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BUSINESS AVIATION

flightglobal.com18 |Flight International|14-20 July 2015

Keep up to date with all the latest

business and general aviation at

flightglobal.com/bizav

Israel Aerospace Industries isevaluating a number of designs

for its light business jet and plansto present the shortlisted con-cepts to potential funding part-ners by the end of the year.

But the company is keepingdetails of the project under wrapsfor the time being.

IAI chairman Rafi Maor recent-ly revealed that a light jet is stillbeing evaluated by the companyand [its design] is based on a rev-

olutionary approach.Last year, Flight International

learned that IAI had become in-volved in an effort to develop asix-seat executive jet that willoffer low-cost travel at ranges ofup to 1,300nm (2,400km). Sincethen, it has been working with po-tential partners.

IAI is already an establishedplayer in the traditional businessjet market, manufacturing theG150 and G280 business jets forGulfstream from its Tel Aviv base.

However, this latest project is an-other attempt by the company tointroduce a unique product intothe sector, and is undeterred byits previously unsuccessful for-ays into this field.

IAIs first venture came in thelate 1990s when it signed a co-operation agreement with USstart-up Avocet to co-develop thesix-seat ProJet short take-off andlanding aircraft. The project wascancelled in 2006, after Avocetfailed to secure other partner tohelp complete development.

A year earlier, IAI had estab-lished a strategic partnership withColorado-based start-up AviationTechnology Group to produce theJavelin personal jet. However, the

project was cancelled two yearslater due to a lack of funding.

UPGRADE KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

South African King Air returned to duty

GlobeAir Europes largest

Cessna Citation Mustang op-erator has appointed FormulaOne racing driver Nico Hlken-berg as its brand ambassador.

This selection of the Le Mans24h race winner is designed toraise the profile of the Austriancharter company across the conti-nent, expand its customer baseand eventually enable GlobeAir tofulfil its long-held ambition toprovide a point-to-point, low-cost,pan-European air taxi service.

Hlkenberg was already a Glo-

beAir customer, says companyfounder and chief executive Bern-hard Fragner. So it was a naturalstep to appoint him to promoteour brand and our service to othertravellers who are looking for con-venient and flexible transporta-tion around Europe.

GlobeAir operates a dozen Mus-tangs and is scheduled to take deliv-ery of another of the entry-level jetsbefore the end of September. Thatwill be our third Mustang this year,Fragner says. We are now looking

on the pre-owned market with aview to adding more aircraft to sat-

DEVELOPMENTARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV

IAI evaluatingrevolutionarylight designs E

xecuJet Aviation has deliv-ered the first refurbished

Beechcraft King Air B200 for theSouth African Air Force.

The business aviation servicescompany was awarded a contractin August 2014 to upgrade the ser-vices fleet of four twin-enginedturboprops, which are used forpersonnel transportation andmedical evacuation.

This [first] B200... has under-gone extensive work, says Execu-Jet vice-president for Africa EttorePoggi. This included the installa-tion of a new interior, repainting

of the exterior and a major mainte-nance inspection.

BRANDING KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Le Mans winner signs up forGlobeAir point-to-point pushNico Hlkenberg will help the company to meet ambitions around European taxi services

Hlkenberg: Ambassador role

GlobeAir

ExecuJet

The upgrade work was undertaken at ExecuJets Lanseria facility

The company is

keeping details of the

project under wraps

for the time being isfy the growing demand [for smallbusiness jet charter], he adds.

The eight-year-old company is

one of the early adopters of com-mercially-operated Mustangs inEurope and one of three compa-nies on the continent providingcharter services with the six-seattwin. UK-based Blink and FrancesWijet complete the line-up.

I am as convinced today bythe point-to-point, pan-Europeanair taxi model as I was when Istarted, says Fragner.

GlobeAir planned to launch aservice in 2008, but the collapseof the financial markets later that

year put its expansion on hold.These entry-level jets offer so

much convenience and flexibility

for travellers at a cost that is com-parable with a business class air-line ticket. Fragner explains. Wehave already proven that there isdemand out there for this type ofservice. It is just a matter now ofspreading the word and buildingour customer base.

Fragner says a minimum of 20aircraft are needed to make the ser-vice viable. To expedite this goal,GlobeAir is hoping to form a strate-gic partnership with UK-headquar-tered Blink, which is owner of nine

Mustangs and a strong advocate ofthe pan-European air taxi model.Our company cultures and out-looks are very similar. We are talk-ing to each other now to find a wayto make this work, says Fragner.

GlobeAir is also looking to adda larger and longer-range aircraftto its fleet early next year.

We have narrowed our choiceto the [Embraer] Phenom 300 as itwill connect all the most popularcity pairs within Europe suchas London to Nice and can seat

more people than the Mustang,Fragner says.

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BUSINESS AVIATION

14-20 July 2015 |Flight International|19flightglobal.com

Runway troubles

continue despite

Heathrow backing

NEWS FOCUS P20

Cirrus is readying its VisionSF50 prototype for emer-gency parachute system testing the last major certificationmilestone for the single-enginedpersonal jet, which remains ontarget for service entry at theend of the year.

We completed ultimate loadtesting last month, says SF50product line manager MatthewBergwall. This enabled us toverify the strength of the air-crafts canopy.

The bespoke Cirrus AirframeParachute System (CAPS) is nowbeing fitted inside the nose of thesecond flight-test aircraft, C-1.This will be the flying testbed forthe system, although all threeSF50 prototypes will eventuallyhave it installed.

The CAPS is an integral partof the SF50, says Bergwall. Thisfeature which is standard on allCirrus types is designed tolower the aircraft safely to theground after a loss of control,

structural failure or mid-air colli-sion. Cirrus says the CAPS hashelped to save more than 100lives since its introduction.

The team has spent a greatdeal of time developing the sys-tem for the SF50, Bergwall adds.In-flight deployment tests willensure that everything is in fullworking order.

The three Williams Internation-al FJ33-powered prototypes haveaccumulated 600h to date and Cir-rus says the programme is on targetto receive US certification in thefourth quarter.

The first SF50, designated C-0,rolled out in March last year andhas notched up 400 flying hours

during aerodynamics, performanceand stability testing. C-1 joined theprogramme in November and hasundergone 120h of natural ice test-ing. C2 the final flying prototype has flown around 100h since arriv-ing in December.

Construction of the first pro-duction SF50, designated P1, isalmost complete, and the aircraft

will join the flight-test pro-gramme early in the fourth quar-ter. It will be used for functionand reliability testing, accordingto Bergwall.

There are three production air-craft in various stages of assem-bly, says Bergwall. We plan todeliver a small number this year,

building up to around 70 in 2016and 100-plus the following year.

Cirrus has a backlog of 550 or-ders for the $1.96 million GarminG3000-equipped aircraft, mainlyfrom current SR20/22 owners. Itexpects special mission, commer-cial and corporate operators toeventually account for a sizeableshare of the orderbook.

Piper Aircrafts M600 single-engined turboprop willmake its show debut later thismonth at the AirVenture busi-ness and general aviation eventin Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The seven-seat aircraft waslaunched in April and sits at thehead of Pipers nine-strong familyof propeller-driven aircraft, mostof which will be on displayalongside the M600 mock-up.

The M600 is based on PipersM500 turboprop-single plat-

form, but has a redesigned wingand digital fuel managementtechnologies.

The Pratt & Whitney CanadaPT6A-42A-powered M600 ispriced at $2.8 million and isscheduled for certification andservice entry in the fourth quarterof this year.

Axtmann Holding parentcompany of German business

aircraft services provider FAI rent-a-jet and maintenance companyFAI Technik has purchased amajority stake in fellow Nurem-berg-based operator Fly Alpha.

The acquisition comes as Axt-mann takes full ownership ofFAI rent-a-jet following the exitof its Greek partner MIG Avia-tion Holdings.

Due to the economic crisis inGreece, MIG needed to secure

some liquidity, says Axtmannfounder and chairman SiegfriedAxtmann. We bought theirstake for just over 25 million.Now we have full control of thecompany and our plan is to con-tinue to expand through organicgrowth and acquisitions of stra-tegically important ventures,such as Fly Alpha.

The latters Beechcraft Premier1A entry-level business jet and

King Air 200 and 350 twin-en-gined turboprops fill a niche in

the FAI line-up for short-haulcharter and air ambulance servic-es, says Axtmann.

The company has initially ac-quired a 51% stake in Fly Alpha,but has an option to complete afull purchase at a later date. Wehave noticed that there is a lot ofopportunity in Europe for theshorter two-hour charter flightswhich we were not tappinginto, says Axtmann. Our fleet

is more suited to longer-rangeflights, so it made sense to add in

smaller aircraft to maximise useof our resources.

The sale comes at a time of in-creasing consolidation in the Euro-pean charter market. Recent dealsinclude Switzerlands ExecuJetbeing purchased by Luxaviation a prolific buyer, having snappedup six companies since 2013.

We are looking at two moreacquisitions that would comple-ment our special missions and

management businesses, saysAxtmann.

PERSONAL JETS KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

SF50 set for parachute testCirrus will trial CAPS system on a prototype as the first production aircraft nears completion

DISPLAYKATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Piper preparesM600 mock-upfor show debut

SALE KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Fly Alpha becomes Axtmanns latest acquisition

Aircraft C-1 will be the flying testbed for the recovery system

Cirrus

PiperAircraft

M600 will have a maximum

range of 1,300nm (2,405km)

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NEWS FOCUS


For up-to-the-minute air transport news,

network and fleet information, sign up at

flightglobal.com/dashboard

In his first speech following theUK Airports Commissions rec-

ommendations of a third runwayat London Heathrow, the airportschief executive John Holland-

Kaye described the debate overwhere the new runway should bebuilt as now firmly closed. Butafter years of political battlingand false dawns in the London

airports debate, and with rivalLondon Gatwick insisting it isstill in with a chance, that wouldappear to be wishful thinking.

NOT OVER

Such has been the saga around air-port expansion in the UK and inLondon in particular that evenwith clear and unanimous back-ing for expansion at Heathrow

from a commission which hasspent two-and-a-half years study-ing the issue, Gatwick isnt givingup. It is for the commission tomake a recommendation, but it isof course for the government to de-cide. So we now enter the most im-portant stage of the process, saysGatwick boss Stewart Wingate.

We are confident that whenthe government makes that deci-sion they will choose Gatwick asthe only deliverable option. It isquicker, simpler and quieter.

Above all after decades of delay it can actually happen.

Understandably, Holland-Kaye and Heathrow are making

much of the report and its clearrecommendation for Heathrow.

While commission chairmanHoward Davies describes theother shortlisted options whichalso included extending the ex-isting runway at Heathrow asfeasible, he says its conclusionsare clear and unanimous: The

best answer is to expand Heath-rows capacity through a newnorth-west runway.

But it says much for the wide-

AIRPORTS OLIVER CLARK&MURDO MORRISON LONDON

Runway troubles continuedespite Heathrow backingNo end in sight for UK capacity argument as analysis shows how main hub is losing out

ANALYSIS

European and Gulf rivals soar as constraints strangle destination growth

An analysis of Flightglobals Innovata

airline schedules data by Henk

Ombelet from Flightglobals Ascend

consultancy team reveals some of the

ways Heathrows business has been

impacted by its capacity constraints.

ROUTES

Heathrow has a lower number of desti-

nations, at around 160, than any of its

European competitors, as well as

Dubai International, which is at the

vanguard of the new Middle Eastern

hubs competing with European air-

ports for long-haul traffic between East

and West. Both Dubai and London

Gatwick have vaulted over Heathrow in

the past 10 years, while Amsterdam,

Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt

have remained consistently ahead,

with each today serving between 250

and 300 cities. During that time,

Heathrows routes have fallen slightly.

However, frequencies are typically

lower at other airports. Airlines oper-

ating from Heathrow will tend to in-

crease frequencies on establishedroutes before trying out new routes

with low frequencies. This means

Heathrow could be missing out on

many emerging destinations.

Because of its reliance on long-

haul, particularly the trans-Atlantic

market, Heathrows European desti-

nations lag far behind other major

European airports, but even Dubai is

catching up in terms of European

cities served. Heathrow tends to

swap European services for long-

haul, as seen by the recent slot sale

by SAS (operating a European ser-

vice) to American Airlines.

Heathrows long-haul destinations

have also fallen over the past 10

years, from over 100 to around 95.

This is despite the move of several US

services from London Gatwick to

Heathrow. While Charles de Gaulle

and Frankfurt have seen long-haul

destinations rise to almost 140, the

big winner has been Dubai, which has

seen long-haul services soar from

under 100 in 2004 to over 180 today.

AIRCRAFT SIZE

While average aircraft size has been

rising at all Heathrows competitors, it

remains much higher at the London

hub, at just over 200 seats. The fig-

ure is between 160 and 180 atAmsterdam, Frankfurt, Charles de

Gaulle and Gatwick, smaller than the

average aircraft operating from

Heathrow a decade ago, which was

just below 200 seats. The gap be-

tween Heathrow and its rivals can

partly be explained by the London

airports larger proportion of long-haul

flights. However, even just for

European flights, the average

Heathrow airliner is still bigger.

SEAT CAPACITY

Mainly as a result of the larger air-

craft sizes, overall seat capacity at

RexFeatures

Other options include extending the existing Heathrow runway

Because of itsreliance on long-haul,

Heathrows European

destinations lag

behind other airports

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NEWS FOCUS


Lofty ambitionsFEATURE P24

spread cynicism surrounding de-velopment of airport capacity inEurope in general, and London inparticular, that there is room formore twists yet. After all, a Labourgovernment reaffirmed plans for athird runway in 2009, only forthem to be scrapped 18 monthslater when a Conservative-Liberal

Democrat coalition took power.The commission argues its rec-

ommendation is a fundamental-ly different proposition from pre-

vious proposals to expand atHeathrow.

It delivers a full-length run-way, maximising the connectiv-ity gain. It is situated furtherwest than the current runways,which will help to reduce thenumber of people affected bynoise. And it is accompanied by

strong measures to limit the im-pacts on those living nearby.

A third runway could be op-erational at Heathrow airport as

soon as 2026 if the [UK] gov-ernment gets on with it andmakes a decision, Davies be-lieves. The UK government isstudying the report and trans-port secretary Patrick McLough-

lin says he will provide clear

direction on the governmentsplans in the autumn.

But even should a rapid deci-sion be made, timelines have al-ready slipped a third runway atHeathrow was originally ear-marked for the 2015-20 time-frame and the UKs biggest air-port has been losing ground toother big hubs, in Europe and theGulf (see story below).

Peter Morris, chief economistwith Flightglobals Ascend con-sultancy, contends that Heath-

rows lack of ability to expandleads to all sorts of inefficien-cies, including price and de-lays and that for as long as it

does not have additional run-way capacity, it will become amore expensive airport.

Current and projected demandfor slots means you could justifytwo more runways at Heathrow

without a shadow of a doubt. Anawful lot of demand is being sup-pressed. Where does that demandgo? To other UK airports maybe.Certainly to other European air-ports. Or people just dont fly.

BIG ISSUES

Heathrows biggest challenge, hesays, is that managing limited ca-pacity by pushing for a highermix of large-capacity, long-hauldestinations at the expense of Eu-ropean and other feeder routes

ignores the fact that transferringpassengers currently make uparound a third of travellers atHeathrow: Remember, if youjust have long-haul routes, Heath-row doesnt work.

Having several other Londonairports, including Gatwick,Stansted, Luton and City, focusedon European routes and soakingup some of the demand may notbe a strength for the UK capital,says Morris.

In fact, you could say its the

most inefficient airport system inthe world, he adds.Additional reporting by Graham

Dunn, London

RexFeatures

SOURCE: Innovata part of Flightglobal

Number of destinations

AMS

CDG

FRA

LONG-HAUL DESTINATIONS

0

50

100

150

200

201520142013201220112010200920082007200620052004

LGW

LHR

DXB

SOURCE: Innovata part of Flightglobal

Number of destinations

AMS

CDG

FRA

NORTH ATLANTIC DESTINATIONS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

201520142013201220112010200920082007200620052004

LGW

LHR

DXB

Heathrow has grown slightly.

However, although it remains around

a quarter higher than its closest

European competitors, Paris and

Frankfurt, these airports, as well as

Gatwick and Amsterdam, have

grown their seat capacity faster.

Dubai has more than trebled its seat

capacity in 10 years and in the past

two years overtaken Heathrow.

NORTH ATLANTIC

This remains Heathrows strength,

with more than twice as much seat

capacity to the Americas as Charles

de Gaulle or Frankfurt. This is driven

mostly by frequency. Frankfurt, for

instance, has six or seven flights a

day to New York, while there are 28

from Heathrow. North American des-

tinations have increased by around

50% since 2004 to 32, partly as a

result of the transfer of services

from Gatwick.

NUMBER OF FLIGHTS

This has remained constant at

Heathrow for the past 10 years as the

airport is at capacity. Paris has seen a

reduction since 2008 as the French

economy weakened. Gatwick has

also seen an increase in flights with

the growth of low-cost carriers.

We are confident

that when the

government decides,

they will choose

Gatwick as the only

deliverable optionSTEWART WINGATEChief executive, Gatwick airport

The commission recommends

placing a third runway further west,

to reduce the impact of noise

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GENERAL AVIATION

HOWARD SLUTSKEN VANCOUVER

Visitors to EAA AirVenture will be the first to glimpse Perlan 2, a glider that

aims to take sustained flight to more than 90,000ft and the edge of space

LOFTY AMBITIONS

Making its debut at EAA AirVenture2015 is a new aircraft that is des-tined to shatter records. TheAirbus-branded Perlan Mission II

will use a little-known meteorological phe-nomenon called the Stratospheric Polar NightJet to reach and fly at 90,000ft piloted,winged and sustained flight at over 27,400m.

Perlan 2 will fly higher than the Lockheed

U-2 or SR-71, but it is not an exotically-shapedor scramjet-powered superplane. It is a glider.

The idea for the record flight attempt ex-pected to be staged next summer in Argentina goes back 60 years, to when a young glidinginstructor called Einar Enevoldson volun-teered as line-crew in the US Air Force-fund-ed Sierra Wave Project, in Bishop, California.

Back then, the mountain wave weather phe-nomenon was little understood, and two Pratt-Read PR-G1 gliders were flown into the waveto gather meteorological and observationaldata, reaching altitudes as high as 44,255ft.

When strong winds cross a mountainrange, the effect can be the same as a river cur-

rent flowing over rocks: the air gets pushedinto an invisible wave behind the range.Unique, lens-shaped lenticular clouds areformed. The air inside the wave is smooth butsurrounding air can be violently turbulent.

Now an 83-year-old USAF and NASAflight test veteran, Enevoldson is leading ateam of test pilots, programme managers andmeteorologists in an attempt to achieve thefirst unpowered flight to over 90,000ft.

You could see in the highest waves, it

seemed that there was some major motiongoing on in the atmosphere at very high

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PERLAN MISSION II

Perlan 2 will exploit

mountain wave winds

in a bid to reach a

record 90,000ft

AirbusPerlanMissionII

altitude. Something was impinging on top ofthe wave field, says Enevoldson.

After a long and varied career as a USAFfighter and test-pilot at the NASA Flight Re-search Center at Edwards AFB in California,Enevoldson joined Grob Aircraft in Germany.

RESEARCH

In 1988, he was the test pilot for Grobs G-520Egrett, an early SigInt aircraft capable offlying at 50,000ft for 8h. He also flew the

Grob Strato 2C, a prototype high-altitude re-search aircraft.

Still focused on high-altitude flight, in theearly 1990s Enevoldson saw a LIDAR imagetaken from an aircraft flying along the ArcticCircle. It clearly showed the wave nature ofthe clouds at 80,000ft, he says. So I saidthat we should build a pressurised gliderand fly up to 80,000ft. I began looking forfunding for the project, and eventually metSteve Fossett.

After a serious negotiation lasting about10 seconds, we decided to do it, he laughs.

With Fossetts support, Enevoldson foundedthe Perlan Project, Inc, a not-for-profit aero-

nautical exploration and atmospheric scien-tific research organisation.

Rather than starting with a pressuriseddesign, the Perlan 1 was a modified DGFlugzeugbau DG-505m glider. Double-glasscanopies were installed to eliminate frost-

over, along with a NASA high-altitude oxygensystem and other mission-specific equipment.Enevoldson and Fossett wore pressure suitsborrowed from NASA Dryden, and the teamwent to New Zealand for three seasons.

Although data suggested that the best andstrongest waves were there, Perlan 1 onlyreached 30,000ft.

Steve wanted this to happen, and nevergave up, says Enevoldson. We had no datafrom South America, but we looked at a mapand saw El Calafate, in Patagonia, Argentina,at 50 south. The first year, we went there toolate, but on the first flight of the second year[29 August 2006], we flew right into theprimary wave, and went up to 34,000ft,climbing at 2,000ft/min.

But as the glider climbed through 36,000ft,the pilots pressure suits became progressive-

ly stiffer, and they found it increasingly diffi-cult to manipulate the controls and equip-ment. This was as expected, but moretroublesome than we had hoped, he says.

We were cold and tired, he says. Wewere actually at 51,500ft, and we knew ouraltimeters were accurate. After the 5h flight,the data recorders were sent off for verifica-tion. However, a calculation error reduced therecord-setting altitude to 50,671ft.

The Perlan team recognised that apressurised glider would be needed to reachhigher altitudes. Some thought was given tobeefing up an Alexander Schleicher

ASH-25 glider, but the decision was made tocreate the Perlan 2, a purpose-builtpressurised glider. The Perlan 1 was eventu-ally donated to Seattles Museum of Flight,where it is on display.

Tragically, in September 2007, SteveFossett was killed while flying in the SierraNevada mountains in California. And al-though the design and construction of Perlan2 continued, funding began to dry up. Look-ing for new partners, the project team metwith Airbus in early 2014. Ken McKenzie,deputy chairman and senior vice-presidentfor strategy and corporate development for

US-based Airbus Group Inc, and a gliderpilot himself, was in the initial meeting.

I began looking for funding

for the project, and eventually

met Steve FossettEINAR ENEVOLDSON

Perlan

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GENERAL AVIATION

Before the meeting, I said you cant flya glider to 90,000ft, recalls McKenzie.When we finished the meeting we said,how much do you need? We were so en-thralled with the vision they had, and whatthey had accomplished so far, that we had to

be a part of this.At EAA AirVenture 2014, the project offi-

cially became the Airbus Perlan Mission II.For us, one of the key tenets of this project isthe exploration and excitement of doingsomething thats never been done before,says McKenzie. Within the company, the mis-sion is part of Airbus Group Innovations, withMcKenzie overseeing Airbus involvement.

With funding in place to ensure the con-struction of Perlan 2, the gliders componentswere taken out of storage and moved to RDDEnterprises in Redmond, Oregon, where as-sembly was completed in June.

PRESSURISED

Perlan 2 is constructed almost entirely of car-bonfibre, primarily using pre-impregnatedcarbon sheeting and tapes. The glider has a25.6m (84ft) wing made up of four custom air-foil sections, with an aspect ratio of 27. Theairframe is designed to handle +6/-4gloads.With an empty weight of 574kg (1,260lb), thegross weight will be approximately 816kgwith two pilots and full mission equipmenton board. The cabin is a sealed compartmentand will be pressurised to 8.5psi, giving amaximum in-cabin altitude of 14,000ft.

I decided a conventional [glider] canopywouldnt work for a pressurised cabin, saysEnevoldson. I had a pretty good idea of whatthe cabin should look like. Perlan 2s cabinhas plug doors and rounded windows, set in aconfiguration that has been successfully flight-tested by masking the canopy of conventionalgliders to match the new aircrafts design.

A lot of people compare our cabin designto SpaceShipOne, says Morgan Sandercock,project manager and pilot. A couple of years

ago at Oshkosh, I got the chance to shake BurtRutans hand. He said, youre using the same

materials to solve the same problems, so ofcourse it looks the same!

Inside Perlan 2s cabin, the pilots will use aclosed-loop rebreather system adapted fromexisting underwater breathing technology,with each pilot on an independent system.The system feeds 100% oxygen, and willscrub carbon dioxide and moisture from thepilots exhalations. A second tank, containingordinary compressed air, will feed make-upair into the cabin, dealing with expected leak-age and preventing the oxygen content of thecabin air from exceeding 26%.

The closed-loop system is very efficient,

says Sandercock. Using the rebreather func-tion the pilots can breathe for 8h. But if theres

a failure and we have to go to an open-loopmode, weve got 20min in the system for an

emergency descent. In open-loop, the pilotswill breathe directly from the oxygen tank,bypassing the rebreather system.

The pilots will use a custom-designed lifesupport system display to monitor and con-trol the gliders pressurisation and breathingsystems, and an LX Avionics LX-9000 vario-navigation system will be the primary flightand information display. Perlan 2 will not beequipped with an autopilot, but a yaw damp-er will be fitted. The scientific instrumentpackage will be mounted aft of the pressur-ised cabin, utilising a CubeSat frame.

When meteorological data recommends a

launch (see panel above), the mission profilewill see Perlan 2 towed about 100km from El

IT ALL starts with the winter

weather in Antarctica.

Glider pilots around the

world regularly climb to alti-tudes above 20,000ft, or even

30,000ft, flying in the strong

lift found in mountain wave

conditions. But for Perlan 2 to

reach 90,000ft, the pilots will

need to jump into an express

elevator in the Andes, romanti-

cally named the Stratospheric

Polar Night Jet.

The polar vortex comes

alive in Antarctica in the winter

due to the tremendous cooling

at the poles, the sinking of the

air, and the rotation of theglobe, explains Dr Elizabeth

Austin, atmospheric physicist

and the founder and president

of Nevada-based

WeatherExtreme Ltd. She

joined the Perlan Project in

1998 as chief meteorologist,

and developed the weather

models used in both the

Perlan 1 flights and the upcom-

ing Perlan 2 missions to El

Calafate next year.

You get these sharp tem-

perature contrasts, and withthe globe rotating, the jet

starts to form, says Austin. It

circles the pole, and gets

these kinds of tails that scoop

away from it, and it wiggles and

wobbles. Sometimes it pulls

away and become this tight jet,

and sometimes it spreads

out. The polar night jet starts

around 30,000ft in the mid- to

upper-tropopause, and climbs

well into the stratosphere, as

high as 130,000ft to140,000ft. The core winds of

the night jet can reach an as-

tonishing 260kt.

A number of meteorological

factors will have to line up in

order to provide the optimal

conditions for Perlan 2s

flights, according to Austin.

Prefrontal conditions have to

occur during the relatively

short, winter daylight flying

time, and the polar vortex and

night jet have to be very active

and over Argentina. The lowerlevel jet and resulting wave

have to line up just beside, but

not under the night jet, and the

orientation of both, relative to

the Andes mountain range, is

important.

Perlan 2s pilots will climb in

the lower level wave before

penetrating the lift generated

by the night jet. If the polar

vortex and the low level jet

stream are not properly

aligned, the pilots will likely

have to transition through anarea of weak climb around

50,000ft. But if the conditions

are exceptional, then the hori-

zontal and vertical wind

speeds in the night jet will in-

crease with altitude. Theres

also a zone where we may ex-

perience breaking waves,

says Austin. As the waves get

higher and higher, they actually

bend windward, and if they get

steep enough, they will break.It creates extreme turbulence,

and could tear an aircraft

apart.

Getting accurate, timely

data to feed the weather mod-

el will be a challenge, says

Austin. The closest [balloon]

sounding is about 300 miles

northeast of El Calafate, and

WAVE SCIENCE

HOW CAN A GLIDER CLIMB TO THE EDGE OF SPACE?

Enevoldson (left), Fossett and Perlan 1

Mountain waves form

distinctive lens- shaped

clouds, seen here over

the Sierra Nevadas

AirbusPer

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PERLAN MISSION II

Calafate, with a release altitude of around10,000ft, says Jim Payne, chief pilot. Payne,

also an ex-USAF fighter and test-pilot, thinksnothing of spending a day in a Schempp-Hirth Arcus glider, and flying a record-setting972nm (1,800km) by running up and downthe Sierras from Minden, Nevada.

TROPOPAUSE

We expect the roll response to be slow at lowaltitude; any glider with that span is sluggish,says Payne. Perlan 2s wing is designed to bemost efficient in the 50,000ft range, with a200ft/min minimum sink rate, reflecting datathat shows the weakest climb will be in that al-titude region, just above the tropopause.

Once the glider penetrates the wave, thereare two basic flying strategies. If the opposing

the next closest is 600 miles

north. A bunch of them are

launched on the Antarctic conti-nent, but those are inside the

vortex. Were hopefully going to

launch our own soundings from

upwind, which will transition

through the atmosphere were

going to be flying in. All of the

weather data will be fed into

modeling software called the

Weather Research and

Forecasting System, which will

forecast conditions out for 48h

at very high resolution. Weregoing to be watching it, not just

to guide us when to launch, but

where to tow, she adds.

Austin says that the science

generated by the Perlan 2 mis-

sions will increase knowledge

of our climate. Were going to

be studying ozone, because

were on the edge of the ozone

hole. Were going to learn about

the structure of the strato-

spheric mountain waves andthe breaking waves. Well learn

how breaking waves impact

energy, and transfer heat and

chemicals to and from the trop-

osphere. Thats an important

part of improving climate mod-

els, because [current] climate

models dont take breaking

waves into consideration.

wind speed is less than the gliders best-per-formance speed, the pilots will crab back and

forth to stay in the best climb region. But if thepilots can match the wind speed, you parkthere and go up like an elevator, Payne says.

Stall speed of Perlan 2 is predicted to be33KIAS at 90,000ft, with its never-exceedspeed at 56KIAS. Well figure out the mini-mum sink speed, and then well know whatto fly. I wont be surprised if we spend a lot oftime at 36-38KIAS, says Payne.

Although the indicated airspeeds are low,the true airspeeds will add to Perlan 2s re-cords. That 36KIAS is equivalent to 242kt(447km/h), true airspeed. The opposingwind speed is expected to be above 200kt, so

as we get high, wed better be pointedwest, chuckles Payne.

Sandercock agrees: Its about 1,000kmfrom El Calafate to Port Stanley in the Falk-land Islands. Downwind, we could do that ina couple of hours.

Payne, Enevoldson, Sandercock and Perlan2s other pilots will fly in the aircrafts pres-

surised cabin dressed as they do for lower-al-titude wave flights: in ski clothing, with downboots and electrically-heated socks. The cab-ins carbonfibre-sandwich construction may

provide good insulation against the expected

-57C (-70F) outside air temperature, saysPayne. The human body is like a 100W lightbulb, and with the avionics in the cabintheres actually a chance we might have aproblem with too much heat in the cabin.

If an emergency descent from 90,000ft isever required, Perlan 2 is equipped with adrogue parachute that has two separate acti-vation circuits. Payne explains: Its sized sothat we can come straight down at 80KIAS 80 indicated at 90,000ft is pretty damn fast; alot of sink rate! In the case of a catastrophicairframe failure, the aircraft is also equippedwith a ballistic parachute that is designed to

be deployed at 10,000ft.Perlan 2 will be on display at AirVenture,

and will head back to Oregon for initial flighttesting in August. Payne will make the firstflights, and once the gliders basicperformance is determined, it will be fittedout with the pressurisation and other mission-related systems. The base will shift to Mindenin January 2016, to flight test all of the gliderssystems, and also to prepare ground crewsand pilots.

If you can match the wind

speed you park there and

go up like an elevatorJIM PAYNEChief pilot

The cabin is pressurised to 8.5psi

AirbusPerlanMissionII

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PERLAN MISSION II

The team will move to El Calafate in June2016. Hopefully well get to at least 40,000ftin the Sierras. But when we get to Argentina,were not going straight to 90,000ft, saysPayne. The incremental test programme willsee Perlan 2 carefully increase altitude before

going for the 90,000ft goal.

TRANSONIC

After that, Perlan 2 will continue to fly mis-sions, between 90,000ft and 100,000ft. Onceregular operations are established, scientistsmay fly in the back seat to operate research in-strumentation. Flight at 100,000ft and abovemay be possible, but Perlan 2 is likely to neednew, transonic wings to reach that goal.

One might wonder what can be learnedfrom flying a glider into the stratosphere. Themissions goals are meteorological research,aeronautical exploration and aerodynamic

advancement, with a strong emphasis on edu-cation to inspire future generations to pursuecareers in mathematics, science and research.

vvw

400

3o

2.50o

87

128

503

PERLAN 2

Crew 2

Cabin pressure 8.5psi

574kg (1,265lb)

816kg (1,800lb)

Wingspan 25.6m (84ft)

Wing area 263ft2

Aspect ratio 27

Wingincidence 1.5

-0.5

Va=52kt at 90,000ft = 350kt

Vne=56kt at 90,000ft = 377kt

+6.0/-4.0g

PERLAN 2 DESIGN

(10.16m)

(2.21m)

(3.25m)

(12.78m)

Gross weight

Empty weightEmpty weight

Horizontal tail

incidence

o

o

Airbuss McKenzie says: Continuous flightin that realm is something that we dont knowanything about. As we look to the future, withairspace becoming more and more congested,we may have to start looking higher and high-er. As well, the atmospheric parameters above90,000ft approach those on Mars, so if wereworking on a spaceplane for a Mars mission,we can prove the concepts here. The data thatis gathered will be a very useful outcome of

the project. And I think Perlan 2 will strike achord with the general public.

Dennis Tito has already seen 90,000ft onthe altimeter, twice, during his Soyuz flightsto and from the International Space Station in2001. Tito is a major contributor and sponsor

of the Perlan Project, and obtained his gliderlicence just a few years ago, at the age of 68.

He will be another of Perlan 2s pilots,drawing on his 650h mountain wave glidingexperience during the missions. Tito hopesthat Perlan will inspire a new generation.Everything Ive accomplished in my careercan be linked to that interest as a young per-son. I dont see us having the kind of inspira-tion in the area of spaceflight today that wehad 50 years ago. What can we do that wouldbe new and exciting, to inspire young people?I think Perlan is one opportunity.

I think of this as an exploration, Enevold-

son adds. There are parts of the earth that wehavent explored, and Im an explorer.

Continuous flight in this

realm is something that we

dont know anything aboutKEN MCKENZIEVP, strategy & corporate development, Airbus Group Inc

Construction in

Oregon will be

followed by flight

testing in NevadaAirbusPerlanM

issionII

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GENERAL AVIATION

year brought with it along with the King Airrange Beechcrafts very robust specialmission business, geared to deliver versionsof the King Air and T-6 military trainer. Nowthe Caravan benefits from a special missionexpertise that goes right across our product

line, says Tannahill.

RUGGED DEPENDABILITY

The merger of the two rival Wichita-basedgeneral aviation names brought together themarket-leading single-engined turboprop andits equivalent in the world of twinprops, theKing Air. Although both are similarly-sizedand have a reputation for rugged dependabil-ity and short-runway performance, the KingAir flies further and higher, carries more pay-load and is more than three times the price ofa Grand Caravan EX. Neither does the Cara-van compete with other established single-

engined turboprops, such as the Pilatus PC-12

and Daher TBM 900, which are faster, smaller,pricier and pitched mainly at the owner-flyermarket. Instead, after many years of being al-most in a class of its own, the Caravan is fac-

ing new competition in the form of the QuestKodiak and Mahindra Airvan 10 single-en-gined turboprops, as well as the reborn VikingTwin Otter twinprop.

All these manufacturers are determined totap into what has traditionally been the Cara-vans market, for low-cost, nine- to 12-seatutility aircraft able to perform a multiplicity ofroles. Since launching the Series 400 TwinOtter programme in 2007, Vancouver Island-based Viking has delivered just over 70 of thePT6A-34-powered aircraft and is buildingabout 25 of the twinprops a year. Idaho-basedQuest Aircraft has delivered around 140 of its

Kodiak since it entered service in 2007, andnow has the financial backing of Japaneseowners to fulfil its ambition of becoming theleading manufacturer of single-engined turbo-props in the world. Indias Mahindra is devel-oping the Airvan 10, a 10-seat stretch and tur-boprop-powered variant of its Airvan 8 piston,originally produced by Australias Gippsland.

Tannahill says Cessnas reaction to this newcompetition is to continue to focus on whatour aircraft does well, and to speak to ourcustomers and understand what their expecta-tions are. Adam Blackford, business leader onthe Caravan, says: We talk about what the

product can do and what it has proven over 30years. It is very robust and versatile.

MURDO MORRISON LONDON

Cessnas versatile single-engined turboprop has beentransporting passengers, freight, tourists and troops for30 years. Today, with new configurations on offer, thereis a focus on its value to the special missions sector

CARRY ONCARAVAN

About 85% of the Caravans built this year will be EX models, powered by a PT6A-140 engine

Cessna

We are seeing EXs flown

on city pairs that previously

have not had a serviceCHRISTI TANNAHILLSenior vice-president of turboprops, Textron Aviation

Cessnas 208 Caravan has fulfilledmany roles over its 30-year lifetime from commuter airliner to feederfreighter, and from military transport

to sightseeing aircraft notching up 13 millionflying hours in 100 countries along the way.Now, as the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-powered single-engined utility turbopropnears its 2,500th delivery, Cessna is increas-ingly pushing the Caravans qualities in the

special mission arena. At Junes Paris air show,parent Textron Aviation debuted the newly-

configured Grand Caravan EX demonstrator,sporting a variety of special mission features,including surveillance console and medicalstretcher. It now plans to display the demon-strator at industry events around the world.

The Wichita manufacturer delivered 95Caravans last year, with just under a fifth to beoperated in a special mission role. That pro-portion is a step level increase on previousratios, says Christi Tannahill, senior vice-pres-ident of turboprops at Textron Aviation, and islargely thanks to the efforts of Textrons spe-

cial mission business, with its 78 dedicatedstaff. Textrons acquisition of Beechcraft last

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CESSNA CARAVAN

but Tannahill says it will move to final assem-bly under its own production certificate with-in 18 months. We will begin delivering thefirst kits in quarter four, and they will beginbuilding them up next year. We are expectingaudits between the FAA [Federal AviationAdministration] and the Chinese authoritiesin the latter part of 2015, she says. Orders foramphibian Grand Caravan EXs in particularhave been strong since the joint venture was

established, with customers including MeiyaAir for aerial sightseeing in Wuzhizhou islandand Joy Air for charter tourism flights inShanghai, Zhoushan and Shengsi islands.

Other changes for the passenger version ofthe Caravan include a new standard interior,with seats that are 5% lighter than their pre-decessors, a lightweight headliner and alower sidewall. Around 20 aircraft fitted withthe new cabin have been delivered so far. Itwas welcome as we hadnt had an interior up-grade for many years, says Blackford.

Earlier this year, EASA approved a 14-seatconfiguration for the Grand Caravan EX,

something that could spur other authorities toapprove the variant. Tannahill says it willallow many new uses for the aircraft in Eu-rope. Another possibility although Black-ford says it is simply something his engineer-ing team have been asked to evaluate is aweight increase. Maximum take-off weight iscurrently 3,995kg (8,807lb). We have no spe-cific targets, but we are in talks with the engi-neers about moving it higher, he says.

Tannahill believes that, despite the newcompetition and the fact that the programmeis entering its fourth decade, there is plentylife left in the Caravan. We dont see many

limitations, she says. As long as customerswant it, we will go on building it.

The type is used by commercial services to access remote locations; operators regularly switch the aircraft from passenger to cargo configuration

The amphibious Grand Caravan EX is one of four versions of the aircraft that are now in production

We are in talks with the

engineers about increasing

maximum take-off weightADAM BLACKFORDBusiness leader for the Caravan

However, Cessna has done more than justlisten and talk. In 2013 it began deliveries ofthe Grand Caravan EX a repowered versionof the larger Caravan that originally entered

service in 1990 featuring a PT6A-140 en-gine, which delivers a 38% improvement inrate of climb, and is aimed at operators in hotand high environments. The EX will make upabout 85% of production this year, says Tan-nahill, although Cessna has no plans to haltthe 208, which still has an appeal among theowner-operator community, she says.

MAIN MISSION

Thirty-three years after launching the 208 pro-gramme, Cessna now produces four versionsof the Caravan: the Grand Caravan EX in bothconventional and amphibian configurations,

as well as the standard 208 in standard andfloatplane versions. Some 200 of the GrandCaravan EX have been delivered, around afifth of which are amphibians. Cargo remainsone of the main missions of the Caravan FedEx was one of the launch operators andremains the biggest today, with a fleet of some170 aircraft.

However, as the programme ages, the usesthe Caravan is being put to continue to ex-pand, insists Blackford, with commercialairline service being an important niche, par-

ticularly in the growing markets of Asia,where remote communities need to be con-nected to mainline services. We are seeingEXs being flown on city pairs that previouslyhave not had a service, says Tannahill. TheCaravans adaptability proves its worth, withoperators regularly switching from primarilypassenger to cargo configuration. Its an air-craft suited to changing gears, she says.

With 75% of its production exported, SouthAmerica, Asia and Africa are the biggest mar-kets for the Caravan. China as it is for manygeneral aviation manufacturers is crucial,with its crying need for everything from air-

line pilot training aircraft to commuter shut-tles serving remote communities. In 2012,Cessna and China Aviation Industry GeneralAircraft (CAIGA) announced a joint ventureto carry out final assembly of Grand CaravanEXs in China for the Chinese market.

The Shijiazhuang-based CAIGA venture hasjust gained approval to carry out maintenance,

Ces

sna

Cessna

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COVER STORY

STEPHEN TRIMBLE WICHITA

Following its acquisition of Beechcraft last year, Textrons immediate focus appeared

to be on jet aircraft. Now, though, attention is turning to the piston-engined families

PISTON POWERTextron

Aviation

Since its founding less than 18 monthsago, Textron Aviation has been quitebusy. First, there was the critical taskof blending two historically competi-

tive organisations Cessna and Beechcraft into a unitary corporate system. Cessna alsoneeded to concentrate on completing certifi-cation programmes of several upgraded andnew aircraft in its Citation jet family.

For the pistons business, on the other hand,the focus through the transition appeared tobe on maintaining the status quo. A 2012teaser by the now-defunct Hawker Beechcraftshowing four new aircraft concepts on thedrawing boards, including three new smallturboprops and one piston-powered aircraft,has received no promotion by the newmanagement. A diesel-powered version of theCessna 182 is now months behind schedule,with no public timetable for delivering thenew aircraft.

Despite the slow pace of progress on prod-uct development, there are signs entering

this years EAA AirVenture fly-in in Oshkoshthat the next and final step in the integration

of Textron Aviations plan has already started,and it is now focusing on working out thepistons business.

In April, Textron Aviation appointed thefirst leader of the combined Cessna and Beechportfolio of piston-powered aircraft DougMay. The former flight test pilot for Kohlmanand Cessna is now responsible for five activeproduction lines namely, the Bonanza G36,Baron B58, 400 Corvallis TTX, 172S Skyhawkand 206H Turbo Stationair that delivered

249 aircraft combined in 2014. The job alsocomes with several challenges to navigate,including a looming regulatory reform pro-cess, a dearth of new pilots limiting market

growth and several new competitors fightingto enter the IFR-certificated market segment.

Though well aware of the market dynamicsin play, May is clearly happy to have the job.

I think, from an OEM perspective, TextronAviation is optimistic about what the futurelooks like, he says.

PASSIONATE ABOUT AVIATION

Noting that the piston segment is filled withpeople who are passionate about aviation,

May says that suits his background as well:Ever since I could walk and talk and think,I wanted to be in aviation.

As Mays appointment was announced inearly April, Textron Aviation also moved toaddress one of the key issues facing the gen-eral aviation community: fewer new pilotsentering the system to replace those who areleaving or retiring from flying.

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association(AOPA) has estimated that the number ofregistered pilots in the USA has declined by25% since 1980, falling from 827,000 to about610,000. That reduction occurred mainly in

the first 15 years after 1980, however: as AOPAcounted about 622,000 active pilots in 1996.

The Beechcraft Baron B58 seats

up to six people and has a maximum

range of 1,480nm (2,740km)

Cessnas diesel-fuelled Turbo Skylane JT-A

Text

ron

Aviation

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TEXTRON AVIATION

until 2017, which is two years after a dead-line set by Congress in 2012.

The timing of the rulemaking does notappear to be having a direct effect on TextronAviations product development plans for the

general aviation sector.I think the thing I would offer is that, more

than most, Textron Aviation is well-posi-tioned to leverage [the Part 23 rewrite] be-cause weve already got a process in place,

says May, noting a track record of having in-troduced 35 new or upgraded products overthe past decade.

I think one of the things that Textron Avia-tion is always doing is evaluating where wereat and where we want to go and where wereinvesting, he says. Its a process that hasgone on for 80-plus years. Well continue tolook at how to meet our customers needs.

One of those needs is a diesel engine. Thestandard avgas relied upon by general aviationfor generations is in short supply in many plac-es in the world, especially Europe and Africa.It is also becoming increasingly expensive, jus-

tifying a broad transition to diesel fuel.Cessna has already received certification by

the European Aviation Safety Agency for adiesel-powered version of the 172 Skyhawk.But the company has been slower to completecertification of a diesel-powered 182 Skylane,dubbed the JT-A. Though originally scheduledto be certificated in late 2013, Textron Aviationnow declines to provide a timetable to reachthat milestone. But the company remains com-mitted to the programme, May says.

Weve got a team actively working to-wards certification on 182, May says. Tex-tron Aviation is committed to taking as long as

it might be to take that technology to ourproduct line.

Although the number of pilots in the systemmay have stabilised over the past 20 years, thenumber of new single- and multi-engined air-craft deliveries to the general aviation markethas continued a long nose-dive since peakingat 17,032 in 1978 to less than 700 a year today.

Shortly after Mays appointment, TextronAviation announced the launch of the TopHawk programme. The company will pro-vide access to a Cessna to each of four US uni-versities with pilot training programmes:Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University,

Kansas State University, Liberty Universityand the University of North Dakota. A studentfrom each school also will work as an internfor Textron Aviation during the summer,teaching ground school classes while build-ing flight hours. The four interns will thencompete for a Top Hawk award given to thebest pilot in the group.

At the same time, May is realistic that suchprogrammes alone are not a sufficient answer tofundamental dynamics driving the decliningnumber of pilots and new aircraft deliveries.

The industry as a whole is going to have toaddress that going forward, May says.

Theres obviously demand and that demandis not going to go away.

What is going away is the regulatory regimethat has governed aircraft design and manu-facturing for the general aviation communityfor decades. The US Federal Aviation Admin-istration plans to release a notice of proposedrulemaking to rewrite Part 23 of the federal

Ever since I could walk

and talk and think, I wanted

to be in aviationDOUG MAYVice-president, piston aircraft, Textron Aviation

The number of registered

pilots in the USA has declined

by 25% since 1980, from

827,000 to about 610,000

aviation regulations, covering all aircraftweighing up to 8,620kg (19,000lb) and carry-ing up to 19 passengers.

PRESCRIPTIVE REGULATIONS

Part 23 currently applies regulations on piston-powered aircraft in the same prescriptive man-ner used for much larger and more expensivetransport-category aircraft. For decades, thismethod seemed acceptable, because technolo-gy available to the general aviation communitywas relatively simple and straightforward tocertificate. As computer processing power hasminiaturised, however, the cost of followingthe FAAs highly prescriptive certificationrules has slowed or blocked some innovationsfrom migrating to the general aviation commu-nity, as well as reduced the introduction ofnew designs to a trickle.

By adopting performance-based rules withthe forthcoming Part 23 rewrite, the FAA haspromised to double safety at half the cost.Whether the rewrite lives up to its slogan isstill too early to tell. The FAA has not yet re-leased any details, besides pledging to releasethe proposed rulemaking by the end of thisyear. A final rule is not expected to take effect

There is no timetable for certification of the Skylane JT-A, originally scheduled for 2013

The six-seater Beechcraft Bonanza G36 is designed for the rugged utility category

Textron

Aviation

Text

ron

Aviation

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LETTERS


[email protected]

OPERATIONS

TransAsias red light for safetyWith the publication of the

accident report into the tragic

loss of TransAsia Airways flight

GE235 (Flight International,7-13 July), a couple of points

have to be underlined.

It is imperative that pilots

understand the inseparable

aerodynamic link between

rolling and yawing. This has to

be drilled into each and every person aspiring to be a pilot.

Amazing video showed the last few seconds before the crash,

where the aircraft clearly yaws into the ground as a direct result of

the left rolling moment.

This is not the first time a pilot shut down the wrong engine in a

crucial moment and I am sad to say that it will not be the last time

either. This calls for radical new ideas to be introduced into the

cockpit for engine controls.One would be to separate the engine controls at the top of the

lever much more than today. Another would be to install a LED to

the top of the levers. This would be embedded and remain neutral

during normal operations, but in the case of something going wrong

with the engine(s) this bright red colour could provide the vital visual

information to the pilot at the absolutely critical time.

We need to look at these ideas seriously in order to ensure that

the pilot always makes the correct decision at these crucial mo-

ments and saves lives.

E L Mertsoy

Izmir, Turkey

We welcome your letters on

any aspect of the aerospaceindustry.

Please write to: The Editor,Flight International, QuadrantHouse, The Quadrant, Sutton,

Surrey SM2 5AS, UK.

Or email flight.international@

flightglobal.com

The opinions on this page do not

necessarily represent those of the editor.

Flight International cannot publish letters

without name and address. Letters must

be no more than 250 words in length.

FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL

We welcome your letters on

any aspect of the aerospaceindustry.

Please write to: The Editor,Flight International, QuadrantHouse, The Quadrant, Sutton,

Surrey, SM2 5AS, UK.

Or email flight.international@

flightglobal.com

The opinions on this page do not

necessarily represent those of the editor.

Letters without a full postal address sup-

plied may not be published. Letters may

also be published on flightglobal.com and

must be no longer than 250 words.

FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL

Dont discountInmarsat track

Honest accountIn his letter headed WhatsBoeing on with accounting?(Flight International, 30 June-6July), J McDermott makes three

points [about the 787]. One, Boe-ing is carrying forward enormouslosses; two, it is overstating itsprofits; and three, its legal com-pliance with accounting laws.

In fact Boeing is not carryingforward enormous losses: it iscarrying forward as-yetunrecovered development costs.Your correspondent is confusinglosses with costs.

Any company developing anexpensive product will incur de-velopment costs, which it will

plan to recover from subsequentsales and the 787 programme iscertainly expensive.

The recovery of developmentcosts is a function of the forecasttotal costs divided by the antici-pated unit sales. Both of theseforecasts are the responsibility ofBoeings directors, and theirassumptions are checked asreasonable by the companysauditors. Thus, if the forecastsprove to be correct, Boeing is notat present overstating its profits.

The above procedure is in ac-cordance with standard account-ing practice. Indeed, there is noalternative to this procedure.Peter Martin

Hindhead, Surrey, UK

Tanks for thatAfraid tank recognition is notyour strong point (Straight &Level, Flight International, 7-13July). Its a Panzer IV, which wasmuch less potent an adversary

than the Panther (Panzer V).Roger Caesley

via email

Editors reply: Apologies for ourmistake. Well try to stick tothings with wings in the future.

Fire on board an aircraft isperhaps the airmans worstnightmare. Whilst sharing reti-cence in speculating on the fateof [Malaysia Airlines flight]MH370 it seems to me thatMessrs Straker & Lloyd (FlightInternational, 30 June-6 July) aremissing a very important point.

In themselves and out of theMH370 context their commentsare totally credible however,

presumably reliable informationfrom Inmarsat indicates that theaircraft continued to fly on forabout 6h.

Would a fire one assumes ofincreasing intensity, sufficient todisable or severely disruptaircraft systems have leftMH370 able to fly for this long?

The nearest parallel to theirhypothesis that I can call to mindis the onboard fire on the NewYork to Geneva Swissair flight[111, in 1988], which only

survived for about 15min afterfire was declared.

Five or six hours? To put itmildly, improbable.Richard Chandless

Crches-sur-Sane, France

Fuel-hardy idea?With regard to Matt Woods pro-posal for commercial aircraft in-flight refueling (Flight Interna-tional, 30 June-6 July), I haveseveral concerns.

It is doubtful that any airlineand pilot union would permitextreme close proximity toanother aircraft; the traffic colli-sion avoidance system wouldhave to be turned off, and expen-sive type-design fuel plumbing,

avionics, and eyebrow windowmodifications would be need-ed, not to mention simulatorchanges and pilot training.

Lower altitude and speed re-duction for in-flight fuel connec-

tion is necessary, and the weath-er would need to be perfect.

Turbulence and low visibilitywould cause aborted refuellingand a diversion to an appropriateairfield for lack of fuel. Thediversion would upset passen-gers who were promised anon-stop flight.

And, after watching aYouTube video about an E-3AWACS air refueling gonewrong, this self-loading freightwould like a four-point harness,

a large single malt and a rosaryduring such a hook-up.

Its a fun idea, but lets leave itto the military please.Chris Barnes

South Carolina, USA

Action needed after tragic loss

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WORKING WEEK


Bisland took a check-in agent job in 1992 and has never looked back

Team ethos drives Glasgow growthStephen Bisland, Emirates airport services manager at Glasgow airport, takes pride in the role he plays to

support growth at the airline and is looking forward to new challenges with the company over the next five years

WORK EXPERIENCE STEPHEN BISLAND

such as the 2014 CommonwealthGames. I can only be grateful forhaving such a dedicated group ofpeople working with me.What do you enjoy most about

your role?

I love the variety no two daysare ever the same. There are alsosome great personalities here atGlasgow airport, which has to beone of the friendliest airports in

the world. Ive worked here for23 years so it feels like home.Emirates is one of the largest car-riers here, so many people are in-volved in the turnaround of ouraircraft. People in Glasgow, bothat the airport and in the city, arereally interested in what weredoing and I enjoy the part I playin that.Where do you see yourself in

five years time?

2014 was Emirates busiest-everyear at Glasgow airport, with the

increase in international visitorsto the city and the launch of theEmirates Lounge. Because opera-tions in Glasgow are so strong,there will be many new projectsto get involved in. In five yearstime I hope to have helped Emir-ates achieve plenty more mile-stones in Glasgow.n

What are your qualifications?

I left school with few formalqualifications. I worked my wayup the career ladder to my cur-rent position as Emirates airportservices manager at Glasgow. Inmy job you learn from experi-ence, but Emirates employees areoffered a range of internal andexternal courses at the airlinestraining centre in Dubai. Courses

on security, international regula-tions, and health and safety arecompulsory for airport staff. Ivealso taken part in training cours-es on softer skills such as how tomanage staff.How did your career in the

aviation industry begin?

With no prior experience in theaviation industry I landed acheck-in agent job for OgdenAviation at Glasgow airport in1992, working with Air 2000.Later that year Ogden lost its Air

2000 contract to Servisair,which became my new employ-er. There I worked closely withairlines in flight dispatch andwas delighted when I secured arole with AirUK as a check-inagent my most important ca-reer break. From there I movedup the ranks with a number ofairlines until I landed my firstjob with Emirates in 2004.Tell us about your current role.

Im responsible for overseeingevery aspect of Emirates opera-

tions in Glasgow, where we havea team of 20 full-time staff servic-ing two daily flights to Dubai. Aswell as managing my own team,I work closely with Glasgow air-

port and Emirates service part-ners to ensure our passengers aresafe, secure and comfortable. Im-portantly, Im responsible formanaging Emirates stationbudget and making sure we hit

our cost and sales targets. Anoth-er big part of my role is emergen-cy planning.What is your typical day like?

My first tasks in the morning areto confirm the estimated arrivaltime of our first flight from Dubai the EK27 and to report intoEmirates headquarters in Dubai.My day also involves meetingswith my team and with airportpartners. I also like to rotate oper-ational inspections, from moni-toring an aircraft turnaround to

checking Emirates chauffeur ser-vice cars. There are also someglamorous tasks. In May wehosted professional rugby play-ers at the Emirates Lounge as part

of our sponsorship of the Scot-tish Rugby 7s.What are the most challenging

aspects of your job?

Scotlands unpredictable weath-er, especially in winter, can makeaircraft turnaround more chal-lenging than in other parts of theworld. I sometimes have to make

difficult operational decisionsquickly, but it does get easierwith experience. Its also impor-tant to keep my team calm andpositive during busy periods

There are some

great personalities

here at Glasgow,

which has to be one

of the friendliestairports in the world

Emirates

If you would like to feature in

Working Week, or you know

someone who does, email your

pitch to kate.sarsfield@

flightglobal.com

Looking for a job in aerospace?

Check out our listings online at

flightglobal.com/jobs

FLIGHT SAFETYSYMPOSIUMPark Inn by Radisson, London Heathrow

15th 16thSeptember 2015

www.flightglobalevents.com/flightsafetysymposium2015

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