. “We need to differentiate
between care and assistance and compensation,”
he warned. “Caring for passengers is fine. It is not
in the interest of airlines to do otherwise. However,
claim culture is on the increase and we need to get
away from this.”
“EU claim intermediaries are encouraging
passengers to complain because they get a
percentage of the money,” said Caroline Green
In recent years, a number of specialist websites
have been created which encourage passengers to
claim flight compensation.
Airlines are also unhappy with the proposed
introduction of delay compensation for rerouted and
connecting flights. Under the proposed revisions,
if an airline cannot re-route a passenger to arrive
within 12 hours after scheduled departure time
using its own aircraft, the delayed passenger is
entitled to travel by another airline or mode of
transport. However, the other transport provider
‘shall not charge the contracting carrier a price that
goes beyond the average price paid by its own
passengers for equivalent services in the last three
months.’ However, carriers are complaining that it is
not clear how this requirement could be enforced,
particularly with regard to non-EU carriers and
how third party carriers could be persuaded not to
charge premium fares for last minute bookings.
Hitting the
airline jackpot

Potential compensation
payouts after three hours


1hr 1hr 1hr
• For flights <1,500km
€250
• For intra-EC flights >
1,500km and all other
1,500-3,500km flights
€400
• For all other flights
€600
Connecting flights
Diversions
Another bone of contention concerns diversions.
The new proposals will treat diversions as if they
were cancellations — and therefore eligible for
compensation payments. “This regulation does
not protect passengers,” declares Martin Isler
of Luxair. “No airline diverts for fun or to save
money, they only do for reasons of health or
safety. There is a risk that airlines might save
costs by flying when it’s risky to save money.”
The list goes on. Carriers are also not
happy about revisions to the rules applying
to passengers who book cheap return flights
but fail to show up for the outward leg. Under
existing rules, passengers who only turn up for
the return flight may be denied boarding but
the new provisions would not allow this. Airlines
argue that this would lead to more empty seats
on aircraft and an inefficient use of capacity.
Safety
“EU261 is an incredibly emotive subject,”
concludes Simon McNamara of ERA. “It was put
in place to deal with problems of over booking.
but it has since got more and more extended and
complicated. There is also a disparity between
different modes of transport; the compensation
rules apply to airlines but not to other modes of
transport. We are also concerned that, not only
do are these new rules starting to interfere with
the commercial practices of airlines, but there
are also unintended flight safety consequences
creeping in. There is a danger that airlines might
try to avoid paying passenger compensation
charges by flying aircraft in situations where it
might not be safe to do so.”
The EC parliament is scheduled to debate
the final wording of the new compensation
legislation over next 12 months.
EU261 IS AN
INCREDIBLY
EMOTIVE
SUBJECT. IT WAS
PUT IN PLACE
TO DEAL WITH
PROBLEMS
OF OVER
BOOKING BUT
IT HAS SINCE
GOT MORE
AND MORE
EXTENDED AND
COMPLICATED.
Simon McNamara
Director General, European
Regions Airline Association
Nor do the complaints end there. Another cause
for concern among carriers relates to the rules
for connecting flights. In cases where a delay
on one flight causes a passenger to miss a
following connecting flight, the responsibility for
financial compensation will fall upon the first
carrier while responsibility for passenger care
and re-routing will be up to the airline operating
the onward connection. Airlines argue that that
this requirement may discourage the opening of
new feeder routes to and from international hubs,
if they runs the risk of having to pay for delays
to other carriers’ flights. “What concerns me is
the sense of uncontrolled power,” commented a
representative from BMI. “We will need to consider
carefully whether to start new connecting flights
if this legislation is swinging like a big axe in the
background.”
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JUNE 2013
25
INDUSTRY
Defence consolidation
European defence industry:
Consolidation... or else?
In an era of declining European defence
budgets, and the US ‘pivot’ to Asia-Pacific,
will we now see a spate of merger and
acquisition activity in the aerospace and
defence sector? RICHARD HOOKE
assesses the environment.
I
A FITTING
DESCRIPTION
OF EUROPEAN
DEFENCE:
‘BIG HAT. NO
CATTLE’
John Hamre
President and CEO
CSIS
26
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
t started in earnest about 25 years ago –
around the time of the notorious ‘Last Supper’
in the US at the end of the Cold War. But, in
the wake of EADS’ and BAE’s abortive efforts
to merge the two companies last year, a lively
discussion continues on the need for consolidation
of Europe’s defence industry.
Yet the debate seems rooted in the last century.
In particular, it seems to be based upon a perception
that Europe is a single market and politics gets in
the way. That government meddling is to blame for
an inherent inefficiency in how defence companies
perform. Hence The Economist’s view (2 March,
2013): “Nobody doubts what is needed: a more
rational, less nationalist demand side and a supply
side (ie, the equipment-makers) with the political
space to work out their own solutions.”
Shouldn’t we be having a more modern
discussion? In particular, a discussion that
recognises that Europe is not a single nation
state. That is informed by an appreciation that
many companies in this sector are financed by
private — often international — equity investors and
bond holders. And that, accordingly, defence firms
aim to operate like international — increasingly
global — businesses. Businesses that now serve a
range of regional markets outside Europe. Above
all, a debate that acknowledges the fact that most
businesses know the importance of understanding
customer behaviour and, while this varies according
to the preferences of individual customers (French,
British, German or American, for example), the level
of variation also depends on what is being sold to
them. Ammunition or a combat aircraft, for example.
We know this as market segmentation. Some
segments require suppliers to compete on cost,
while others require differentiation.
If we had such a discussion, what would
we say are the real factors driving some form
of consolidation in Europe? What are the real
barriers to such consolidation? And what are
the implications for defence companies? It’s a
discussion in which most international defence
company CEOs have been engaged for several
years. And it’s a discussion that the tri-service
military officers, civil service and agency managers
who are students on the Cranfield Defence MBA
programme at the UK Defence Academy have been
having for the past ten years. They understand the
issues broadly as the diagram above.
So, while our business executives and emerging
military leaders and civil servants have developed
an understanding of the issues, we now need more
engagement from service chiefs and senior civil
servants. There are signs that this is happening
and, whilst defence ministers come and go, they
are receiving better advice and are therefore better
placed to make informed decisions.
We now need to see a modern assessment
of the issues in the news media. Then politics will
be seen as a less appropriate and acceptable
explanation of events in place of rational analysis.
Consolidation: the four main factors
1. Smart defence
The EU’s military is as busy as ever. In 2012, forces
were on duty in Mali, Somalia, Afghanistan, Bosnia
and Kosovo plus UN operations in the Congo,
Lebanon, Iraq, Uganda and Libya.
And with US defence policy shifting to the east,
Europe’s military strength looks likely to be fully
occupied for several years yet. And it will need to
“In the past, I’ve worried openly about
NATO turning into a two-tiered alliance
between members who specialize in ‘soft’
humanitarian, development, peacekeeping and
talking tasks and those conducting the ‘hard’
combat missions — between those willing and
able to pay the price and bear the burdens of
alliance commitments and those who enjoy the
benefits of NATO membership, be they security
guarantees or headquarters billets, but don’t
want to share the risks and the costs …“This is
no longer a hypothetical worry… We are there
today. And it is unacceptable.”
(Robert M Gates, Brussels, 10 June 2011)
John Hamre put it slightly differently, suggesting
that a Texan term provided a fitting description of
European defence: “Big hat. No cattle”.
Both prompted the question: where next for
consolidation in Europe? NATO Europe responded
with a focus on ‘Smart Defence’ — pooling and
sharing defence capabilities and assets.
Much of the argument for consolidation
therefore focuses on the efficiencies that Europe’s
buyers — primarily national Defence Ministries —
can extract from a consolidated and rationalised
supplier base in the region. According to The
Economist (2 March 2013), Neil Hampson, my
successor as Aerospace & Defence Leader at
PwC, believes that Europe is paying 30-40% more
than it should for military equipment as a result.
Guy Anderson of IHS Jane’s, estimates that excess
capacity is as high as 30% in combat aircraft, land
vehicles and naval shipbuilding.
There is clearly room for rationalising the
European supplier base. The continuing proliferation
of European defence companies still owes much
to the notion that the ability to sustain a national
Defence Industrial Base (‘DIB’) is integral to a
country’s ability to defend itself. However, the
importance of a DIB has been undermined since the
WW2 by three factors:
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1.
The threat to peace has changed and
taken on different complexions
2.
International alliances and security
structures have replaced or supplemented national
capabilities
3.
Maintaining an indigenous DIB is
expensive: equipment and support can be acquired
more cheaply in the international defence market.
Even so, it is clear that customers — defence
ministries — buy equipment using a range of
criteria, only one of which is price. Other criteria
are important. Hence a nuanced approach to
consolidation seems prudent. An approach that
deals effectively with different market segments,
different requirements and different trade-offs to
be made between low cost, commodity items and
highly differentiated, specialised capabilities.
2. Stock values
Much of the European industrial base is now in
private ownership. While the companies involved
here might have started out as part of the national
defence effort, they’re now committed to delivering
shareholder value. This may or may not align with
the national government’s defence objectives.
Most CEOs are finding it tough going in today’s
uncertain environment. Those operating in Europe’s
defence industry may find that having a pile of cash
makes the uncertainty more bearable but investors
want to know that growth is on the agenda. If not,
and if they don’t see that cash put to good use,
then they’ll ask for it back so that it can be invested
somewhere else. The cash pile may diminish anyway
as governments increasingly buy ‘off the shelf’
and advance payments feature less regularly in
contractual terms.
For a public company, its share price reflects
investors’ expectations of future value creation —
the return generated on the capital invested in the
business. Past performance can offer guidance but
an uncertain future undermines any confidence
drawn from yesterday’s heroics. Consequently,
a ‘flatlining’ business won’t attract investment. A
declining share price will follow and no amount of
cost reduction will fully compensate. And the CEO’s
term of office — said to be typically around five
years these days — may well come to a premature
end. From a UK perspective, a glance at the share
price performance of FTSE companies like BAE
Systems, Cobham and Chemring over the past two
years will demonstrate this very clearly.
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Eurofighter Typhoon
— did BAE Systems
and EADS miss an
opportunity for
European defence
consolidation?
BAE Systems
operate effectively and efficiently without American
leadership. In the wake of the Lisbon Treaty and
the formation of the EU’s Common Security &
Defence Policy and noting the lessons learned from
the campaign in Libya (where the US, UK, Norway,
Belgium, Canada, France, Italy and Denmark
operated together with some notable European
absentees) the then US Defense Secretary Robert
Gates gave the equivalent of a message I first
heard from CSIS President & CEO John Hamre at
a British-American Association conference at RUSI
in London several years ago. Secretary Gates urged
Europe to pull its weight in defence by spending
more and co-ordinating their efforts.
US Navy
The US is now ‘pivoting’
to the Asia-Pacific.
JUNE 2013
27
INDUSTRY
Defence consolidation
into forming an Optronics joint venture in July last
year. According to Safran Chief Executive, Jean
Jean-Paul Herteman, the joint venture would “avoid
duplicating major [state] funding.”
A UK-France defence treaty was ratified in
May 2011. Reflecting its relevance to a changing
European perspective following Operation Unified
Protector in Libya, Liam Fox, the then UK Secretary
of State for Defence, said: “NATO states must
prioritise and avoid costly duplication of effort. UKFrench co-operation will strengthen, not undermine,
transatlantic and European security, particularly
since France has rejoined NATO’s military command
structure.” The Defence and Security Co-operation
Treaty focused on co-operation in ‘selected’ areas
and, as an indication of what this meant, an early
initiative involved British troops travelling to France
to conduct training at one of the country’s leading
urban fighting areas. However, a subsequent shift
in French strategy has meant that the influence of
this bilateral Treaty has given way to the desire to
increase German engagement in such co-operation.
A German-Swedish initiative, developed in
Ghent in 2010, also proposed that co-operation
only take place where it made sense. It highlighted
three criteria for identifying specific areas of
common interest. Operational Effectiveness came
first; Economic Efficiency second: so far, so good
— measurable and specific. While the third criterion,
Political Implications, seemed to offer scope for
obfuscation, the trend seems clear: governments
are seeking to explore collaboration where it makes
sense.
So growth — or the expectation of growth —
is vital. But investment in growth, through capital
expenditure, R&D or in mergers and acquisitions
(‘M&A’), needs to make good sense to investors.
It also needs to offer the right balance of risk and
reward. Consolidation in Europe could appear a
sensible response if achieving economies of scale
and scope provides the motivation. This clearly has
relevance in some areas of the industry — in guided
missile and ammunition supply, for example, where
domestic, sub-scale suppliers are giving way to wellinvested international specialists like MBDA.
But where transition and change is the
driver — from platforms to systems, mechanical
to electronic, equipment to information — and
where investment in new assets and capabilities
needs to be combined with managing the decline
or obsolescence of the old, a great deal of M&A
research suggests that a consolidating merger
would probably make a difficult process even more
complex. As Gary Hamel and CK Prahalad pointed
out years ago (Competing for the Future, 1996),
“you might merge with another organisation, but two
drunks don’t make a sensible person.”
Hence, responding to calls for consolidation
could just make a defence company CEO’s job
even harder. Investors might view it wasteful if
management time and resources are committed
to combining or rationalising assets of diminishing
inherent value operating in a shrinking market.
3. Nature of conflict
In a European defence environment where a major
threat to national and international security remains
but where its nature and form is increasingly
unconventional and unpredictable, industry has
to adapt. The future means that building ships,
manufacturing combat aircraft and making tanks
and artillery is going to be less and less relevant.
Adapting can take time and certainly costs money:
investment in new assets and capabilities and
writing down the value of ageing or obsolescent
skills and infrastructure.
Pooling such new investment across Europe
could make very good sense. It makes sense on a
national basis too, of course, and so we have seen a
range of national, bilateral and multilateral initiatives
emerge. This seems to suit what Secretary Gates
and others, including UK defence ministers, have
observed as the sensible practice of responding to
the alignment of different specific nations’ interests
rather than resolutely following international
structures, such as the EU, which may not offer
the complementarity of objectives and doctrines
relevant to all situations.
Examples of such initiatives include France’s
Defence Minister manoeuvring Safran and Thales
28
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
4. US military strategy
93%
OF LARGE
CORPORATIONS
AND
76%
OF SMALL
BUSINESSES
REPORTED A
CYBER BREACH
IN THE PAST
YEAR
US defence companies aren’t immune from the
pressure to grow. There are signs that concerns
over spending being slashed by $46bn a year could
be giving way to an emerging new debate on the
opportunity that sequestration offers to look again
at priorities. According to The New York Times
(11 March 2013), the targets for reduced spending
include: “… not only base closings but also an
additional reduction in deployed nuclear weapons
and stockpiles and a restructuring of the military
medical insurance program that costs more than
America spends on all of its diplomacy and foreign
aid around the world. Also being considered is yet
another scaling back in next-generation warplanes,
starting with the F-35, the most expensive weapons
program in United States history.” Shifting funds
away from these major items would free up
investment in areas that President Obama believes
are more relevant to the future: drones (UAVs),
offensive and defensive cyber weapons and special
operations forces.
So, with shrinking demand at home, international
MBDA
An example of successful European defence collaboration: missile house MBDA.
expansion provides one obvious option and Europe
makes sense as a targeted market. It has an
obvious need, post-Libya, for US technology and
it can offer alternative or entirely new channels to
export markets. So, as the US military withdraws
from Europe, US industry may well enter in greater
force. The signs are fairly clear already: just read
the annual results presentations of the US majors.
Achieving growth in overseas revenues is very much
on the agenda.
For European defence companies already faced
with falling demand, fragmented European markets
and flagging economies, increasing competition
from major well-established US piles the pressure
on. Is the choice therefore simply either to
consolidate within Europe and compete head on or
give way to US competition?
Consolidation: four main barriers
1. The importance of US technology
The fact is that US systems and equipment remain
the standard for many European countries and
the physical presence of American companies in
Europe — from Spain to Germany and the UK — is
a source of pride to most defence agencies keen
to secure best-in-class capabilities. Since it spends
as much as the rest of the world put together on
defence, the US is entitled to consider its industry
as the world leader.
In the UK, 2010’s Strategic Defence & Security
Review reiterated that the country rarely acts alone
and that its defence, security and intelligence
relationship with the US is central to the UK’s
national interest. In particular, it asserted that:
“We will reinforce our pre-eminent security and
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defence relationship with the US. It remains deeplyrooted, broadly-based, strategically important and
mutually supportive.”
It’s clearly sensible then for European
contractors to view the US as an attractive market
and its contractors as desirable partners. This is a
widely held view — from Cobham, Chemring, BAE
and Rheinmetall to Thales, Finmeccanica, EADS
and Kongsberg. Any consolidating move between
European parties would need to address its likely
impact upon US activities and aspirations.
2. The adoption of commercial, off-the-shelf
(COTS) procurement policies
COTS is a term used by most European defence
ministers and their procurement officials these
days. As it suggests, the policy involves acquiring
capabilities readily available from the international
market rather than developing and securing
something bespoke. If the potential consolidation
of a European supplier base is likely to offer a
competitive alternative, then all well and good.
However, a COTS procurement policy is naturally
regarded as favouring suppliers offering economies
of scale and scope and this tends to offer
opportunities to major suppliers developing a broad
range of capabilities within one of the world’s major
markets. Hence, one would expect US contractors
to be to the fore in delivering COTS capabilities.
AS THE US
MILITARY
WITHDRAWS
FROM EUROPE,
US INDUSTRY
MAY WELL
ENTER IN
GREATER
FORCE.
3. The increasing cyber threat to national
security
The UK’s National Security Strategy categorised
cyber attacks as a Tier One threat to its national
security, alongside international terrorism. It
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JUNE 2013
29
INDUSTRY
Defence consolidation
SELLING AN
AIRCRAFT TO
AN EXPORT
CUSTOMER
MEANS SELLING
IT TO THE
GOVERNMENT’S
CABINET,
NOT JUST THE
DEFENCE
MINISTER.
AgustaWestland
The NH90
helicopter —
another European
collaborative
defence.
30
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
identified terrorists, rogue states and cyber criminals
among those targeting computer systems in the UK.
“93% of large corporations and 76% of small
businesses reported a cyber breach in the past
year. On average over 33,000 malicious e-mails are
blocked at the Gateway to the Government Secure
Intranet (GSI) every month.”
The response has been to allocate £650m
over four years to establish a new National Cyber
Security Programme to strengthen the UK’s
cyber capacity. This is a national effort and, while
international intelligence sharing and co-ordination
is important, European consolidation appears
of limited relevance in responding to this threat.
The facility rapidly to develop new capabilities
and configure the right responses in a dynamic
environment appears to be of most importance.
It seems that whether it is IT services, network
protection, fraud management, endpoint security or
forensics and e-Discovery, either international scale
and scope is important or the agility, responsiveness
and creativity delivered in real time by smaller,
local resources. Hence, this space is populated by
companies ranging from Google, Dell, Cap Gemini,
Atos Origin, IBM and Cisco to small firms such as
FircoSoft in France, Alaric and Webroot from the
UK and LogRhythm and FireEye based in the USA.
Our established defence companies might
therefore be cautious about investing in this area.
Even so, the cyber security market could be an
important opportunity for growth at a time when
defence spending is falling. Hence, according to
PwC, over $22bn has been spent on acquisitions in
this space over the past three years. But, whether
choosing to compete with IBM, Cisco and the like
or, alternatively, aiming successfully to integrate one
or more relatively small, entrepreneurial acquisitions,
entry to this market presents significant challenges
to defence companies more accustomed to a very
different business model, timescales
and ways of working.
4. Maintaining domestic employment during a
recession
The question raised here is simply that concerns
regarding preserving national employment may
deter participation in consolidation. In achieving a
rationalised supplier base, whose jobs will be lost?
The implications for contractors
1. Understanding customer preferences
These days, procurement decisions may be about
preserving jobs, skills, technology and intellectual
capital … capabilities … either in-country or
close by; about creating value through exploiting
export potential; or retaining the ability to use
technology without having to seek permission from
its originator, and so on. They may also be about
maximising the return on capital invested in R&T —
like the UK’s investment in technology embedded
within the Hawk jet trainer, for example — through
exports or further derivative, domestic programmes.
These are less easy to quantify but this doesn’t
mean that they don’t count. It’s debatable whether
they should be considered a cost or treated as
capital invested in physical and intellectual assets.
Assets that can be used to create some form of
value.
This is value that may not be secured by the
buying agency — notably the national Ministry
of Defence — alone but perhaps by a number of
government agencies: health, trade and industry,
employment, education. Defence companies
understand this. That’s why selling an aircraft
to an export customer means selling it to the
government’s cabinet, not just the defence minister.
While CEO
at BAE Systems, Mike
Turner
would vigorously promote
the notion of ‘joined up’
government — asking departments
to communicate with each other. This is what
he meant.
The main point here is that customers have
preferences and make choices based on a range
of criteria and only one of these is cost. So it’s
simplistic to dismiss the other criteria used by
defence customers — whether they are French,
British, German or American, for example — as
‘political’. Contractors use an understanding
of national politics as a useful way of defining
customer preferences and behaviour.
It seems that Europe’s military leaders and
ministers appreciate this too. Hence the focus on
bilateral or multilateral collaboration where it makes
sense — as expressed in the Ghent GermanSwedish initiative in 2010.
Saab
Saab has developed a
‘strategic rake’ corporate
strategy.
2. Responding to COTS and commoditisation
A significant, growing proportion of defence
equipment is becoming commoditised. It will be
bought ‘off the shelf’. Clearly, it is important for
contractors to recognise where this is the case and
react accordingly — either bulk up the business or
sell it to a better-positioned consolidator.
As already discussed, the demise of the
Defence Industrial Base owes a great deal to
the budgetary pressures that call for less ‘must
have’ indigenous capabilities and more affordable
solutions available from the international market.
The trend varies from country to country but it
seems inexorable. Saab developed its corporate
strategy in recognition of this trend. The Group
referred to a ‘strategic rake’ — a depth of
competence and technology (the long teeth of the
rake) where the national market required it and
where it might also offer distinctive export potential,
with shallower and possibly narrower capabilities
(the rake’s shorter teeth) where the Swedish Armed
Forces used imported systems and equipment.
Saab’s capabilities in this context might be used to
supply a component or for integration, assembly or
through-life support and sustainment.
A SIGNIFICANT,
GROWING
PROPORTION
OF DEFENCE
EQUIPMENT
IS BECOMING
COMMODITISED
3. Finding something else to do … and
allocating capital accordingly
for equity investors. Lockheed Martin has a very
explicit goal — committing 50% of each year’s
free cash flow to share buybacks and dividend
payments. BAE and GD have very transparent
capital allocation strategies — they apply a rigorous
approach to investment appraisal which evaluates
all forms in terms of returns.
The balance for management teams is to weigh
the risks associated with investing in business
projects that may look risky in today’s uncertain
economic environment against giving money back
to shareholders who may like the return … but may
think management has run out of business ideas.
In making equity investments — acquisitions
— companies have to demonstrate how they will
improve the target’s performance, and thereby
create additional value by generating a return that
exceeds the company’s cost of capital. This normally
means identifying and realising a mix of cost and
revenue synergies. Which can make M&A a risky
business if straying too far from the acquirer’s core
business.
This is the dilemma for today’s defence
company CEOs. Finding the right growth areas in
which to invest … Civil aerospace? Cyber security?
Power generation?
About the author
Richard Hooke BA MBA is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical
Society, a Member of the Learned Society Board and a
Any investment of capital in growth for example,
capital expenditure, R&D spending and M&A
investment now has to compete with share
buybacks and dividends as a way of creating value
visiting lecturer on the Cranfield Defence MBA programme
at Shrivenham. A former Hawker undergraduate apprentice,
he spent 14 years in a range of senior executive positions
at British Aerospace, including running its CEO’s office from
1987-89. As Global Aerospace Leader at PwC, then as Global
Head of Aerospace & Defence at The Royal Bank of Scotland,
A cautionary footnote
Richard has subsequently advised aerospace and defence
Shortly after the end of the Cold War, British Aerospace’s new Chairman,
a celebrated Professor of marketing and a leading businessman, abruptly
abandoned his proposed trip to meet Daimler-Benz CEO Edzard Reuter to
discuss collaboration. He fled the corporate HS 125 jet waiting clearance for
take-off at Hatfield, leaving his stunned CEO on board to ponder what next.
The aborted trip was explained as a flight cancellation due to local fog. And
the proposed meeting never subsequently took place.
The reality was that, while fog had indeed blanketed the airfield, the
Chairman’s morbid fear of flying had got the better of him as he waited
on the tarmac. A flight to Germany to talk of merging interests made a
distressing situation even less appealing. Even as the fog cleared, he bolted
for the exit and jumped back into his limousine bound for London.
Back in the boardroom at 11 Strand, he announced a new strategy to the
small band present, including an exasperated CEO. Never mind the Germans!
To heck with consolidation! “I’ve a new strategy … it’s called diversification!”
companies in over 16 countries — from South Korea, Israel
and South Africa to the US and to most of western Europe —
on performance improvement, corporate strategy, financing
and mergers and acquisitions.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
The author is a Senior Managing Director at Arma Partners LLP. This
article was prepared by the author in his personal capacity. The
statements and opinions expressed in this article are therefore those of
the author and do not reflect the views of Arma Partners LLP.
While every care has been taken in the compilation of the information
in this article, no representation or warranty (express or implied) is
made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, the accuracy and
completeness of any information contained herein. Neither the author
nor Arma Partners LLP accept any liability whatsoever resulting, directly
or indirectly, from reliance on the information in this article.
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JUNE 2013
31
AIRBUS
A350
A350 Countdown
RICHARD GARDNER looks at progress on the Airbus
A350 XWB programme
T
he new Airbus A350 XWB, although
running later than originally planned,
has been making rapid progress
over the past 12 months and is now
very close to its first flight, described
as being ‘mid-year’ by the manufacturer. Firm
sales of the new A350 XWB now total 617 for
35 customers — a massive contrast to the sales
situation four decades ago when the prototype
A300B made its first flight with only one firm order
from one customer plus a handful of commitments.
Final assembly
The new A350 XWB final assembly line (FAL)
has been named after Airbus test pilot Roger
Beteille. As has been established since earlier
Airbus models, main aircraft sections arrive at the
FAL fully fitted and tested from various Airbus
sites. This greatly reduces the final assembly
workload. With the A350 XWB this pre-assembly
and test has been taken a stage further with the
cabin galleys and crew rest stations fitted into the
separate fuselage sections before final assembly.
This allows easier installation and safer movement
32
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
as the aircraft comes together. The use of a fully
digital aircraft mock-up, which is complete down to
the tiniest detail, allows an accurate visualisation
of how the components are to be assembled. This
information is available to all concerned in final
assembly and reduces the overall assembly time
and provides for more efficient testing as systems
are connected up. Final integration is handled
in parallel with the assembly of the fuselage,
wings and tail, along with certain passenger
cabin furnishings. When the aircraft is powered
up functional testing can be carried out, in some
cases even before the wing/fuselage mating has
been made.
After the final assembly of the A350 XWB
sections has been completed the aircraft is towed to
the A330 assembly zone where existing specialist
facilities are available. This allows for pressurisation
tests, painting and engine installation, cabin
outfitting and ground tests to be performed. Once
all this is ready the new aircraft is prepared for
flight tests. The first flyable aircraft, No MSN001,
was structurally completed in December 2012
and moved from Station 40 in the FAL building to
Station 30 for indoor ground tests.
THE USE OF A
FULLY DIGITAL
AIRCRAFT
MOCK-UP ...
ALLOWS AN
ACCURATE
VISUALISATION
OF HOW THE
COMPONENTS
ARE TO BE
ASSEMBLED.
Rollout of the first A350 XWB from Airbus’ Toulouse paint shop
on 13 May following completion of flight-test-instrumentation
verification. Airbus.
The five Airbus
flight test
aircraft:
MSN1 first flight
MSN2
testing
cabinrelated
systems
MSN3
heavy
flight test
installation
light
MSN4 flight test
installation
route
MSN5 proving
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Iron Bird and other tests
A structurally complete aircraft, an A350-900
series airframe, dubbed MSN5000 was allocated
for non-flying structural evaluation to ensure that
under critical loads the specimen meets Airbus
predictions and is a mandatory part of the first
flight clearance and certification. After the 1·25
limit load campaign Airbus will conduct the ultimate
load campaign where 1·5 times the limit load
is applied, ahead of type certification. The test
airframe is designed to withstand the ultimate load
for at least three seconds without failure. In 2014
comes the residual strength phase followed by
the margin research cases. Here the ultimate limit
is tested including maximum wing bending up to
the failure point. Detailed results can be used to
conduct any structural fine-tuning on production
airframes in support of the ramp up of the fleet. In
addition to ultrasonic inspection different loading
concepts are required because of the use of carbon
composite materials in the structure. The inspection
programme will last over 8,000 hours and use
12,000 synchronous measurement channels. 235
hydraulic jacks will be used. The programme is
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designed to help shape and optimise the aircraft’s
future inspection programme in service. Over 200
people are involved in this pre-flight testing. The
test supplier is Intespace (ITS) for the project
management for Airbus and DGA, the Toulouse
Aeronautical Test Centre (formerly CEAT), has
been selected by ITS for the overall technical test
integration and performance.
The initial static test of the A350 wing took
place on 4 September 2012. This component is
some 32m long and is the biggest single composite
wing section on an Airbus. UK company GKN
Aerospace has opened a huge new manufacturing
and assembly facility near Bristol where the inner
wing spar is produced before going to the Airbus
UK wing factory at Broughton, near Chester, where
the complete wing is assembled and in turn is then
flown out to Hamburg, Germany, for final fitting out
before being flown down to Toulouse with all wing
fittings installed, systems functioning and tested
ready to be joined to the fuselage sections.
The flight test campaign itself only starts
after a virtual first flight campaign has been run
on the earthbound ‘iron bird’ at Toulouse. Here
the skeletal ‘Aircraft Zero’ test bed serves as a
JUNE 2013
33
AIRBUS
A350
Electromagnetic hazard testing was carried out in April at
Airbus’ Clément Ader facility in Colomiers, France. Airbus.
combination of all these additional data-gathering
and calculating systems forms the basis for an
advanced super computer, known as METRO. Over
40,000 electrical links were installed in the aircraft
over one weekend by 40 technical staff from
Safran group’s Labinal company. Altogether this
development aircraft carries 67km of cabling, which
has been fitted in high-level ‘raceways’ instead
of along the floor, as in previous test-flight fitted
aircraft. This is not only safer for in-flight technicians
monitoring the display cabinets and having to move
around in the equipment-crowded main cabin, but it
is easier to access. After the initial power up on the
ground, between 4,500 and 5,000 measurements
were taken. The METRO system’s circuit is very
flexible. The cabinets weigh a combined nine
tonnes and will be used by the flight test engineers
to display parameters being tested and recorded
during the flight campaign. For this, MSN1 will be
joined by four more development aircraft, each
equipped with different instrumentation to gather in
the range of data required for certification.
full-scale test bench for the aircraft’s electric and
hydraulic systems as well as the flight controls. The
flight deck is represented by a realistic and fully
representative simulator. It is all fully interactive
and functions just like the real thing. The groundbased test campaign lasts several months and
can simulate all the various scenarios that might
be expected to be encountered on the real first
flight, while ensuring the maturity of the aircraft
systems. This provides the closest core system
test environment to the actual first flight. Aircraft
Zero is equipped with a standard of equipment fully
representative of MSN1.
Following final assembly of MSN1, a series of
indoor tests started in January this year in Station
30 at Toulouse to ensure all of the systems were
fully functional and meet the maturity levels required
for the first flight. Ground testing included hydraulic
systems, air conditioning systems and electrical
harnesses. Other tests included the extension and
retraction of the landing gear and power tests of the
wing spoilers, ailerons, elevators and rudder. For the
fuel tanks and pipes, functional tests were carried
out indoors with air and a special liquid.
METRO system
Subsequently, outside at Station 18, the aircraft
had further fuel tank tests using real fuel to verify
levels, flows, sealing and internal fuel transfer
functions, pressure testing of the fuselage and
radio equipment testing. Inside the aircraft is a 50m
long electrical harness, weighing 900kg, for flight
test measurements. It was also fitted out with no
fewer than 35 electrical cabinets for recording and
displaying key in-flight data provided by specially
fitted sensors and inputs from the aircraft’s flight
controller and onboard computers. In fact, the
34
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
Lightning strikes
AIRBUS IS TO
ACTIVATE
‘PLAN B’ AND
REVERT TO
USING PROVEN
AND MASTERED
NICKEL
CADMIUM MAIN
BATTERIES
FOR THE
PROGRAMME
The third flying test aircraft, MSN3, will be used for
testing in extreme climates in very hot and very cold
temperatures, at high and medium altitudes and
on very long-range flights. One of the most recent
tasks undertaken on MSN3 has been a series of
lightning strike tests to check on performance in
conditions of electromagnetic hazard. The A350
XWB has a 53% composite aerostructure and
new materials have more electrical resistance
than structures mostly made of metal, so within
the composite panels are embedded metallic foils
increasing the aerostructure’s electrical conductivity
and protecting harnesses with metallic conduits.
The electromagnetic hazard tests on MSN3 lasted
three days and comprised simulated lightning
strikes followed up by measurements of individual
voltage/current levels on selected harnesses. The
evaluations used a low-level current injection rather
than the actual electrical current level generated
by a lightning strike, with the measured voltages
and current then extrapolated to the real threat of
200,000 amps. Aircraft MSN4 will undergo further
and longer running electro-magnetic tests in 2014
fulfilling the requirement for the type certification of
the A350-900.
Battery Plan B
The topical issue of which batteries should be used
onboard the A350 XWB, following the incidents
aboard the 787 earlier this year, has been resolved
at Airbus. The company is satisfied that the special
lithium-ion (li-ion) battery architecture being
developed for the A350 XWB by supplier Saft, is
both robust and safe, and will continue to be used
in the flight test programme. But following on from
Boeing’s unfortunate experience on the 787, Airbus
is to activate ‘Plan B’ and revert to using proven and
mastered nickel cadmium main batteries for the
programme at entry into service. It believes this is
both prudent and the most appropriate route back to
the scheduled programme execution and to maximise
reliability. In parallel, Airbus has also launched
additional maturity studies on the behaviour of li-ion
main batteries in aerospace operations, and is taking
onboard the findings of the official investigation into
the 787 problem issues. Airbus does not envisage
A350 test
aircraft
MSN3
35
electrical cabinets
40,000
electrical links
67km
of cabling
4,5005,000
measurements
any programme slippage on A350 XWB entry into
service, resulting from these studies.
The flight deck of the first A350 XWB came
alive just two weeks after the forward fuselage
section arrived at Toulouse. With power on, the
cockpit systems can be functionally checked out,
which is an important step en route to complete
aircraft power-on checks. This enables early
identification and resolution of any potential
issues — and this well-developed test process is
designed to protect the development schedule.
In the passenger cabin there is also a high
level of innovation on the new Airbus. The most
advantageous from the point of view of those
working in this environment is the flat floor. This
routes the cables between seats under covers
which are flush with the carpet, and seat rails
are also flush with the carpet, giving a flat floor,
easing re-configuration of seating and other cabin
fittings.
Ready for action
There can be little doubt that the combination of
Airbus’ latest widebody, and the newest Trent engine
from Rolls-Royce, looks well positioned to capture
a major slice of the most profitable segment in
tomorrow’s civil air transport market. It will provide
not only hot competition for Boeing’s rival 787, but
in the shape of the A350-1000 will also be able
to challenge the segment dominated by Boeing’s
current cash-cow, the 777. Exciting times lie ahead
and there are no greater expectations in the industry
than those focused this June on the A350 XWB.
Engine preparations
individual components required to work perfectly together.
The test programme passed 3,100 hours of engine
operations in February of this year, and this included
icing tests in northern Canada, altitude and crosswind
tests in the USA, endurance tests in Spain, flight
tests in France and test-bed performance trials in
the UK. Initial engines are now ready for the start
of the A350 XWB’s flight test programme and
the number of running hours will rapidly grow
as engine robustness will be evaluated prior
to customer delivery. As production engines
emerge from the company’s Derby factory the
build rate will gradually ramp up to one each
working day. The production engines will be
16% more efficient per passenger kilometre than
the first generation Trents that entered service in
1995 on the A330. The current Trent XWB is rated
at 84,000lb thrust which will power the A350-800
and 900 series aircraft. The heavier and larger A3501000 will be powered by the 97,000lb thrust version of
the Trent XWB, which will feature a larger engine core and
advanced fan aerodynamics. First test runs of the higher
thrust engine are due to start next year.
The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB has already become the
fastest-selling Trent engine ever produced with
over 1,200 ordered by 35 customers. The
first Trent XWB engine ran on a test bed in
2010 and, since then, 11 fully functioning
engines have been taken to extremes of
performance, including being tested to
destruction in the fan blade-off tests
in Germany and at Derby. In February
this year, Rolls-Royce was able to
celebrate the gaining of the engine’s
Type Certificate, clearing it to fly
aboard the Airbus A350 XWB. The
company says that the test campaign
for the new engine showed it to be the
most efficient large civil aero engine
flying today. The first flight test took
place in February 2012 aboard a modified
Airbus A380 demonstrator aircraft, with a
Trent XWB replacing one of the four standard
R-R Trent 900 engines. Over 2,000 Rolls-Royce
scientists and engineers conducted research and
development on around 300 test rigs with 18,000
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JUNE 2013
35
Vintage restoration
Buggati 100P
Bugatti’s
blue dream:
The Phoenix of Paris
JOE COLES reports on a former USAF fighter pilot’s quest to build a
flyable replica of one of the most beautiful aircraft ever designed — the
Bugatti 100P racer.
36
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
Chasing the record
4·7L
ENGINE
1,000KM
RANGE
475MPH
TOP SPEED
The global depression of the 1930s put Ettore
Bugatti’s industrial empire into a state of decline.
To survive, the company needed to branch out and,
considering their excellence at high-performance
piston motors, Ettore decided to move into the
world of aero-engines. But to muscle in on a
market dominated by the established companies,
Hispano-Suiza and Gnome et Rhône, they needed
to do something dramatic. In the past Bugatti had
publicised his engineering prowess on the world’s
race tracks. Victories at Monaco and Le Mans had
cemented the marque’s reputation for producing
fast high-technology cars. He now wanted to apply
the same principle to highlight the company’s move
into aero-engine production. Bugatti knew that if he
could get a world air speed record, it would help him
to sell aero engines (and perhaps even aeroplanes)
to the French government. In 1936 Bugatti
discussed the idea with Louis de Monge. Louis was
a self-taught Belgian aero engineer from a well-todo family (his official title was Count Pierre Louis de
Monge de Franeau), he designed several avantgarde aircraft (including the Dyle et Bacalan DB-10
bomber prototype) but his designs were considered
Bugatti 100P Project
B
ugatti. A name synonymous with dreammachine automobiles of the 1920s and
'30s. These gorgeous cars scorched a
reputation for unbeatable performance
and exceptional good-looks. A less well
known fact is that Bugatti were also working on
building the world’s fastest aeroplane. This radical
Art Deco masterpiece was every bit as advanced
as it was beautiful. Fate (in the form of the Nazi
invasion of France) conspired against it flying. It
seemed that the Bugatti 100P was destined never
to leave the ground. That is until a poetic fighter
pilot, inspired by the words and deeds of SaintExupéry, decided to take on the herculean task of
leading a team to reverse engineer what may well
be the finest-looking machine in the world.
Scotty Wilson was a USAF fighter pilot. He flew
the F-100 (‘my first love.. a very difficult aeroplane
to fly well’), the F-4 (‘badly harmonised, big and
heavy, poor visibility... no fun to fly’) and the F-16
(‘for the first two weeks of flying it my face hurt from
smiling... it was like being an angel’). But the aircraft
that he has decided to devote years to, has yet to fly.
According to its designer, one Louis de Monge, the
sole purpose of the Bugatti 100P was to set a world
air speed record.
Bugatti 100P Project
Left: Prints of a specially commissioned painting, ‘First
Flight’ by aviation artist Philip West, showing what the
Bugatti’s maiden flight could have looked like, are now
being sold to support the project. Go to http://bugatti100p.
com for more details.
too unorthodox to be accepted. In 1921 he had
designed an aircraft to break the world air speed
record and to win the Coupe Deutsch. Tragically his
best-friend was killed test-flying this aircraft, leaving
Louis emotionally scarred for life.
Bugatti was keen to use his straight inline
eight-cylinder inline engine of approximately 4·7
litre capacity. Louis studied the engine, looked at
all the latest aerodynamic advances and concluded
that he could beat the existing speed record, which
at this time was held by Macchi MC72 seaplane at
440mph. Louis set about designing an incredibly
beautiful, technologically advanced aeroplane of
a unique configuration. This tiny aeroplane had
around a third of the power of the M.C.72. It was
named the 100P. Scotty described the design as
"The very smallest space you could fit the engines,
the undercarriage, the pilot and enough fuel for a
1,000km run. To quote Antoine de Saint-Exupery
in Wind, Sea and Stars 'a designer knows he has
achieved perfection not when there is nothing left
to add but when there is nothing left to take away.'
... when you strip something to its essentials it is
perfect and that is what the Bugatti 100P is. It is the
most aerodynamically perfect aircraft of its era; from
an engineering point of view it is perfect." Scotty's
repetition of this word was not accidental and,
looking at the sensual curves of this machine, it is
hard to argue with him.
With a top speed estimated at 475mph it has
long been rumoured that a fighter variant of the
type was to follow on from the basic racer. Scotty
Wilson is keen to nip this rumour in the bud, saying
he has seen no concrete evidence of this. “That is a
IT HAS
LONG BEEN
RUMOURED
THAT A
FIGHTER
VARIANT OF
THE TYPE WAS
TO FOLLOW
ON FROM THE
BASIC RACER.
High, power, small airframe
The biggest design drive for the aeroplane was the
largest amount of power in the smallest possible
airframe with the smallest possible frontal area.
The design solution was unorthodox, Wilson
explained: "The aircraft had a forward swept wing
and a Y-shaped tail. Now a Y-shaped tail is not
that unusual in itself, it is similar to the V-tail of the
Beechcraft Bonanza" and the MQ-9 Reaper. "But
this tail is a little different as the leading edges
of the V-tail and the ventral fin serve as intakes
for cooling air to the radiator". And why the swept
forward wings? Wilson suspects this is due to a
centre of gravity issue (a slightly heavy nose) "the
forward sweep angle is very small, too small to have
a significant aerodynamic effect".
The most unusual feature of the Bugatti 100P
is its engine configuration. "One engine is directly
behind the pilot, and the second is directly behind
the wing spar carry-through, which is a box-like
affair that joins the two halves of the wing together."
The drive train of the rear-mounted engines runs to
the front of the aeroplane where there is a gearbox.
One engine drives the driveshaft on the left side,
The replica build under progress at Harvey Young Airport, Tulsa,
Oklahoma.
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persistent myth that we have seen no evidence for.
The fact is: the aircraft is very small and there really
is no room for armament.” Though he continued;
“Let me speculate on something, we know the
French government was interested in a small
lightweight fighter. In fact Caudron built such a type,
which saw some service with the Finnish air force
(The Cauldron-Renault C710 series). The Bugatti
aircraft was really not suited to this, however,
Wilson concedes that it could have been used in
the unarmed reconnaissance role. It does, however,
seem likely that a larger version of this aircraft could
have been adapted to the fighter role. The other fact
that Wilson was keen to clarify was the nature of
the 110P, which was simply the 100P, with a slightly
smaller wing to allow a higher top speed (the aforementioned 475 mph figure).
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JUNE 2013
37
Vintage restoration
Buggati 100P
I WAS
SURPRISED TO
LEARN THAT
NOBODY HAD
BUILT A FLYING
REPRODUCTION
Scotty Wilson
Bugatti 100P Project
and the other one on the right side of the aeroplane.
They meet in the nose. The gearbox takes power
from those two engines and delivers it to two
contra-rotating propellers. The front engine turns the
rear propeller, and the rear engine turns the front
propeller. So it delivers the power of two engines
without the drag of wing-mounted nacelles, it also
has the added safety of the power being delivered
on one axis. As with all contra-rotating engines, the
effects are torque and P-factor (the asymmetrical
relocation of a propeller’s centre of thrust when the
aircraft is flying at high angles-of-attack).
Beauty
The 100P is so attractive that I wondered if
the beauty was more than just a by-product of
aerodynamics. To this question Wilson replied "I am
absolutely positively certain that Louis de Monge
took the aesthetics into consideration. If you go
back to his designs of the 1920s, there are two, we
see shapes similar to the 100P. These hallmarks
of Louis’ designs are evidence of his artistic talent.
We are seeing the manifestation of his view of what
beauty is. Of course in aeroplanes, form follows
function and we have a very sleek, beautiful design
— but it is also contemporary in terms of art. It is
part of the ‘Streamline movement’ of the Art Deco
era. It is certainly what I would call an Art Deco
classic."
Invasion
Bugatti 100P Project
France was in shock when the German war machine
smashed through its defences in May 1940. In
Paris, work on the 100P continued. At the rate they
were progressing the aircraft would probably have
been completed by autumn 1940.
But it was clear that Nazi forces would soon
be in France’s capital city. Bugatti was anxious that
this piece of high technology should not fall into
the hands of France’s oppressor. "They worked on
it right until the very last days, right up until the first
week of June 1940".
A week before Paris fell, de Monge and Bugatti
ordered the disassembly of the unfinished aircraft.
It was smuggled out of the city under cover of night
and moved to Bugatti’s Château d’Ermenonville,
East of Paris, where it remained hidden throughout
the war. Bugatti and de Monge headed to
Bordeaux, which was part of Free France where
correspondence has revealed that they continued to
work on elements of the design.
Support the Bugatti 100P Project
To find out more visit the website http://bugatti100p.com for more details. You can also find them
on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheBugatti100pProject. Those wishing to donate
should visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/525000827/reve-bleu-bugattis-blue-dream-willfinally-fly
38
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
The war ended and, by now with the advent of
jet engines, the 100P was no longer going to win
any speed records. Ettore Bugatti died in 1947 and
Louis de Monge emigrated to the US. The aeroplane
was essentially lost for a number of years. In the
late 1960s an American named Ray Jones bought
a bulk supply of Bugatti parts, among which was the
100P airframe. Ray was a pilot and there was some
evidence that he intended to return the aircraft to
airworthy status but this proved impossible. Thirty
years unprotected in a French barn left the aircraft
dirty, mouldy and possibly riddled with dry rot (the
structure is wooden). He brought the aeroplane to
the US and removed the engines, which he kept
for himself and sold the aircraft to a doctor named
Peter Williamson.
In 1975 Louis de Monge was living in the US, by
now he was a very old man. The team then restoring
the 100P found him and brought him to see it. The
aircraft was then owned by one Dr Peter Williamson,
who described de Monge’s reunion with the aircraft
as the most heart-breaking thing he had ever seen.
"On seeing the aircraft, the old man broke down and
cried."
They asked if they could take a photograph of
him with the unfinished aircraft. He said no, as he
was still too haunted by the death of his friend 54
years earlier.
Building a new 100P
Scotty Wilson was captivated by the story of the
100P: "When I was a young fighter pilot in 1973,
I read a magazine article about the plane. I never
forgot about it. In 2005 I was very surprised to
learn that nobody had built a flying reproduction.
So I just decided I would do it. It is a story that
needs to be told but it cannot be told with having
an actual aeroplane to look at and admire. We will
take it to Europe so people can learn this amazing
untold story. We wish to inspire people to dream big
dreams. To celebrate those who risk everything."
"As I built this aeroplane I came to have a deep
respect for Louis de Monge’s engineering and
artistic genius. After months of searching I met
Louis’ grand-nephew, Ladislas de Monge. He is
an artist, sculptor, and carpenter, the exact skills
one needs to build this aeroplane! I am committed
to 'rescuing' — if that is the correct word — Louis’
reputation. We take nothing away from Bugatti
when we say that Louis de Monge is the real hero
behind the 100P."
If the project receives the funding it needs,
Scotty will take the 100P to the skies before 2014.
Good things are worth waiting for, and what’s 78
years when you have something as magnificent as
the Bugatti 100P?
Afterburner
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An F-35B JSF test aircraft
flies in short take-off/vertical
landing mode with external
pylons and stores loaded, 20
March 2013. Lockheed Martin.
Diary
11 June
JSF
Graham Bentley
Director Business Development Australia
Lockheed Martin
Canberra Branch Lecture
40 Message from RAeS
- President
46 Italian Flair
51 Corporate Partners
Centenary of Alenia Aermacchi.
New members to the Society’s Corporate Partner
Scheme.
I am delighted to be writing this as the first
President’s message in the first issue of our new
magazine AEROSPACE.
47 RAeS Young Members
IT FLIES USA 2013.
56 Obituary
- Chief Executive
48 Branch Profile
Obituary, Sir Philip Frank Foreman CBE DL FREng
FIAE HonFRAeS, 1923-2013.
The recent celebrations at Farnborough marking the
first flight of G-YTLY, our first Schools Build-a-Plane
Challenge project, were memorable indeed.
The latest in a series of articles highlighting the
Society’s Branches and Divisions.
42 Book Reviews
Two Roads to War, Give Me the Wings, B-29
Superfortress and British Aviation Posters.
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50 Diary
Find out when and where around the world the
latest aeronautical and aerospace lectures and
events are happening.
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JUNE 2013
39
Afterburner
Message from RAeS
OUR PRESIDENT
Jenny Body
I WANT THE
SOCIETY TO
BECOME AS
DIVERSE AS
AEROSPACE
AND AVIATION
ASPIRES TO BE.
I am delighted to be writing this as the first
President’s message in the first issue of our new
magazine AEROSPACE. After a long and rewarding
career in aerospace, I am proud to be serving
now as the first female President of the Royal
Aeronautical Society.
For industry, this will be an exciting year as we
see Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner go back into service,
the first flight of the A350 XWB and the A400M
delivered to its first customer, the French Armée
de l’Air. UK Government support for aerospace
research and technology is the highest it has ever
been and we await the establishment of the UK
Aerospace Technology Institute, announced recently
as part of the government’s industrial strategy for
aerospace.
For the Society itself, we now have the new
governance in place. The roles of Council and
the Board of Trustees are clear. In Council we will
debate the key issues affecting the Society and
its members, while the Board of Trustees will be
responsible for the administration of the Society, for
example management of the finances. I wish Phil
Boyle continuing success as Chairman of the Board
of Trustees and thank him for his year as President,
seeing us through the establishment of the Society’s
newly amended Royal Charter and its new By-Laws
and Regulations.
I see the role of President as being an
Ambassador for the Society promoting both
its activities and its contribution to the world of
aerospace and aviation. I plan to focus on three key
themes for my time as President — Diversity, STEM
(Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
skills and Technology & Learned Output.
I want the Society to become as diverse as
aerospace and aviation aspires to be. We are
already actively engaged with the Royal Academy
of Engineering Concordat on Diversity. Removal of
negative stereotypes, mentoring and provision of
role models are important activities.
Development of STEM skills in schools is critical
to future economic success. I strongly endorse the
Society’s activities such as Cool Aeronautics and the
Boeing-backed Schools Build-a-Plane programme.
We will continue to work with the Aerospace &
Defence Sector Strategy Group, ADS and others to
develop the projects and funding which will support
STEM in schools and colleges.
Technology (and learned output) is close to my
heart. The Society has an important role to facilitate
debate on the ‘technical’ issues of the day. The
conferences organised by the Specialist Groups are
already world class.
I look forward to meeting many more of you
during the year.
OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Simon C Luxmoore


OUR THANKS
GO TO YATELEY
SCHOOL
AND THEIR
PARTNERS,
THE BOEING
COMPANY,
FOR THIER
UNSTINTING
SUPPORT.
40
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013


The recent celebrations at Farnborough marking the first flight of G-YTLY, our first Schools
Build-a-Plane Challenge project, were memorable indeed. Our congratulations and thanks go
to Yateley School and their partners, the Boeing
Company, for their unstinting support and
partnership on this initiative, the Light Aviation
Authority, and all those many volunteers who
have brought this to fruition.
Warwick Brady, COO of easyJet, delivered an
excellent and very well attended, Corporate
Partner Briefing during April. A discussion
group met following the briefing to consider
current and future topics which would be of
particular interest to the airline/operator sector.
I was delighted that the Society was recognised
with an award by the Royal Aero Club for our
on-going support to their ‘Flying for Youth’
programme through the bursaries provided by
the Society’s Centennial Scholarship Scheme.
On this same topic, I am also pleased to report
that the Society has recently reached an agreement with the British Aviation Group (BAG), the
leading trade association for UK companies
involved in the airport and aviation development
sectors, to run their new Scholarship Scheme.
Grenville Hodge FRAeS, formerly with BAE
Systems and Airbus, is working with Prof



Matthew Hudson CRAeS on the development
and preservation of the Old Sarum airfield and
surrounding facilities. It is in the planning stage
but we very much hope that a permanent feature of this project will be a display of Society
artefacts and memorabilia.
The Ballantyne event, always a highlight in
our calendar and once again supported by the
Boeing Company, focused on the subject of
following a graduate or apprenticeship career
path into aviation. Over 250 attended and it
proved to be a vibrant and busy day. Our thanks
to all the companies who supported this event
by providing speakers and, of course, to our colleagues at GAPAN who, as always, conducted
their aptitude test opportunity for the many
attendees.
The Aeronautical Journal online editorial system
will be launched this month. A long time in the
delivery but a very useful tool for the Associate
Editors.
Stephen Partridge-Hicks and, more particularly,
his artist daughter Lucasta, presented a portrait
of Past President (1982/83) Capt Eric ‘Winkle’
Brown to the Society (see p 13) during a
reception on 29 April. This is further recognition
of a quite extraordinary man and it was a great
pleasure to host this particular event.
Society News
NEW PRESIDENT
Jenny Body
OBE FRAeS
Jenny has worked for Airbus (in its various guises)
since 1971 when she joined the company as
an undergraduate apprentice. Initially part of the
avionics group, she prepared flight software for the
preliminary fly-by-wire UK test aircraft and then
worked on slat/flap and landing gear systems for
Airbus A320 and A340 aircraft. After a spell in R&T
Management, as a complete change she became
the engineering leader of the Nimrod wing design
team at Filton. Subsequently she was responsible
for on-going wing developments and repairs on inservice Airbus aircraft before moving to the A400M
team as wing design team lead. Her final role was
in R&T Management again. She was responsible
for maximising support for UK-based Airbus R&T.
Her main achievement was the preparation and
establishment of the Next Generation Composite
Wing Programme — the biggest UK aerospace R&T
programme to date. She is a Fellow of the Royal
Aeronautical Society. She retired from Airbus in
October 2010. She was awarded the OBE at the
end of 2010 for services to Engineering. In May
she became the first female President of the Royal
Aeronautical Society.
BRANCH NEWS
Eur Ing Mel Porter CEng FRAeS, served the
Christchurch Branch with great distinction. Although
now retired, Mel held demanding engineering positions during his career. Nevertheless, he found time
to be the Branch’s Honorary Secretary for some 16
years!
The amazing speed with which he has always
produced the detailed, accurate Minutes of the
Committee Meetings exemplifies a contribution that
cannot be over emphasised. Without his excellent
approach and administrative skills, the Branch would
have been a lot poorer — and very much less effective.
His friendly manner, steady influence and
thoughtful advice, has always rendered immense
service to the Branch.
I have tremendous respect for Mel and what he
has done for the Branch, and I wish him well as he
stands down from the post.
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Newly appointed Secretary
Roger Starling, left, presents
Mel Porter with a framed
print of Concorde.
RETIRING
BRANCH
SECRETARY
HONOURED.
Doug Wilson
President
Christchurch Branch
www.aerosociety.com
JUNE 2013
41
Afterburner
Book Reviews
TWO ROADS TO WAR
The French and British Air
Arms from Versailles to
Dunkirk
By R Higham
Naval Institute Press, 291 Wood Road, Annapolis,
MD 21402, USA. 2012. Distributed by Eurospan
Group, 3 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8LU, UK.
215pp. Illustrated. £28.74. ISBN 978-1-61251058-3.
The greatest value in this book are the 102 pages,
of the total of 410, which record the intense
scholarship of references and bibliography in which
the author indulged, cleverly, in researching the
different paths the politicians and the air forces
of France and the UK took in preparing, or not
preparing, for a second conflict with Germany in the
20th century. These pages are a wonderful mine of
data of great value to aviation and political historians
studying the events which caused France to collapse
in just 38 days following the launch of the German
Blitzkrieg on 10 May 1940 but enabled the UK to
fight on and defeat the Luftwaffe after 114 days
of combat in the Battle of Britain. To have lost that
battle would have enabled Hitler to invade England,
as he had commissioned it to be, on 17 July 1940.
Whereas the Secret Services of both France
and the UK penetrated the German political
leadership and its military construction programme
so that both nations’ governments knew Hitler’s
aggressive intentions, Robin Higham illustrates the
unacceptable failure to react to this critical, strategic
intelligence by successive French governments
and initiate an appropriate, realistic rearmament
programme. The unrelenting, crass incompetence
of French politicians to face reality sealed France’s
fate even before France and the UK declared war
on Germany in September 1939. No viable military
command structure existed whereas the founding
of Fighter Command in 1936 enabled Dowding to
build on a defence structure created, ironically, when
France was perceived as a potential enemy in the
1920s.
Higham’s narrative does need professional
editing, as it is often difficult to follow with ease.
Not surprisingly he has raised the hackles of French
commentators but truth is often a hard burden
to bear. Higham dwells more on the French side
of the Channel than the British and missed the
remarkable initiative of the British Secret Service,
determined to be heard where the Deuxieme
Bureau had failed, deciding therefore to penetrate
the British Political Establishment. But MI6 strangely
selected the most unpopular MP of the 1930s to
42
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
be their private spokesman, Winston Churchill. While
praising Winston, Higham misses the critical and
amazing fact that, between Churchill’s accession
as Prime Minister on 9 May 1940 until 25 May,
Churchill knew he had not got the support of his
own Tory Party, let alone that of the whole House of
Commons to fight on. Perhaps my findings will be
another tale to tell.
But, returning to Higham’s work, statistics are
always a killer problem. He needed more cross
checks. Nobody will ever know, accurately, on either
side of the Channel, how many aircraft of each type
was available for battle at any one time. The official
logs are a mess. But France never had enough. The
UK just enough. Robin Higham has tackled, as yet,
unknown military and political territory well. Refined,
the book could become a masterpiece. I would
welcome, eagerly, an improved edition.
Sir Kenneth Warren
FRAeS
Three Fairey Battles over
France in February 1940.
RAeS (NAL).
Nobody will
ever know,
accurately, on
either side of
the Channel,
how many
aircraft of
each type was
available for
battle at any
one time.
GIVE ME THE WINGS
A Celebration of English
Aviation Poetry
Edited by M Barraclough
Words by Design (www.wordsbydesign.co.uk).
2012. Available from: www.lulu.com/shop. 386pp.
Illustrated. £25 plus postage/packing. ISBN 978-1909075-02-3.
Very occasionally a book comes along which one
simply cannot put down — especially if it has an
aviation theme! There is also delight in a book
which can be dipped into for reference as well as
for pleasure. This remarkable anthology of ‘English’
aviation poetry, selected and edited by liveryman and
active pilot, Martin Barraclough, more than satisfies
both criteria.
‘English?’ Well that rather stretches the point,
as the very first piece was written around 413
BC by Euripides. Another poet is the well-known
American, John Gillespie Magee, the words of
whose immortal opening line: “Oh! I have slipped
the surly bonds of earth…” are probably the best
known in aviation poetry, with scarcely an airman’s
funeral passing without his wonderful verses being
quoted. Fans of Magee will therefore be delighted
to find ‘High Flight’ included in Martin Barraclough’s
anthology but, better still, is the inclusion of two of
his lesser-known — but arguably finer — pieces.
Another pleasant surprise is the inclusion of a poem
by Amelia Earhart, whose very touching ‘Courage
is the price…’ provides a poignant insight into the
mind of this very talented aviatrix who still grabs the
headlines as historians re-investigate her fate.
Included among the many authors are RAF
Sea Harrier pilot David Morgan, DSC, Noel Coward,
Raymond Baxter, Alfred Lord Tennyson and Ernest
Hemingway, as well as Martin Barraclough himself.
A real gem is the inclusion of a classic 14-line
English sonnet by 20-year old Susie Coreth, written
in the space of hours specially for this book.
In this beautifully presented work Martin
Barraclough has produced rather more than an
anthology of verse. In a volume of 386 liberally
illustrated pages he traces the history of aviation
and Man’s desire to fly, guiding the reader through
some emotional, perceptive and sometimes
evocative poems. Unusually for an anthology, Martin
has provided some exceptionally well-written and
descriptive passages about the authors and, in many
cases, their flying achievements. The book contains
works which reflect sadness, pain, jubilation and
unfulfilled ambition, as well as the joy of flight and
mastery of the air. Most of all, it will bring hours
of pleasure to its readers who, like me, will find
themselves searching Google to discover more
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Amelia Earhart with her Lockheed Vega 5b, Old Bessie, after her arrival at Culmore, near
Londonderry, 21 May 1932. RAeS (NAL).
This is a ‘must
read’ for anyone
remotely
interested in
flying poetry
and the power
of verse in
the English
language.
about the many heroic pilot-poets, such as Flight
Commander Jeffery Day DSC, Frederick Branford
RNAS and Air Commodore Sir Nigel Norman RAF.
This is a ‘must read’ for anyone remotely
interested in flying poetry and the power of verse
in the English language. Yes, it is indeed a true
celebration of English aviation poetry.
T M Holloway
FRAeS
Did you know?
The First Annual Report of the Aeronautical Society of
Great Britain for the Year 1866 records a list of eight
books and pamphlets which had been presented to the
Society, six of which were in the French language, French
being the dominant language of many early aeronautical publications. The last recorded book on the list M
D’Esterno Du Vol des Oiseaux (Paris: Librairie Nouvelle.
1865) — held at the National Aerospace Library at Farnborough — is an early study on the aerodynamics of animal
flight (birds, bats, flying squirrels/lizards).
www.aerosociety.com
JUNE 2013
43
Afterburner
Book Reviews
B-29 SUPERFORTRESS
Giant Bomber of World War
Two and Korea
By G M Simons
Pen & Sword Aviation, Pen & Sword Books, 47
Church Street, Barnsley, S Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK.
2012. 256pp. Illustrated. £19.99. ISBN 978-1848847-53-8.
The B-29 Superfortress is one of those classic
aircraft that most enthusiasts of the genre feel they
know adequately well, as probably the most
advanced bomber of WW2, the bomber that took
the war to Japan and the first nuclear armed
bomber, before being rather outclassed by the time
of the Korean War.
While covering all these topics in detail, this
book also addresses almost every other aspect of
the aircraft, starting with the origins of the requirement for a truly strategic bomber and continuing
with the many derivatives and new designs intended
to meet that requirement. The massive technical,
design and production effort needed to bring the
project to fruition in an extremely short timescale is
described in considerable detail, including the many
setbacks along the way. As might be expected, the
aircraft still had substantial teething troubles by
the time it entered service, which exacerbated the
difficulties of its perhaps premature deployment to
China for raids on Japan. The switch to operations
from the Marianas Islands, medium level night raids
and incendiary attacks, is then described, followed
by a whole chapter on the first atomic bomb attacks.
The post-war story is then addressed with an
equal level of commitment, including Korea, the
B-50, RAF service, the Tu-4 Soviet copy and air-toair refuelling efforts. There is also a chapter on ‘specials’ including the aircraft’s use as engine test beds,
mother-ships for experimental rocket aircraft and jet
fighters and even as a TV transmission station.
In conclusion, this is a well written comprehensive account of the topic in which it is difficult to
identify any omissions or errors, although I would
take issue with the claim that the B-29 was “at the
time the world’s largest aircraft.” The book is also
well illustrated with black and white photographs
and diagrams, portraying everything from early
projects to crew station instrumentation. In summary
this book is a very good read and should prove a
useful reference source.
Colin Frazer
AMRAeS
44
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
... this is a
well written
comprehensive
account of the
topic in which
it is difficult to
identify any
omissions or
errors...
Top: Boeing B-29A-5 Superfortress, 293844.
Middle: The first YB-29 was converted to XB-39, Spirit of
Lincoln, to flight test the Allison V-3420 liquid-cooled engine.
Bottom: Boeing B-50D Superfortress, 48-096.
RAeS (NAL).
BRITISH AVIATION POSTERS
Art, Design and Flight
By S Anthony and O Green
Lund Humphries, Wey Court East, Union Road,
Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PT, UK. 2012. 200pp.
Illustrated. £35. ISBN 978-1-84822-084-3.
In the 21st century air travel is swift, efficient and
incredibly safe. But, nobody waiting in a long queue
to embark, half-undressed while being security
checked, would call it glamorous.
It was not always thus. In that golden age
between the two world wars, civil aviation became
a revolutionary way of seeing the world. Great
technical advances during WW2 became the
springboard for an expanded civil aviation industry,
which post-war needed many more customers.
British Aviation Posters, published by Lund
Humphries in association with British Airways (BA),
is a lavishly produced collection of posters from the
airline’s archives that illustrates how art and design
were applied to promote air travel in the UK and
beyond. In the accompanying text, Scott Anthony
and Oliver Green relate the twists and turns of
twentieth century British aviation history that give
the context for these elaborate graphics produced
to publicise BA’s five principal predecessors,
Imperial Airways, British Airways Limited, BOAC,
BEA and BSAA. Created by designers such as
Theyre Lee-Elliot, Ben Nicholson, Edward McKnight
Kauffer, F H K Henrion, Gaby Schreiber, Robin Day,
Mary de Saulles, Abram Games, Hugh Casson and
Frank Wootton, these posters show the influence
of many art movements, ranging from Futurism and
Modernism to Art Deco and Surrealism.
British Aviation Posters offers a definitive
account of this significant period in modern UK
design history and illustrates how these posters
express the speed, progress, and glamour of flight.
The book complements Riding the Skies: Classic
Posters from the Golden Age of Flying (Bloomsbury
Publishing Ltd. 1989), an earlier volume of classic
posters from the Thirties, Forties and Fifties from
the airlines of Britain and the Commonwealth that is
enhanced by an introduction from Jan Morris. British
Aviation Posters lacks such evocative writing but a
browse through the book still offers a pleasurable
antidote to the experience of mass-produced
modern air travel.
Andrew Lovett
FRAeS
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In that golden
age between
the two world
wars, civil
aviation became
a revolutionary
way of seeing the
world.
Online
These and other
between the Wars
posters are owned by
the Royal Aeronautical Society and are
available to purchase
as reproduction prints
and giftware items at:
www.prints-online.com
www.aerosociety.com
JUNE 2013
45
Afterburner
Italian Flair
100 YEARS AT THE FOREFRONT OF AVIATION
Above: Nieuport-Macchi monoplane of 1913. Alenia Aermacchi.
Right: Macchi-Castoldi MC72 Schneider Trophy racing seaplane.
RAeS (NAL).
Below from left: Eurofighter Typhoon, SF-260, C-27J Spartan
and M346. Alenia Aermacchi.
At the beginning of May Alenia Aermacchi celebrated the 100th anniversary of its incorporation
in 1913 by Giulio Macchi as Società Anonima
Nieuport-Macchi in Varese, Lombardy. 100 years
later, the brand Alenia Aermacchi oversees the
aviation sector of Finmeccanica, Italy’s main industrial group that ranks in the top ten groups in the
aerospace, defence, and security sectors.
Created on 1 January 2012 from the merger of
Alenia Aeronautica, Alenia Aermacchi and Alenia
SIA, today’s Alenia Aermacchi is the final step of a
long integration process launched in the mid-sixties
aimed at streamlining operations to better compete
in international markets, markets which demanded
solid companies that offered integrated product
portfolios.
Today, Alenia Aermacchi has grown its workforce to around 12,000 — a distinct contrast from
the ten workers who built the first Nieuport-Macchi
monoplane in 1913. With its activities balanced
equally between the military and the civilian sectors,
it is a major global player in the aviation industry.
Giuseppe Giordo, CEO, Alenia Aermacchi,
commented: “Our first 100 years means a century
of records, of technological achievements and of
development of an industrial system which has been
generating a significant economic and social impact
in our country. Today, Italy boasts one of the few
aviation industries able to offer a current generation
fighter, a tactical transport aircraft whose superiority
is acknowledged worldwide, an advanced jet trainer
and several industrial collaboration programmes
ranging from the Boeing 787 up to the A380.”
During the remaining months of 2013, several
initiatives will be promoted to celebrate Alenia
Aermacchi’s centenary, highlighting the role the
company has played in the development of aviation
technology and its impact on economy and society.
A dedicated website can be found at:
www.aleniaaermacchi100.it
via Alenia Aermacchi.
46
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
RAeS Young Members
IT FLIES USA 2013
My visit to America… where to start? It was an
amazing visit, better than I had expected it to
be. Obviously I had hoped to see/do certain
things but we managed to do everything and
more!
I arrived on Thursday night, 11 April. Even
though my flight was delayed and I couldn’t get hold
of Megan, the University of Dayton, Ohio, student
who was picking me up from the airport, she had
kept track of the flight and was there as planned. I
stayed with Brian, another engineering student.
Friday, 12 April — straight into the university
to the simulation lab to try out our designs on
their MP521 simulator. The USAF test pilots (all
five of them) arrived at lunchtime and spent the
afternoon pre-testing the entries. I had the pleasure
of meeting the test pilot who had stepped up to the
challenge of flying my airship. After giving him a few
instructions and a joke, he flew it better than I did!
The flight simulation lab at Dayton is awesome!
The engineering students at Dayton took all the
visiting teams out to the massive Wright Patterson
Air Force Museum where we got to see everything
— all the aircraft models from the beginning of flight
right through to the present day.
Saturday, 13 April — Competition Day — all
teams gave their presentations and the test pilots
assessed each entry. The knowledge and advice
that the test pilots gave us on our models was first
class. We were able to ask them anything, and found
them very easy to get on with. The day was followed
by an amazing dinner and the presentation of the
awards.
Sunday was a classic ‘American’ day — meeting
up for breakfast, going to the main mall in Dayton,
and eating the ‘best burger’ in the world.
There were nine entries, with designs ranging
from our airship through to a Red Bull style racer, an
amphibious light sport plane, and a human-powered
aircraft. The University of Manchester, Swansea
University and The University of Leeds sent teams
from the UK.
The results were as follows:
First: Mississippi State University, Anthony Favoloro,
Wesley Melton and Austin Powell, who designed
a single-engine turboprop aircraft with a 40ft
wingspan — and highly aerobatic. The design
satisfied the System Requirements Document
for the Air Force Light Air Support Competition.
The team from Mississippi won $1,000 in prize
money and a year’s free membership of the Royal
Aeronautical Society.
Second: Manchester University, Ramy Mesalam,
Abdullah Desai and Stuart Garthwaite with
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THE UK
WINNERS OF
MERLIN FLIGHT
SIMULATION’S
IT FLIES
ANNUAL
AIRCRAFT
DESIGN AND
HANDLING
COMPETITION
TRAVEL TO
DAYTON TO
COMPETE
AGAINST US
TEAMS.
their design of a very lightweight aircraft made
from composite materials. Purpose-built for
manoeuvrability, training for advanced and
experienced pilots.
The team from Manchester won $300 and a
year’s free membership of the Royal Aeronautical
Society.
Third: The University of Dayton, Josh Nieman’s light
sport amphibious aircraft, a two-seater aircraft that
can take off and land from land or water.
I can’t get across how fantastic the weekend
was. The students at Dayton were outstanding
in their hospitality and I hope that I can repay the
favour when their teams come over to the UK for IT
FLIES in June.
For keen aerospace/aeronautical engineers this
trip is a once in a life time. How often do you/will
you get the chance to sit and chat to top test pilots?
Thanks must go to Marion and Chris at
Merlin Flight Simulation Group for organising the
competition, Dr Aaron Altman and his students
at the University of Dayton for their generous
hospitality and to David Houston, Careers &
Education Officer, Royal Aeronautical Society for
getting me the travel grant that allowed me to
experience this weekend.
Tom Rogers
Graduate aerospace student at Swansea University
Get involved
with the Young Members’ activities by e-mailing us at
youngmembers@aerosociety.com
or visiting www.aerosociety.com/youngmembers
www.aerosociety.com
JUNE 2013
47
Afterburner
Branch Profile
AUSTRALIAN DIVISION
The first mention by the Society of an Australian
was Lawrence Hargrave in 1892. Hargrave was
made a life member in 1897 and travelled to
London in 1899 to present his paper on box kites.
The Society changed its name to the Royal
Aeronautical Society in 1918.
In 1921 the Institution of Aeronautical
Engineers (IAE) was formed with an Australasian
Branch, based in Melbourne.
On 21 March 1927, the NSW Division of the
Australasian Branch of the IAE first met under
the chair of Wing Commander Lawrence Wackett
attended by over 200. In 1927 the Australasian
Branch in Melbourne and its Division in Sydney
amalgamated in Sydney. On 1 October 1927 in
England the IAE and the Royal Aeronautical Society
combined under the name The Royal Aeronautical
Society (RAeS). The first Australian meeting was
on 30 October 1928 with Professor H Payne of the
University of Melbourne as Chairman and Wg Cdr L
J Wackett of Sydney as Deputy Chairman.
The attendance at lectures in 1928 was about
14 but this increased to about 45 in 1935 to the
four meetings in the year.
A significant event was a visit by the Society
President, H E Wimperis, in 1937. The President
was Director of Scientific Research at the Air
Ministry in the UK and was invited to Australia to
advise the Commonwealth Government and his
three recommendations for a National Standards
Laboratory, the Aeronautical Research Laboratory
(ARL) and a Chair of Aeronautics in the University
of Sydney were adopted.
Only two meetings occurred during the War but
membership grew to over 100. The first Hargrave
Professor of Aeronautical Engineering at the
University of Sydney, Prof A V Stephens, fostered
student and graduate interest.
A policy was adopted to form ‘Centres’ of the
Society in various capital cities and the Sydney
Centre was inaugurated on 6 December 1948 with
138 members.
On amalgamation with the Institution,
the Society in Australia inherited £200 in
Commonwealth Government Bonds. From the
beginning of the depression all monies received
from members were retained in Australia. Late
in 1948, Captain C E Uwins, Society Honorary
Treasurer, visited to discuss financing as part of the
reorganisation of the Society, the Royal Charter and
the reconstituting overseas Branches into Divisions.
On 1 January 1949 the Australasian Branch
was divided into the Australian Division and the New
Zealand Division and, at the same time, the Sydney
Centre became the Sydney Branch. The Society
Secretary Dr A M Ballantyne visited all the overseas
Divisions and Branches in 1954.
48
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
Division President
Air Cdre Noel G Schmidt
AM CSC (Ret) FRAeS
Past-President
Andrew Drysdale FRAeS
Honorary Treasurer
John Napier FRAeS
Honorary Secretary
Ross Barkla FRAeS
Top from left: Lawrence James Wackett, Sir Charles Kingsford
Smith, White and Alsopp in front of the LJW6 Codock, the first
twin-engine monoplane designed by Wackett. RAeS (NAL).
Above: Lawrence Hargrave and his three-cell box-kite.
RAeS (NAL).
In September 1953 the Melbourne Branch held
its first meeting.
The Adelaide Branch began in March 1956 with
Prof Stephens delivering the inaugural address.
The next Branch approved was Canberra in late
1962 with only five Society members and 31 other
members. A most significant period in the history of
the Division was the initiative of AVM Rod Noble to
create a formal relationship with Engineers Australia
and then the work of Air Cdre Bill Belton in putting
the Division on to a business-like footing, carrying
on the foundation laid by Rod Noble. There is a
formal agreement signed by the Society on Cooperation with Engineers Australia and the Division
acts as a Technical Society of Engineers Australia.
Councillors
John Vincent FRAeS
Capt Ian C Watkins FRAeS
Michael Brett MRAeS
Philip Campbell FRAeS
AVM Peter Nicholson AO (Ret)
FRAeS
David Forsyth AM FRAeS
A/Professor Cees Bil MRAeS
Katrin Hewitt ARAeS
Branch Council
Representatives
Adelaide: Wg Cdr Noel Corbet
MRAeS
Brisbane: John McCormick
FRAeS
Canberra: Eugene Holzapfel
FRAeS
Melbourne: Dr Kyriakos I
Kourousis MRAeS
Sydney: David Cox FRAeS
Perth: John Hinton FRAeS
Council Attendance by
Invitation
Administration officer:
Peter Brooks FRAeS
Division Newsletter Editor:
Jeff Lock Affiliate
Awards Secretary:
Barry Cupitt MRAeS
Australian Division
PO Box 573
Mascot, NSW, 2020
Australia
Austdivision@raes.org.au
www.raes.org.au
The Brisbane Branch started in 1992 with only
a few more than the minimum number of members
and has grown year by year and is now thriving with
145 members.
The newest Branch, Perth, was formed in 2002
as a result of a chance meeting between one of
the Division Councillors and an aviation enthusiast
from Perth on a Murray River cruise. The Branch
continues to keep the interest of 35 enthusiasts.
The Division now has over 800 members. The
Division’s address was Science House, Sydney,
until 1969 when it moved to Clunies Ross House
in Melbourne with other members of the Council of
Engineering Institutions. In 1983 the Division moved
back to Sydney.
The Division Council manages the affairs of the
Division and comprises ten elected members plus
a President and a President elect or Past President
and a representative of each of the six Branches, i.e.
a total of 18 Council members. The Division Council
meets three times a year and the meetings are held
in Sydney. The Division President has a seat on the
Council of the RAeS and the Hon Secretary has a
place on the Society External Affairs Board, which
has now been renamed the Membership Services
Board.
The Division has several awards for Australian
achievement, namely the Lawrence Hargrave
award presented every two years for significant
Australian Division Named
Lectures
Adelaide
Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith
Brisbane
Sir Hudson Fysh
Canberra
Ian Fleming
Melbourne
Sir Lawrence Wackett
Sydney
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
On 10 September 2012 the Canberra Branch held its inaugural
Ian Fleming lecture. From left: Dr Tony Fleming, Ian Fleming’s
son; the inaugural lecturer AVM Colin Thorne, RAAF Defence
Material Organisation and Robin Stanier, Canberra Branch
member.
contribution to aeronautics in Australia by an
Australian, The Defence Force Flying Safety Award
for a significant contribution to flying safety in the
Defence Forces and a Division Lecture Prize for the
best paper presented to a Branch of the Division
each year by an Australian.
NATIONAL AEROSPACE LIBRARY
Wakefield Korda
model
On 27 March 2013 a new addition to the hanging display of Wakefield aircraft models which can
be viewed at the National Aerospace Library (as
described in The Aerospace Professional October
2012) was presented by R G Boor CEng FRAeS.
On 6 August 1939 the Wakefield International
Cup was won for the USA by Richard Korda, aged
24, at Bendix, New Jersey. The rules at that time
allowed a projected wing area of 200in2 with a
tailplane not greater than 33% of the wing with a
specified weight to be not less than eight ounces
(226·8g) including the rubber motor. The machine
was required to take-off from the ground and to
make three flights.
Stability in the climbing spiral was much aided
by the three-part dihedral wing style of the Korda
design which used a thick Joukowski-type wing
section, the whole machine contrasting to the British
style of that time with straight dihedral wing and
slow revving, double bladed, free-wheeling propel@aerosociety
i
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f
facebook.com/raes
lers. On completion of the climb, Korda’s propeller
folded back on the fuselage to minimise drag during
the gliding phase of the flight.
The restored replica model on display at the
National Aerospace Library was originally built in
1984 for the 50th anniversary event of the Wakefield event held at Warwick Racecourse in 1934. The
restored model will be seen to have a hinge in the
rear fuselage, enabling the tail to tip up to achieve
recovery from thermals and terminate the flight.
www.aerosociety.com
The Wakefield Korda model
on display at the National
Aerospace Library.
Christine Woodward.
JUNE 2013
49
Afterburner
Diary
EVENTS
www.aerosociety/events
LECTURES
www.aerosociety/events
5-6 June
ITQI Conference: Improving Training Provision
IATA Conference
10 June
Sir Sydney Camm Lecture: The 21st Century Character of Air
Power
Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, Chief of the Air Staff,
Royal Air Force
Air Power Group Named Lecture
12-13 June
Mission Training and Flight Simulation — Technology, Concepts
and Collaboration
Flight Simulation Group Conference
12 June
Edwin A Link Lecture: What Comes First — The Aeroplane
or the Simulator? Thriving and Surviving Through Technical
Innovation
Dr David White, Chief Scientist, L-3 Link
Flight Simulation Group Named Lecture
24-27 June
International Forum on Aeroelasticity and Structural Dynamics
2013
Structures & Materials Group Conference — Bristol, UK
28 June
30 Years of Eutelsat in Space
Stephen Glynn, Satellite Programme Manager, Eutelsat SA
Space Group Lecture
An Airbus A380 from the Malaysia Airlines’ fleet conducts a flyover in partnership with Royal
Malaysian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30MKM fighter jets during the opening day of the country’s 2013
Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition. Airbus.
The A380’s first five years in service will be described by John Roberts in the Barnwell Lecture at
Bristol on 6 June.
1 July
Aviation Safety — Did we just get here by Accident?
Air Law Group Lecture, followed by the Air Law Group Summer
Reception
2 July
Space Traffic Control
Space Group Conference
3 July
Lightning II — A Next Generation Capability
Commodore Rick Thompson
Annual Professional Engineering Institutions Defence
Lecture
17 July
Sopwith Lecture
Craig Kreeger, CEO, Virgin Atlantic Airways
19-28 July
Icarus Cup 2013
Human Powered Aircraft Group Event
Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire
24 July
Beaumont Lecture: The Power of Flight
Tony Tyler, Director General and CEO, IATA
Air Law Group Named Lecture
All lectures start at 18.00hrs unless otherwise stated.
Conference proceedings are available at
www.aerosociety.com/news/proceedings
50
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
BIRMINGHAM,
WOLVERHAMPTON &
COSFORD
RAF Museum Cosford. 7 pm.
Chris Hughes,
T +44 (0)1902 844523.
20 June — The challenge of
climate change and aviation.
Prof Sir Brian Hoskins, Imperial
College London.
FARNBOROUGH
Park Centre, BAE Systems
Farnborough. 7.30 pm. Dr
Mike Philpot, T +44 (0)1252
614618.
11 June — Flight refuelling.
Steve Purdy, Vice President
Engineering & Technology,
Cobham Mission Equipment
Ltd.
BRISTOL
Room 2D67, Frenchay
Campus, University of the
West of England, Coldharbour
Lane, Bristol. 6 pm. Alessandra
Badino. T +44 (0)751 529
7787.
6 June — Barnwell Lecture
and Dinner. The Airbus A380:
The first five years in service.
John Roberts, Chief Engineer
A380 — Airbus Operations.
HAMBURG
Gästehaus der Universität,
Rothenbaumchaussee 34,
Hamburg. 5.30 pm. Richard
Sanderson, T +49 (0)4167
92012.
18 June — Branch AGM
followed by a lecture.
CANBERRA
Military Theatre, ADFA. 6 pm.
Jon Pike,
E jonpike@grapevine.net.au
11 June — JSF. Graham
Bentley, Director Business
Development Australia,
Lockheed Martin.
9 July — Hypersonc flight.
DSTO.
CRANFIELD
Vincent Auditorium, Building
52, Cranfield Campus. 6 pm.
4 June — Lord Kings Norton
Lecture. Facility for Airborne
Atmospheric Measurements.
Guy Gratton.
HIGHLAND
The Gallery, Elgin Library. 7
pm. Alex Gray, T +44 (0)1224
319464.
12 June — Impacts; asteroids,
comets and meteors, should
we worry? What can we do? Dr
Robin Catchpole.
OXFORD
The Magdalen Centre, Oxford
Science Park, Oxford. 7 pm.
Nigel Randall,
E oaktree.cottage@btinternet.
com
16 July — The development
of the variable pitch propeller.
Patrick Hassell.
SHEFFIELD
Knowledge Transfer Centre,
Advanced Manufacturing
Research Centre, University of
Sheffield, Wallis Way, Catcliffe,
Rotherham. 7 pm. Phil Spiers,
E p.spiers@sheffield.ac.uk
25 June — Future aerospace
manufacture. Iain Grey, Head
of TSB.
STEVENAGE
The Lunchpad, EADS
Astrium, Gunnels Wood Road,
Stevenage.
6 pm. Matt Cappell,
E RAeSStevenage@gmail.com
12 June — Visit to Marshall
Aerospace, Cambridge Airport.
TOULOUSE
Symposium Room, Building
B01, Airbus Campus 1,
Blagnac. 6 pm. Contact Pass@
RAeS-Toulouse.org for a
security pass.
11 June — Annual ADS RAeS
Toulouse Branch lecture.
28 June — Annual Dinner.
Tom Lecky-Thompson, winner
of the Atlantic Air Race in a
Harrier. Chateau de Lârroque,
32200 Gimont, Gers, 45km
west of Toulouse on N124 to
Auche.
YEOVILTON
Nuffield Bar, Little Yeovilton,
RNAS Yeovilton, Ilchester,
Somerset. 6.30 pm. Lt Mike
Harris, T +44 (0)1935
455122.
25 June — Spies in the skies,
how satellites saved the world.
Pat Norris.
Corporate Partners
NEW PARTNERS
EVENTS
The Royal Aeronautical Society would like to
welcome the following as Corporate Partners.
AFRICAN AVIATION SERVICES LIMITED
2 Kings Court, Newcomen Way, Severalls
Industrial Park, Colchester, Essex CO4 9RA, UK
T +44 (0)20 684 4288
W www.africanaviation.com
Contact
Nick Fadugba, Chief Executive Officer
African Aviation Services Limited (AAS) was
established by Nick Fadugba with the raison
d’etre of promoting aviation development in
Africa. It is engaged in aviation consultancy, event
management and publishing. Its consultancy
services include business development, joint
ventures, airline fleet and network development,
aviation finance, leasing and maintenance
advisory services, debt recovery, business
facilitation, negotiation and arbitration, airline
and airport marketing, international air services
negotiations, airport slots procurement, cargo,
ground handling and aircraft fuelling, advisory
services and aircraft and engine repossession,
etc.
AAS helped to pioneer African aviation publishing
with the launch of African Aviation Magazine
in 1990, and also helped pioneer international
aviation conferences specifically tailored for
Africa.
CASCO
Aviation Centre, Star Estate, Partridge Green,
Horsham, West Sussex RH13 8RA, UK
W www.casco.aero
Contact
Barrie Roberts, Chief Executive Officer
We are a leading independent supplier of
commercial aircraft parts and related services
to airlines, MROs and leasing companies across
the globe. We specialise in providing low-cost
solutions for all commercial aircraft types to keep
our customers flying whatever part they need,
whenever and wherever they need it.
Casco was incorporated in 1982 and has rapidly
emerged as an industry leader.
We have the technical and commercial experience
to meet the exacting and ever changing needs of
today’s aerospace industry.
We support our customers, wherever they are
in the world, from our facility located close to
London Gatwick providing parts 24 hours, seven
days a week, 365 days a year.
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Please note: attendance at Corporate Partner Briefings is strictly
exclusive to staff of RAeS Corporate Partners. Both individual and
Corporate members are welcome at the Golf Day. Unless otherwise
advised, registration for Corporate Partner Briefings is at 16.30 hrs.
Wednesday 26 June 2013 / Frilford Heath, Oxfordshire
Golf Day for Corporate and Individual Members
Tuesday 9 July 2013 / London
The medium-term outlook for the British economy
Corporate Partner Briefing by Mark Berrisford-Smith, Head of Economics,
HSBC Bank PLC
Thursday 26 September 2013 / London
Corporate Partner Briefing by Bob Delorge, Chief Executive & Managing
Director, Raytheon UK
Sponsored by Raytheon UK
Wednesday 16 October 2013 / London
CSeries and Bombardier’s New Facility in Belfast
Corporate Partner Briefing by Michael Ryan, Vice President & General
Manager, Bombardier Aerospace
Sponsored by Bombardier
Thursday 21 November 2013 / London
Corporate Partner Briefing on Cyber Security
Richard Nethercott, VP of National Security, CGI
www.aerosociety.com/events
For further information, please contact Gail Ward
E gail.ward@aerosociety.com or T +44 (0)1491 629 912
THE AIM OF THE
CORPORATE
PARTNER
SCHEME IS
TO BRING
TOGETHER
ORGANISATIONS
TO PROMOTE
BEST PRACTICE
WITHIN THE
INTERNATIONAL
AEROSPACE
SECTOR.
www.aerosociety.com
2013 continues to see fantastic growing support
of new Corporate Partners across a diverse sector
of organisations within the aerospace and aviation
industries. With new Corporate Partners signing up
in the first few months of the year, they join over
180 Corporate Partners that support the RAeS in
return for a number of benefits for both employees
and the organisation itself. Such is the continued
and growing support of this membership, we are
delighted to announce a five-year commitment
from QinetiQ has just been agreed, reinforcing the
working relationship between the Society and its
Corporate Partners.
If you would like to find out more about your
organisation becoming Corporate Partners and the
host of benefits associated with this scheme, please
contact: Simon Levy, Corporate Partner Manager,
E simon.levy@aerosociety.com or T +44 (0)20
7670 4346
JUNE 2013
51
Memorial to Test
Pilots unveiled
On 1 May at the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust
(FAST) Museum, Farnborough, renowned test
pilot and RAeS Past-President Captain Eric
‘Winkle’ Brown CBE DSC AFC HonFRAeS RN
was the guest of honour at the unveiling of a
memorial plaque to some 500 British test pilots
and flight test engineers that had lost their lives.
Formally unveiled by Capt Brown’s wife, Jean,
the memorial plaque on the side of the FAST
building pays tribute to the sacrifices of these
pilots, test observers and technicians
killed between 1908 and 2008, the
vast majority of them unknown to the
public. A Test Flying Memorial Roll
of Honour listing these aircrew who
died in the cause of advancing
aviation is kept at the FAST Museum.
Later in the same day, Capt Brown gave
a spellbinding lecture at a fundraising dinner
for FAST’s next project — to erect a statue of
the first British test pilot and aviation pioneer —
Samuel Franklin Cody at Farnborough. To find
out more about the project and support it, go to
http://www.codystatue.org.uk
Far left: Jean Brown unveils
the Test Flying Memorial
plaque, middle.
Left: John Farley, former
Chief Test Pilot at Dunsfold;
Jean and Eric Brown.
Main picture: The second de
Havilland DH110, WG240.
RAeS (NAL).
52
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
Afterburner
RAeS Elections
FELLOWS
Christopher Allen
Andrew Buchan
Jeremy Charmak
Christopher Chesher
Ronald Donnelly
Michael Elston
Francis Freeman
Martin Harris
Julian Hellebrand
Charles Kendall
Apurva Kumar
Gregory Loughlin-Sims
Donka Novovic
Stephen O’Collard
Graham Pay
Andrew Rankine
Stephen Rickman
James Scanlan
Neil Sexton
Richard Smith
Robert Smith
Vassili Toropov
Adrian Verkerk
Elizabeth Watson
Jacqueline Wildhaber
MEMBERS
Nikhil Amin
Colin Apps
David Bartlett
Aaron Brown
Geoffrey Burchett
Malcolm Campbell
Ritchie
Alexander Clark
Tony Curnock
Kokou Dadzie
Patrick Davies
Stephen Deith
Steven Dixon
Neil Dykes
Lee Farrelly
Linton Foat
Stephen Greenland
Richard Haines
Alan Harker
Graham Horder
Dale Hornsby
Alexandra Hyatt
Dinesh Jeganathan
Ian Johnston
Kevin Jones
Christopher Kaiser
Petros Karapappas
Darren Kershaw
Rhian Kerton
Nicholas Lane
@aerosociety
i
Jean LaRoche
Benjamin Lockwood
Jonathan Lutton
Zhaokai Ma
David Martin
Nicola Masterton
Catherine McCarroll
Neil McCombie
Loraine McIlree
Paul McKernan
Ashraf Miah
Ishmael Mokoena
Grzegorz Musial
Mark Oswald
Robert Print
Christian Rolleston
Michael Rothon
Samir Sadiq
Ian Sixsmith
Slobodan Stanic
John Steel
Alan Stevens
Daniel Tang
Angelos Varelis
Nicholas Whiteley
Neil Wiggins
Darren Winter
Zdenek Zaruba
Yuhui Zhao
ASSOCIATES
Varunjay Ahluwalia
James Bradford
Brenda Gallagher
Natalia GarciaFernandez
Haitham S Gondal
Ben Grindley
Alexander Hemmings
Daniel Hendon
Danjuma Ismaila
Philip Levi
Leonardo Lupelli
Gabriele Maini
Daniel McKenna
David Moore
Tim O’Hanrahan
Tiago Oliveira
Farhad Rahmani-Asl
Mohammad Ramjanee
Graham Robertson
Krishna Roka Magar
Ian Ross
Hasmit Shukla
Roald Stephens
Lavanan Vengadasalam
Siphelele Vumisa
Ulf Waller
Simon Ware
ASSOCIATE
MEMBERS
SOCIETY OFFICERS
President: Jenny Body
President-Elect: Air Cdre Bill Tyack
BOARD CHAIRMEN
Audit and Compliance Chairman:
Prof David Allerton
Learned Society Chairman: Graham Roe
Membership Servives Chairman:
Martin Broadhurst
Professional Standards Chairman:
Prof Chris Atkin
DIVISION PRESIDENTS
Australia: Air Cdre Noel G Schmidt
New Zealand: Gp Capt Frank Sharp
Pakistan: AM Salim Arshad
South African: Prof Laurent Dala
ADVERTISING
To advertise in any of the Royal
Aeronautical Society’s publications,
website or e-media please contact:
AFFILIATES
Almotasembellah
Alalawi
Shaukat Ali
Matthew Ayling
Massimiliano Bianchini
Luke Brambleby
Costantino Chacole
Simon Deeks
Abraham Fakolade
James Hu
Colin Jackson
Shweta Kadam
Nigel Kerr
Nigel Malcolm
Robert Mayer
Martin Mills
Manuel Moreno Lagos
Calum O’Keefe
Simon Read
Simon Rolfe
Patrick Stubbs
Colin Townsend
John Vernon
Matthew Walton
Peng Cheng Wang
Jeffrey Ware
Akif Wyne
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J Roger Bell
Nigel Padgham
Alfonso Plana
Andrew Ricketts
Laurance Smith
E-ASSOCIATES
Alexander Allen
Merlin BabyJose
Michael Bartholomew
Bradley Fletcher
Sam Hanna
STUDENT AFFILIATES
Barbara Barbieri
Michael Dixon
Henri French
Gustav Otto
Syed Shahid
Bogdan Sturzu
Jennifer Ziemba
www.aerosociety.com
Emma Bossom
T +44 (0)20 7670 4342
E emma.bossom@aerosociety.com
NEWS OF MEMBERS
Hatfield Branch
prizewinners
Hatfield Branch prize winners this year were
presented with their awards at the Sir Geofrey de
Havilland lecture on 17 April by the then RAeS
President, Phil Boyle, and the Chairman of the
Geoffrey de Havilland Flying Foundation, AM Ian
Macfadyen.
Winners were:
James Lawton John Cunningham Flying
Scholarship
Anchal Goel Student Lecture Competition
Samuel Lisney Bishop Award
Pawel Jastrzebski second year RAeS Bursary
JUNE 2013
53
Afterburner
Branch News
Jenny Body visits
Munich Branch
The RAeS Munich Branch had organised everything
for Jenny Body’s visit down to the last detail, including the onset of ‘winter wonderland’ weather (icy
cold winds were unavoidably the down-side).
The visit was planned to cover many aspects of
the Branch’s activities within the ‘high tech’ environment provided by the state of Bavaria and Jenny
was whisked off on her early morning arrival at
Munich’s Franz-Joseph-Strauss airport for a fast
track tour of the aircraft museum at Oberschleissheim. Here the Branch Hon Treasurer, Roger
Jevons, his wife Jenny and the Munich Branch Hon
Chairman, Gerhard Henselmann, rushed through
decades of aeronautics and pioneering flight
machines, displayed in the historic hangar near the
castle of Schleissheim, the birthplace of the Bavarian Air Corps in 1912.
A celebratory lunch at the Herrenclub, above the
rooftops of old Munich, gave Jenny Body the opportunity to meet members of the Branch Committee and to honour the birthdays of two of the ‘elder
statesmen’ of the Branch — the President, Prof
Gero Madelung (85) and Heinz Goldmann (90).
Next on the agenda of the whistle-stop tour
was an afternoon visit to the Technical University
in Garching, one of Germany’s designated elite
universities, where Jenny was given a guided tour of
various facilities including helicopter and fixed wing
flight simulators, wind tunnels and UAV laboratory.
She was particularly impressed by the activities of
the AkaFlieg group (Akademische Fliegergruppe,
groups of aerodynamic engineering students from
individual German Technical Universities, pre and
postwar, who design aircraft, often gliders).
The day was meant to be rounded off by the
Network Lecture to mark the start of the Avionics
Europe 2013 Conference, being held in Munich and
organised by Pennwell with the RAeS as one of the
prime sponsors. This year’s lecture ‘CH-53G
Upgrade — making it fit for the next decades’, one
of a series of aerospace presentations jointly
supported by the TU Munich, DGLR, VDI and RAeS
Munich Branch e.V., was given by the Munich Branch
Hon Secretary, Alan Faulkner.
The lecture was followed by a convivial meeting
with students, active and retired aerospace fanatics,
as well as the lecturer and RAeS Munich Branch
Board, Committee and members. Unfortunately for
Jenny, her day wasn’t yet quite finished as she was
asked (pleaded with, arm-twisted) by the organisers
to provide one of the three keynote speeches at the
Avionics Conference the next day — overtime was
called for!
The following day saw the start of Avionics
Europe 2013, with Jenny’s keynote speech being
54
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
acclaimed by all — an online press release really
put the RAeS on the international avionics map.
Mrs Body was able to visit the Royal Aeronautical
Society booth, staffed by the Faulkner and Jevons
families and well situated in the centre of the Exhibition Area.
Next port of call in the afternoon was the Cassidian plant with Eurofighter factory at Manching,
north of Munich. The airfield was already used by
the Messerschmitt company in the early 1960s and,
in addition to production and in-service support for
the German Air Force, about ten years ago Cassidian established engineering, design, testing and inservice support (RMO) activities next to the German
Military Test Centre (WTD61).
On behalf of Cassidian/EADS Germany, Dr
C Oelker introduced the facility and products and
accompanied Mrs Body and Herr Henselmann on
a guided tour with stops at the Barracuda hangar
and Eurofighter final production line. Munich Branch
Committee Member Dipl Ing W Koenig had
arranged the visit and Prof Madelung was pleased
to show Mrs Body the Willy Messerschmitt heritage
museum. Mrs Body was impressed by the variety
of still flyable Messerschmitt aircraft and post-war
products such as the Messerschmitt KR200 microcar and sewing machine, as well as the Hispano
HA 200.
The final event, before leaving on the evening
flight back to UK, was a visit to the Airbus A350
wing test facility operated by IABG GmbH at Erding, near Munich Airport. Here Mrs Body and Herr
Henselmann experienced a guided tour by Airbus
test specialists and were introduced to the recently
completed facility, which will be used to test wings
to support first flight planned for later this year. With
her Airbus experience Mrs Body greatly appreciated the highly technical tour given by an Airbus test
manager and thanked both Airbus and IABG for
providing the opportunity of making this unique visit.
The RAeS Munich Branch e.V. was pleased and
privileged to entertain and guide Mrs Jenny Body on
her two day visit and hopes it gave her the possibility of enjoying a highly comprehensive excursion
into aeronautics past and present around Munich,
as well as the opportunity to meet and enter into
discussion with local RAeS Branch members.
Bernadette Faulkner
Munich Branch Committee Member
Above left: The visit to
the aircraft museum at
Oberschleissheim (from
left) Roger Jevons, Hon
Treasurer; Jenny Jevons,
Branch Member; Jenny Body
and Gerhard Henselmann,
Chairman.
Above right: The RAeS
Booth at Avionics Europe
2013 (from left) Gerhard
Henselmann, Chairman; Alan
Faulkner, Hon Sec; Jenny
Body; Jenny Jevons, Branch
Member; Bernadette Faulkner,
Committee Member and
Roger Jevons, Hon Treasurer.
Space Group Conference
Human Powered Flight
Group Event
SPACE TRAFFIC CONTROL
ICARUS CUP 2013
SECOND HUMAN POWERED AIRCRAFT COMPETITION
LONDON / 2 JULY 2013
SYWELL AERODROME / 19 - 28 JULY 2013
The 2013 Space Conference
will address how space
debris is a man-made threat
to the continued use of space
for commerce, science,
exploration and security.
This competition is designed
to progress the sport from
occasional record attempts
into a viable activity.
Enter your human powered
aircraft into this competition
to be in with a chance of
being crowned the winners
of the Second Royal
Aeronautical Society HPA
Icarus Cup.
The speakers, both civil and
military, will include space
lawyers and financiers,
public sector space officials,
and representatives from
the space industry and
academia.
www.aerosociety.com/events
www.aerosociety.com/events
Sponsors
For information on entering a team or sponsorship
opportunities, please email conference@aerosociety.com
or call +44(0)207 670 4345
GOLF DAY
FOR INDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATE MEMBERS
FRILFORD HEATH GOLF COURSE, OXFORDSHIRE / WEDNESDAY 26 JUNE 2013
› 18 hole Stableford Points
competition
Join us at our 2013 Golf Day for some healthy
competition with fellow golfers in the aviation
community.
› 9 hole Texas Scramble
competition
This event is ideal for networking in a relaxed
and informal setting.
› Individual and corporate
team prizes
› Lunch, refreshments and
afternoon tea
Enter a corporate 4-ball team or opt to be
teamed up with other individual players.
For further details please apply to:
Gail Ward
Events Manager — Corporate and Society
Royal Aeronautical Society
T +44 (0)1491 629912
E gail.ward@aerosociety.com
› Optional Dinner on
25 June 2013
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www.aerosociety.com
JUNE 2013
55
Obituary
Sir Philip Frank Foreman
CBE, DL, FREng, FIAE, HonFRAeS
1923-2013
It is with deep sadness we report the death
of Sir Philip Foreman who died on 23
February, less than a month short of his 90th
birthday.
Born in 1923, in Exning, Suffolk, in his early days
he was more interested in mechanical engines and
agricultural machinery than aviation, though he did
cycle ten miles to Mildenhall to see the start of
the MacRobertson England to Australia air race in
1934. After gaining a First Class Honours Diploma
in Mechanical Engineering from Loughborough
College in 1943 Philip obtained employment in
the Royal Naval Scientific Service at Teddington,
Middlesex. By 1958 he was a Senior Scientific
Officer there, involved in the design of the launcher
for Shorts’ brand new missile system, the Seacat.
As a result, he came to the notice of Shorts’ Chief
Designer, Hugh Conway, who persuaded him to
join the company. This he did, in October 1958,
to look after the design and development of all
the shipborne and armament depot equipment
associated with Seacat. His progress in Shorts was
rapid. In 1961, he was appointed Chief Engineer
of the Guided Weapons Division and, three years
later, he became the Company Chief Designer with
responsibility for all aspects of the firm’s engineering
work. In 1965, he was elected to the Board, as
Deputy Managing Director, becoming Managing
Director in 1967.
During his career with Shorts, Philip was
strongly motivated by the desire to increase exports,
with the result that, in 1972, he was awarded the
HIS LOYALTY
TO SHORTS
DURING YEARS
OF POLITICAL
TURMOIL IS
COMMENDABLE
AND, IN PART,
REFLECTED HIS
FAITH IN AND
AFFECTION FOR
LOCAL PEOPLE
Above: Philip Foreman,
left, receives his Royal
Aeronautical Society British
Gold Medal from the RAeS
President, Barry Laight, at
the Wilbur and Orville Wright
lecture in 1974. RAeS (NAL).
Below: A Short Seacat shipto-air missile is launched.
RAeS (NAL).
CBE for services to that end. A Knighthood followed
in 1981 and in 1983 he became Chairman and
Managing Director, a position which he held until
his retirement in 1988. One of his greatest and
most satisfying achievements was preparing the
company for privatisation, the successful outcome
being its acquisition by Bombardier in 1988. His
loyalty to Shorts during years of political turmoil is
commendable and, in part, reflected his faith in and
affection for local people, no better demonstration
of which can be found than in his and Margaret’s
decision to continue living in Northern Ireland in
retirement. His contribution to the success of Shorts
was outstanding and is well documented in Guy
Warner’s book Shorts — The Foreman Years. But
there were many other strings to his bow. In 1984
he was made an RAeS Honorary Fellow, having
joined the Society in 1966. He was awarded the
RAeS British Gold Medal in 1974. In 1975 he
was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the City of
Belfast, received an Honorary Doctorate of Science
at Queen’s University Belfast in 1975 and an
Honorary Doctorate of Technology at Loughborough
University in 1983. He had a long involvement with
the British Standards Institution, of which he was
Chairman from 1988 to 1991 and President from
1994 until 1998. In 1985 he was President of
the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. Other areas
of interest to him were education and he was a
member of the Senate of the Queen’s University
Belfast, from 1993 until 2002. In 1980, he became
a Trustee of the Scotch-Irish Trust.
In 2003 he became the first Patron of the Ulster
Aviation Society, a role which he eagerly embraced
and admirably fulfilled with enthusiasm, energy and
great generosity.
Philip was also a family man, he and local girl
Margaret Cooke, whom he married in 1971, having
one son Grahame. Grahame and his American wife
Serina have twin boys, Cormac and Ambrose, dearly
loved by Philip and Margaret.
Ernie Cromie
with special thanks to Ulster AirMail, the journal of the Ulster
Aviation Society.
56
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2013
WITH REGRET
An Evening with Alex Henshaw
1912-2007
The RAeS announces with regret the deaths of the
following members:
Sir Philip Frank Foreman CBE FREng
HonFRAeS 89
Brian Robert Fox OBE CEng MRAeS 78
Bernard Eaton Hart CEng MRAeS 79
Maurice Eugene McGreal FRAeS 94
Dr Francis Harry Panton CBE FRAeS 89
Geoffrey Scott Sheppard CEng MRAeS 76
The Golden Age of Aviation
The first part of the story of the quintessential Englishman which
includes his World Record flight from London to Cape Town and back in
a single-engine aircraft with no wireless.
Sigh for a Merlin
The second part of the story continues with his wartime contribution as
Chief Production Test Pilot at the Spitfire Shadow Factory (Castle
Bromwich) where he personally tested more than 3,000 brand new
Spitfires and the occasional Lancaster.
Panel Discussion
A chance to ask questions of the Spitfire men and women of the Battle
of Britain and the Air Transport Auxiliary.
Allan Archibald Watson DFC FRAeS 91
Presented by Tony Edwards CEng FRAeS, RAeS Past President
£75 donation towards Battle of Britain Memorial Trust ‘The Wing Appeal’
to include tea and biscuits, reception and buffet supper
Monday, 24 June 2013
4.30 pm for 5.15 pm start
No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK
Register your interest at: henshawevening@yahoo.co.uk
IATA Training and Qualification Initiative (ITQI)
Improving Training Provision - Conference
-POEPO…+VOF
Pilot training, evaluation and qualification,
in the new era of competency-based training.
The IATA Training and Qualification Initiative (ITQI) is moving to Phase II: supporting the implementation
of multi-crew pilot license (MPL) and evidence-based training (EBT), in a competency-based framework.
This paradigm shift in pilot training, evaluation and qualification requires:
A new standard for candidate selection
A different skills set for instructors
A different approach and methodology to training, evaluation and qualification
A close cooperation between authorities, operators and training providers during the implementation process
Join us in London and learn more from the successes and challenges faced by the organizations
that have implemented, or are in the process of implementing, competency-based training.
In partnership with:
For more information and registration details:
www.iata.org/events/Pages/itqi.aspx
or www.aerosociety.com/Events
The Last Word
COMMENTARY FROM
Professor Keith Hayward
RAeS Head of Research
A NEW POLICY FOR
UK CIVIL AVIATION
The UK government’s Civil Aviation White
Paper is not a bad piece of work, with a
sensible endorsement of global solutions to
environmental issues.
Good news for some airports
The government will also seek to negotiate ‘Fifth
Freedom’ rights for overseas airlines flying into
provincial UK airports. This would allow carriers to
pick up passengers and take them on to another
destination, helping to increase traffic on what might
have been a marginal route.
Extending Fifth Freedom rights has been a
key objective for the likes of Manchester and
Birmingham, whose expansion depends, in part,
on new destinations. Applicants will have to show
that they are operating on a level playing field but
developments along these lines could be a positive
step towards a general liberalisation
(A REPORT ON
THE ‘BORIS
ISLAND’ THAMES
ESTUARY
SOLUTION)
CONCLUDES
THAT THE
OWNERS WOULD
PROBABLY
NEED A MULTIBILLION POUND
PUBLIC SUBSIDY
TO MAKE IT
FINANCIALLY
VIABLE.
58
And the future of airports in the South East?
But the White Paper — very clear that the trickier
question of airport strategy would depend on the
outcome of the Davies review — is conveniently due in
its final form in 2015, after the next General Election.
This has not stopped the lobbying in favour
of or against one or other of the solutions to
London’s particular airport problems. The Heathrow
third (short) runway option has been continually
promoted by British Airways, the Heathrow owners,
and a bevvy of London business pressure groups. A
four-runway alternative just to the west of Heathrow,
with the loudest part of the approach over the
existing site, has recently emerged, along with
several even less politically attractive sites further
west or near Oxford.
On the other hand, a report commissioned by
the House of Commons Transport Committee has
lobbed a huge financial boulder into to the path
of any ‘Boris Island’ Thames Estuary solution. It
concludes that the owners would probably need
a multi-billion pound public subsidy to make
it financially viable, although wider social and
economic benefits might justify public investment.
The cost of a Boris Island has led the House of
Commons Transport Committee to endorse a three
or even four runway solution for Heathrow.
On the fence
The problem is that solid data is in short supply, or
is partially complete (or simply partial). The London
Mayor’s office has made a good economic case
for improving airport capacity and resilience in the
South East of England. Access to a satisfactory
level of air transport is essential to a modern
economy. This might justify a public subsidy for a
new build but we have to be honest about the direct
and opportunity costs of an alternative to Heathrow.
On the other hand, Heathrow expansion has to
be equally justifiable on cost effective grounds,
which does include a fair evaluation of the negative
externalities associated with expansion — that is to
say noise and other pollution.
A convincing analysis of ‘connectivity’ — the
crucial macro economic factor in arguing for a
global hub airport, has yet to be proposed. Some
surveys of business travellers imply a preference
for direct routes but the evidence is at best limited.
There are other factors such as language, access to
quality high and low culture, education for a young
family and existing cluster networks — that explain
locational choices for high value economic actors.
Two cheers for a national airport strategy
So back to the White Paper: encouraging growth
in airports outside of the South East should be
part of the national solution to meeting increased
demand for air travel. There already has been
some but not as much as might have been hoped
for. This has often been due to commercial
decisions by airlines following low traffic on
specific routes. Steps to improve this fundamental
condition will make a real contribution to a
rational, national airport strategy.
Imag
e©B
erry
Visse
rs, Sq
uadr
Innovation - Integration - Excellence
Engineering Careers at MBDA
on P
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19-21 July
RAF Fairford
The Lightning Pavilion
VIP Hospitality at the World’s Greatest Airshow
Experience the world’s greatest airshow from centre stage, in the luxurious
surroundings of the Lightning Pavilion. With the best seats in the house to watch the
aerial action and 5-star hospitality throughout the day, the Lightning Pavilion is just a
short stroll from the static aircraft display and showground attractions.
The Royal International Air Tattoo is pleased to offer Royal Aeronautical Society
Members a 10% discount on all Lightning Pavilion bookings.
Please quote code RAES13 at the time of booking.
To make a reservation please contact Sandra Keen
Tel: +44 (0)1285 713300 (ext 5339) Email: sandra.keen@rafcte.com