Airbus unveils first CFM Leap-1A powered A320neo

Airbus unveils first CFM Leap-1A powered A320neo

The company is utilizing 3D printing (also known as additive layer manufacturing) to produce components for the pylon of A320neo developmental aircraft powered by CFM International’s LEAP-1A – which is one of two new-generation engine choices for the single-aisle NEO Family, along with the PurePower PW1100G-JM from Pratt & Whitney.

Selected by Airbus to produce the 3D-printed pylon components for CFM-powered A320neo jetliners, U.S.-based manufacturer RTI delivered the parts in three months – less than half the time that would be required for their production by traditional casting methods.  

“In developing two different pylons for the A320neo Family’s new engine options over a short period of time, we needed to find innovative solutions,” said Helene Lagier, Airbus’ A320neo Pylon-specified and Standard Parts Customer Team Leader. “3D printing technology has great potential and will be used more and more in future aircraft.”

The use of such advanced manufacturing techniques is helping Airbus continue to advance toward key A320neo project milestones this year, including the certification and subsequent no. 1 delivery of the first NEO version – the Pratt & Whitney-powered A320neo. 

Currently, Airbus has two A320neo jetliners – both powered by Pratt & Whitney engines – flying in its test campaign with the second A320neo test aircraft taking to the skies for the first time at the end of March. It joined Airbus’ initial A320neo developmental jetliner – which performed its historic maiden flight in September 2014. 

The developmental fleet has also expanded with today’s rollout of Airbus’ third flight test aircraft, the no. 1 A320neo powered by CFM International’s LEAP-1A.

In addition to its new engine choices, A320neo Family jetliners also incorporate Airbus’ fuel-saving Sharklets wingtip devices – improvements which will deliver 20 percent reductions in fuel burn for operators. 

MH-370 aftermath: will the new tracking standard really save lives?

It has been over a year since the MH-370 flight disappearance. Despite the endless discussions among civil aviation authorities and numerous investigators, there is still no clear evidence pointing towards the reasons behind it. Nevertheless, based on theoretical assumptions only, Member States of the International Civil Aviation Organization are heatedly debating the adoption of a new 15-minute aircraft tracking standard, which would pave the way for universal tracking of jetliners. However, many experts question whether the new tracking standard would actually offer viable means for a quicker recovery of a missing aircraft, arguing that it is just a populist move to cease the public disputes after the MH-370.

Without doubt, the loss of the MH370 last March emphasized the need for a system that would make it possible to track the exact route of an aircraft. Calls for action expressed by the industry representatives were loud and clear. As the air-safety regulators feel public pressure to deal with the consequences of the MH-370 disappearance, a new proposed standard is set to be adopted by ICAO Council this fall. It will require all commercial aircraft to report their position every 15 minutes.

Urging to weigh the associated costs against the projected benefits, some member airlines still object to the initiative, but ICAO continues to press for the actual testing. “Once ICAO initiates a safety standard, all Member States must automatically adopt that standard in their own aviation laws and regulations. This is their most essential responsibility as the signatories to the Chicago Convention, which qualifies a state to be an ICAO Member State,” says IATA’s Head of Corporate Communications.

According to ICAO, the majority of aircraft already have the systems on board that can transmit their position every quarter of an hour, though the specific numbers are yet to be released. While IATA states that it has no information about the estimated cost of implementing the proposed 15 minute tracking standard, ICAO explains that each operator can decide on the specific technologies or procedures to use for reporting their aircraft locations.

“This means, essentially, a no-cost to very low-cost first step in the establishment of a global tracking system. ICAO does not stipulate the alternatives which can be considered, only the performance requirement the solution must achieve,” adds the Secretary General Chief of ICAO.

“IATA welcomes the ICAO recommendation to move towards the adoption of a performance-based standard for the global tracking of commercial aircraft. The performance-based standards allow airlines to choose the best option for their aircraft & operations—not all airlines are alike,” continues the Head of Corporate Communications at IATA.

The Aircraft Tracking Task Force (ATTF), an initiative launched by IATA and closely aligned with ICAO, found that most airlines track their fleets using a variety of methods. The immediate focus should remain on leveraging the equipment already installed on aircraft. However, the equipment is also dependent on satellites, as there are gaps in the coverage over the ocean or on remote polar routes.  Adjusting the satellite coverage areas, tracking 100 000 flights per day and upgrading the existing avionics to suit new regulations would be too expensive for many industry players, especially those from the developing nations. According to Globalstar, the implementation of a space-base satellite aircraft tracking (ADS-B) system is estimated to cost in the range of $25 000 per plane. And there are multiple other issues to consider. For instance, large areas in Africa lack radar coverage or even normal communications whilst most narrow-body aircraft operating in the region do not have the capability for satellite communications.

Moreover, the critically minded industry delegates argue that the MH370 case was not representative to the proposed worldwide tracking changes at all, since the plane’s transponder (a device that emits an identifying signal) was turned off.

There is another reason why some industry players are reluctant to have transponders always turned on. Intensive status updating would add up to $13 per minute for data records analysis, depending on the amount of information retrieved or sent. Uploading every aircraft parameter is rather pricey. The entire travel span of 8 hours per several hundred thousand flights would require enormous investment upfront, which, unfortunately, contradicts with the associated “low-cost” implications.

In the meantime, according to ICAO, the importance of the 15-minute requirement lies in making the first step towards a more comprehensive tracking safety system. So will it actually help to save lives?

Firstly, the initiative will require sizable investment, rather than being a “no-cost” regulation. Secondly, the proposals, according to the industry officials, are less ambitious than many of the tracking concepts proposed before. Moreover, there are few examples in which additional tracking would have actually helped in locating the wreckage. For instance, in 2009 an Air France plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean just 5 minutes after the last report, while the long-range had been already programmed to report about its location every 10 (!) minutes. Nevertheless, the search area was still too far and vast for timely rescue and 228 passengers were killed. The Air France aircraft took two years to find.

The latest UN gathering at the High Level Safety Conference in Montreal once again reflects the pressure to demonstrate progress in time for the anniversary of MH370. In the meantime, although the technology — both in the form of on-board systems and satellite capabilities — to track flights around the globe does exist, not all airlines are in a position to implement the processes needed in order to use it. If every airliner in the sky started sending updates in 15-minute intervals today, the quantity of information could overwhelm carriers. Finally, even with the best technology, there is one issue that tracking will never be able to address and that issue is accidents.

FAA proposes two civil penalties against Southwest Airlines

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes two civil penalties totaling $328,550 against Southwest Airlines for allegedly violating Federal Aviation Regulations.

In the first case, the FAA alleges Southwest failed to properly inspect an aircraft that experienced a cabin depressurization. On May 13, 2013, a Southwest Boeing737 lost cabin pressure during a flight from Boston Logan International Airport to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. The cabin’s oxygen masks deployed and the aircraft made an emergency landing in Baltimore.

The FAA alleges that after the event, Southwest mechanics failed to complete a mandatory inspection to check whether the change in cabin pressure damaged the aircraft and to ensure used oxygen bottles were replaced. The airline allegedly operated the plane on 123 flights before completing the inspection on June 3.

Additionally, the airline allegedly operated the aircraft on May 14 and 15 flights with two of the four portable oxygen units unserviceable. A minimum of three were required under the conditions of Southwest’s Minimum Equipment List (MEL). The MEL specifies what equipment may be inoperable during a flight, and a carrier cannot fly an aircraft with inoperable equipment unless it complies with the MEL.

Further, the agency alleges the airline operated the aircraft on approximately 120 additional flights with a portable oxygen unit that did not comply with the conditions of the MEL. The FAA proposes a $265,800 civil penalty in this case.

In the second case, the FAA alleges Southwest failed to comply with Federal Aviation Regulations for accurately recording repairs in an aircraft’s logbook. On March 18, 2013, the pilot of a Boeing 717 operated by Southwest Airlines under the Air Tran Airways livery reported seeing ice and water coming from the jetliner’s galley vent. Over the next few weeks, maintenance technicians replaced several components in an attempt to correct the problem, which was traced to a faulty component in one of the aircraft’s air-conditioning systems.

The FAA alleges that the airline failed to fully comply with its FAA-approved maintenance procedures, which describe in detail how to make repairs and then accurately account for them in the aircraft’s logbooks. The FAA further alleges that during the troubleshooting process, mechanics deferred making the repairs by improperly applying an MEL exemption to this particular situation. The aircraft was flown on several passenger-carrying flights before the issue was resolved. The FAA proposes a $62,750 civil penalty in this case.

Southwest Airlines has requested to meet with the FAA to discuss each case.

Global Aerospace Announces 2015 Loss-of-Control-In-Flight Program

Parsippany, New Jersey – Global Aerospace, Inc., a leading provider of aerospace insurance, is pleased to announce the 2015 Loss of Control In-Flight (LOC-I) training program provided by SM4 safety program partner Calspan Corporation. All Global Aerospace customers who are interested in enhancing their current training curriculum to include Calspan’s Advanced Maneuvering & Upset Recovery Training (AM-URT) course will now be eligible.

Global Aerospace and Calspan launched their training partnership in October 2013 to a select group of qualified Global customers. Calspan’s unique AM-URT course includes training in actual in-flight simulators to provide business jet pilots with genuine and technically advanced upset training. Feedback regarding the 2014 training program was outstanding and customers applauded the top-notch instructors and the relevant, unique capabilities of the modified Learjet simulations. Recognizing the value and importance of this training, Global will be subsidizing 25% of the cost per pilot to those customers who complete this training in 2015.

Global Aerospace recognizes that pilots in our industry have become increasingly dependent upon automated systems and many do not have the opportunity to regularly practice and develop their airmanship skills. Marilena Sharpell, Senior Vice President, Underwriting Executive stated, “Expanding this training benefit to our entire customer base is yet another demonstration of our commitment to safety in our industry. This value added benefit will be another way to assist with the economics of the training for flight departments.”

“Loss of control in-flight is the single biggest killer in commercial jet aviation,” said Calspan President, CEO, and Test Pilot, Lou Knotts. “Calspan’s unique in-flight, upset recovery training addresses both prevention and recovery of loss of control incidents.  We are very proud to partner with Global and the SM4 program to bring this important program to a significant number of commercial jet pilots.”

To find out more about Calspan’s LOC-I training program, please contact your local Global Aerospace underwriter.

Lightspeed's Sierra Headset Adds Full Bluetooth Capability

Lightspeed Aviation's entry-level headset now comes with full Bluetooth audio capability, the company announced Thursday. The upgrade to the Sierra headset now makes all three Lightspeed headsets capable of connecting to cellphones, music, and audio alerts. Each headset can connect to an iPad or iPhone with Lightspeed's FlightLink app.

"Sierra already enabled pilots to use a cellphone via Bluetooth. By adding the music functionality, we are also responding to the growing number of pilots that are accessing audio alerts from popular navigation apps," said Teresa De Mers, executive vice president of sales, marketing, and customer support at Lightspeed.

 The Sierra, which retails for $650, is marketed as a value-priced active noise-cancelling headset compared to the Zulu.2 and Zulu PFX, which retail for $900 and $1175, respectively.

HondaJet Nears Final Type Certification

The HondaJet has received provisional type certification from the FAA, Honda Aircraft announced Friday. Honda has four HA-420 jets in its test fleet with more than 2500 hours to date and is planning for final type certification in the next few months. The twin-engine business jet, the company’s first commercial aircraft design, is being manufactured at Honda Aircraft’s headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina and preparations for customer deliveries are under way. There are now a dozen jets in the final assembly line with another five under production, Honda said. The first production jet flew in June 2014. The aircraft features an over-the-wing mount design with two GE Honda HF120 turbofan engines and can seat up to six passengers.
“Provisional type certification for the HondaJet is a tremendous milestone for the program, and we are pleased to reach this significant step toward customer deliveries and entry into service,” said Honda Aircraft Company President and CEO Michimasa Fujino. “Honda Aircraft has completed nearly all of the testing and reports required by the FAA, and we are very close to achieving final type certification.” Melvin Taylor, manager of the FAA’s Atlanta Aircraft Certification Office, said, “It is a pleasure for the Atlanta ACO to issue Honda Aircraft Company a provisional type certificate for the Model HA-420,” said “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Honda as we move to final completion of their HA-420 approval.”

Airliners To Require Two Crew Members In Cockpits

Airlines around the world said Thursday they’ll start requiring two crew members in the cockpit at all times. The change comes after details emerged that the co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525 deliberately locked the captain outside the cockpit and crashed the jet into the French Alps on Tuesday, killing all aboard. Norwegian Air Shuttle announced it has been considering the change and now is “speeding up the process.”

The low-cost European carrier said the new rule will take effect upon approval from Norway’s aviation authority. The Associated Press reported that other carriers, including Britain's EasyJet and Air Canada, also will adopt the procedure. The policy has been in place among U.S. airlines following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, requiring that a flight attendant sit in the cockpit if one pilot leaves. Some European airlines, such as Finland’s Finnair, already have a similar policy, the AP reported.

The Airbus crashed about 47 minutes into the mid-morning flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, killing all 144 passengers and six crew members. The search continues for the flight data recorder, but the cockpit voice recorder revealed that the German co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, deliberately began a descent from 38,000 feet while the captain was away from the cockpit. 

The captain could be heard on the recording banging on the door with no response from Lubitz, then the sounds of screaming in the final moments before the Airbus 320 slammed into a mountain, CNN reported Thursday. The A320 cockpit door can be opened from the outside with a code, but it’s not certain whether Lubitz activated a lock from inside the cockpit that would have prevented the captain from opening it, according to the CNN report.