May 17, 2018  -  No. 039

In This Issue 
NATA and Aviation Maintenance Industry Praise Congress for Bipartisan Legislation to Encourage Career 
Maintenance School Seeks Exemption from Outdated Curriculum Rules 
Spectro Scientific Sponsors Lubrication Test Event in the Aerospace Maintenance Competition 
Airlines Improving Dispatch Reliability Via Line Maintenance 
Textron Aviation Unveils Upgraded Warranty Claims Processing Website at 2018 Customer Conference 
India To Take Long View Toward Airport Development 
Embry-Riddle Tackles Language as a Factor in Aviation Safety 
Airbus CyberSecurity Brings Its Expertise to EU Funded Brain-IoT Project 
Asset Insight Rolls Out Real-time Aircraft Valuation Tool. 
Turkish student designs green turbojet engine 
OneSpace launches China's first private rocket 

NATA and Aviation Maintenance Industry Praise Congress for Bipartisan Legislation to Encourage Career Development
 
NATA and members of the aviation maintenance industry, including the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA), sent a letter to Representatives Sam Graves (R-MO), Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) in support of  H.R. 5701, to establish an aviation maintenance workforce development pilot program. The groups note that this legislation will "incentivize businesses, labor organizations, schools and governmental entities to work together to pursue innovative, new strategies to develop technical talent and encourage workers to pursue aviation careers." Similar legislation, S. 2506, was introduced in the Senate, sponsored by Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and was equally supported by the industry. The same group of Senators, including Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), also introduced S. 2792, supported by NATA, to "modernize aviation maintenance training curriculum to foster cutting edge innovation and maintain the highest levels of safety," according to co-sponsor Cantwell in apress release. To encourage your Member of Congress to support H.R. 5701, S. 2506, or S. 2792, visit NATA's Legislative Action Center today.

Sixteen aviation organizations developed a suggested draft Advisory Circular to provide guidance on using remote technology and tools. The groups put together the draft AC after consulting with the FAA on a draft policy, covering remote viewing by video that was released for comment earlier this year.

This draft AC is designed to enable FAA-authorized witnesses to use video to view certain engineering tests from a remote location. It also provides a compliance baseline for regulations, while considering the use of audio and visual tools, including video, livestream and more.
The submitted draft AC was backed by the National Air Transportation Association, Aerospace Industries Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Airlines for America, Aviation Suppliers Association, Aviation Technician Education Council, Cargo Airline Association, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Modification and Replacement Parts Association, National Air Carrier Association, Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, Regional Airline Association, Boeing, Gulfstream Aerospace, Moog Aircraft Group and Aeronautical Repair Station Association.

http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12412540/nata-and-aviation-maintenance-industry-praise-congress-for-bipartisan-legislation-to-encourage-career-development

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Maintenance School Seeks Exemption from Outdated Curriculum Rules

Southern Utah University (SUU) wants to create an aviation maintenance training program. Employers in the area are supporting the effort and have donated equipment and resources to get the project off the ground. School officials and accreditors plan to include the mechanic coursework as part of a larger degree program so students can earn credit toward an associate's degree.

"The community has really come together to support what we're trying to do," says SUU Aviation Director of Maintenance Jared Britt. "We want our program to meet a local need, provide our residents with viable career paths and produce a specific type of employee who can add employer value on Day One."

The biggest barrier to SUU building its envisioned program is the FAA-mandated curriculum. Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 147 governs aviation maintenance technician school (AMTS) airframe and powerplant (A&P) programs. Its subject area mandates have not changed substantially since 1962.

"The rule requires us to focus time and resources on outdated and inconsequential areas," explains Britt. "As an institution charged with adequately preparing students for careers, we take issue with that."

Instead of compromising its degree-program vision, SUU did something no other school has done: The university asked the FAA for an exemption from its curriculum and seat-time requirements.

SUU proposes a new approach in which the curriculum is built around emerging Airman Certification Standards (ACS). The new testing standard is a product of an FAA-industry working group and based on years of input from industry, educators and government officials. The framework covers the knowledge and skills required of an A&P mechanic and, starting in 2020, is planned to govern written, oral and practical mechanic exams.

If the agency accepts working group recommendations-and provides anticipated relief from current curriculum requirements through promulgation of a new Part 147-the ACS will  provide a vehicle to modernize AMTS curricula across the nation.

SUU honed in on the new testing standard as the basis for its curriculum, believing it better aligns with industry needs than the existing coursework. "The ACS removes antiquated subject areas and adds new elements we believe are important," says Britt. "While our peers in Alaska may need mechanics well-versed on dope and fabric, we will better serve our students in Utah if we use that time to focus on troubleshooting, human factors, avionics or rotorcraft."

The university's desire to put more emphasis on helicopter maintenance  illustrates the rigidness of current AMTS curriculum requirements. A report commissioned by the Helicopter Association International estimates industry will be short 40,613 certificated mechanics by 2036. And, Helicopter Foundation International Vice President Allison McKay contends the pipeline of certificated mechanics is insufficient since A&P programs offer very little rotorcraft-specific coursework.

"Given the current Part 147 curriculum requirements, most A&P programs focus almost exclusively on fixed-wing aviation. Students oftentimes graduate without ever being exposed to the helicopter industry," says McKay. "The current rule makes it very difficult to break the trend."

While schools may incorporate subject areas beyond those dictated in the Part 147 curriculum, its 1,900-hr. seat-time mandate leaves little wriggle room since the majority of A&P programs offer an 18-month certificate or two-year associate's degree.
 
For example, the Associate of Applied Science, Airframe, and Powerplant degree offered at WSU Tech goes beyond FAA mandates by requiring completion of 123 credit hours, or approximately 2,100 contact hours. "Associate degree programs are typically closer to 70 credit hours," explains James Hall, the program's dean of aviation technologies. "Our A&P program has by far the largest number of required credits when compared to our other associate programs."

According to Hall, WSU Tech is considering a reduction in the program's credit-hour offerings to bring it in line with competing degrees. "There is already a large barrier to entry for an A&P, given the required time investment," he notes. "That makes it really difficult to add additional subject matter, even if the knowledge and skill in that area are in high demand."

So while SUU could teach over and beyond what is required in the current Part 147, the university prefers to remove the mandates to include outdated technical areas that the university argues are a waste of time and resources.

"A welding lab alone, suitable to teach the required subject areas, would cost the university around $150,000," estimates Britt. "Today's A&P mechanics aren't expected to know how to weld, so why can't we instead use those funds on simulators or next-generation equipment?"

Nineteen companies, individuals and trade groups-including the Aeronautical Repair Station Association, Aviation Technician Education Council and Utah Governor's office-commented on SUU's petition for exemption.

SkyWest Airlines, which boasts an SUU graduate as its former president, voiced its support for the petition by stating: "Due to the overwhelming shortage of technicians in Utah and the nation, SkyWest urges the FAA to allow these exemptions and continual support of SUU's proposed program and updated curriculum."

The FAA has six months from the date of the petition's submission to issue its decision. Public comments closed on April 18. The petition and comments are available at www.regulations.gov/docket?D=FAA-2018-0215

http://www.mro-network.com/safety-regulatory/maintenance-school-seeks-exemption-outdated-curriculum-rules

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Spectro Scientific Sponsors Lubrication Test Event in the Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC) at the 2018 MRO Americas Exhibition 
 
CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Spectro Scientific, one of the world's largest suppliers of oil, fuel, and processed-water analysis instrumentation and software, sponsored a competitive event in the Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC) at the 2018 MRO Americas Exhibition, held April 10-12, 2018 in Orlando, Florida.
 
The AMC recognizes and celebrates aviation maintenance technicians and raises awareness of the knowledge and skill required to maintain safe, airworthy aircraft. This year, 68 five-person teams of aircraft mechanics from industry, military, and schools competed in a 28 event competition for the title of "Best-of-the-Best".

Participating for the first time in the AMC, Spectro sponsored an event involving testing of lubrication and hydraulic fluid system integrity. Oil testing helps mechanics detect and correct engine and hydraulic system problems long before they result in system failures. Each competitor was scored on his or her ability to successfully test a hydraulic fluid sample in a timely manner.
Yolanda Gong of the West Los Angeles College team took first place in the oil analysis challenge with a record low time of 4:16 minutes, with zero penalties.

Bob Wopperer, vice president of business development at Spectro Scientific, presented a Spectro MiniVisc 3050 viscometer and standard accessories kit to West Los Angeles College in the name of Yolanda Gong and the school's team. The package has a commercial value of over $10,000.
The MiniVisc 3050 viscometer enables direct measurement of kinematic viscosity at a regulated temperature (40°C), using only a few drops (60µL) of oil. No solvents are required, and users can clean sampling cell surfaces by simply wiping them with a nonabrasive cleaning pad or towel. The compact, battery-operated unit fits easily into a toolbox or carrying bag and is especially useful in situations where it is impractical to use a laboratory device, including fleet vehicle applications.

Convenient, simple, on-site operation helps users save time and expense, avoid unexpected downtime, preserve expensive capital assets, and carry out proactive and predictive maintenance programs. The MiniVisc 3050 viscometer is a component of Spectro's comprehensive MiniLab system that provides elemental and chemical analysis and measures viscosity, particle count and total ferrous content.

Bob Wopperer said, "Spectro Scientific appreciates the opportunity to help recognize the unique skills and crucial contributions of aviation maintenance technicians to flight reliability and safety. We also are happy to introduce a large group of technicians to the accuracy and convenience of Spectro Scientific fluid analysis products."

About Spectro Scientific
Spectro Scientific specializes in analytical instrumentation and software for machine condition monitoring. It is one of the largest global suppliers of oil and fuel analysis instruments to industry and the military worldwide. Industry clients include petrochemical, fleet, mining and power generation companies as well as commercial testing laboratories. Spectro Scientific's extensive product offerings include spectrometers for wear metal analysis, lubricant degradation and contamination analyzers, particle analysis instruments and complete turnkey systems for oil or fuel analysis laboratories, all managed by its SpectroTrack or LubeTrak software platforms.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180515006157/en/Spectro-Scientific-Sponsors-Lubrication-Test-Event-Aerospace

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Airlines Improving Dispatch Reliability Via Line Maintenance

In line maintenance, airlines are reevaluating their A check methodologies, and independent vendors are sensing opportunities. At the same time, a new generation of "smart airplanes" has mandated new skill sets for line mechanics.
 
According to data generated by New York-based Alton Aviation Consultancy, total global spending on line services will increase from $13 billion this year to $19 billion by 2028-for a 3.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Jonathan Berger, the firm's managing director, reports that most airlines still perform line maintenance at their primary hub airports since it directly affects dispatch reliability. However, more outsourcing continues at those stations where there isn't sufficient scale to justify full-time staff. "This is why we are seeing the growth and maturity of quality third-party line maintenance providers," he says.

Dan Allawat, chief operating officer of Miami-headquartered FEAM Maintenance and Engineering, cites three recent trends propelling that growth: the resurgence of air cargo, driven by exploding e-commerce; an increasing number of flights to the U.S. by European low-cost carriers; and airframe OEM involvement in aftermarket services through programs such as Boeing's Global Fleet Care and Airbus' Flight Hour Services-Tailored Support Package.

"We view them as opportunities to be third-party suppliers," says Allawat, who points out that the company is already under contract as a vendor for both OEM programs. "The OEMs are providing full support of the operation, allowing direct access to OEM expertise and oversight." He thinks that similar arrangements with engine OEMs are likely to evolve.

With 29 locations in the U.S., FEAM has just entered into an agreement with a developer to build a new widebody aircraft maintenance hangar at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, exclusively for Atlas Air's line service. As Allawat notes, the growing use of air cargo to ship packages has opened up a multitude of opportunities for line service providers. Also, within the next few months, the company will add new line maintenance stations at Newark Liberty, Boston Logan and Washington Dulles International airports for its increasing cross-border clientele.
 
"That's where we see the most potential, as new aircraft such as the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320neo provide European air carriers a cost-effective solution to long-haul travel," he says.
According to Robby Bush, vice president and general manager of STS Line Maintenance in Jensen Beach, Florida, airlines are asking their line service providers to perform more tasks in order to have additional days between maintenance events normally done at major hubs. That includes borescope inspections, nondestructive testing and deferred maintenance items that require troubleshooting to determine if repair parts are needed down the line.

"This gives us more to work with to carry out repairs, instead of deferrals," Bush remarks. "Our customers are asking us to perform more maintenance touch time on their aircraft."

Bush reports that STS Line Maintenance operates 28 stations in the U.S. and the Bahamas and has held European Aviation Safety Agency certification since January 2017. He stresses that with airline schedules so much tighter today, there is more pressure on line maintenance technicians, because there is very little time to troubleshoot. The data generated by the new-generation commercial jets will help accelerate diagnostics.

Putting this technology into the hands of a line maintenance technician means that "he will be able to troubleshoot more efficiently in an environment of decreasing ground time," says Bush. "For example, an understanding of the avionics on the new generation of aircraft will be one of the most important skill sets."

And Bush also points out that Phased A checks will continue to be a popular option because they require less ground time, are not dependent on the resources of a primary maintenance hub and add operational flexibility.

Phased A checks break into small packages all of the items inspected at one time during a full Block A check. Using figures provided by Alton Aviation Consultancy for narrowbody jets, the typical phased approach is usually done at 10-day intervals and is completed overnight by one 6-8-hr. shift. The Block A check is typically done every 90 days, but it requires 1.5-2 shifts over 14-18 hr.

While a Phased A check is done more frequently, it is argued that given shorter hangar times, it would have little or no impact on dispatch reliability. But as Alton Aviation Consultancy's Berger points out, while Phased A checks "looked very good on paper," airlines began to discover they had greater operational risks. "With a Block A check, all the required inspections are done in one visit, and parts and labor are in place," Berger remarks. "But if something is found that needs repair during a Phased A check at an outstation, where parts and labor may not be available, it would negatively impact dispatch. That's why more operators are moving back to Block A checks, which has actually improved on-time performance."

Still, some airlines continue to use Phased A checks. At JetBlue Airways, the decision was made three years ago to transition its 181 A320s from Block A to Phased A checks, but it kept its 60 Embraer 190s on the Block A plan.

Boris Rogoff, the New York-based airline's director for maintenance planning and technical operations, reports that the decision was predicated on flight utilization differentials between the two fleets.  Specifically, the A320, at 11 flight hours/four flight cycles daily, has less hangar time than the E190s, which average eight flight hours/six flight cycles per day. "The main benefit we gained from phased checks was better operational flexibility and reduced manhours, plus more opportunity to maximize revenue," he says.

To illustrate, Rogoff explains that an A320 Phased A check takes 6 hr. and two or three technicians. The Block A check requires 6-8 technicians and 10-12 hr. The Phased A checks are done weekly and include some checks with greater depth than others. In that regard, Rogoff cites cargo pit inspections. "We do perform separate visits every four months that require in-depth exterior visual inspections, although those are not as long as a classic Block A check since all the system checks are removed," he notes.

Lufthansa Technik's expanding global line maintenance business is also seeing airlines' choice of of the type of A check largely a matter of fleet type and operational profile. Ulrich Hollerbach, vice president of maintenance for Europe, and Lufthansa Maintenance International CEO, says that the focus is more on phased maintenance in the case of short-haul aircraft. "It offers the greatest flexibility when operating point-to-point networks, which is the case for low-cost carriers-the fastest-growing market for line maintenance. For long-haul aircraft, maintenance continues to be carried out in block checks."

Long-haul low-cost carriers, he says, will have a role in the line maintenance market, although not as big as the short-haul low-cost or long-haul hub-based carriers.

Colin Ethier, director of line maintenance at Air Canada in Toronto, explains that the airline uses a "bundled approach" to A checks, in the form of packaged tasks to be carried out during each check. All of those tasks are scheduled for an overnight visit and are designed around specific component or system inspection intervals. While the intervals vary by aircraft type, Ethier says they generally average two months.

He adds that the line maintenance department has an agreement with the operations staff to allow a specific number of hours per night for an A check. The number of hours are aircraft- and base-dependent. For example, 1,328 labor hours are allowed at Toronto, which has anywhere between 53 and 60 aircraft overnight.

Air Canada's fleet includes the Boeing 787 and 737 MAX, and Ethier says that these more technically advanced aircraft require what he calls "a different breed" of aircraft maintenance engineer (AME).

"At Air Canada, we taught our AMEs a new skill set and built new training modules to prepare for the 787. It was so successful that we have expanded the program across our 737 MAX operation." 

http://www.mro-network.com/operations/airlines-improving-dispatch-reliability-line-maintenance

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Textron Aviation Unveils Upgraded Warranty Claims Processing Website at 2018 Customer Conference
 
WICHITA, Kan. (May 15, 2018) - Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today launched its upgraded warranty claims processing site at the company's 2018 Customer Conference in Wichita, Kansas. The improved site integrates new functionality into its claim processing and post-purchase support designed to provide a simple, convenient and intuitive experience for customers. The upgraded claims site can be accessed online by visiting claims.txtav.com.

Through a customer advisory board (CAB), the company worked directly with customers to develop the site to deliver a more seamless online experience. To capture the full spectrum of user perspectives, the CAB consisted of 14 individuals in a variety of roles and organizations, including directors of maintenance, owner operators, aircraft management companies, flight departments, authorized service facilities, international customers and mechanics.

"Working hand-in-hand with our customer advisory board over the span of several months, we worked to ensure we fully understood customer needs and priorities when interacting with the claims processing site," said Kriya Shortt, senior vice president of Customer Service. "And I'm thrilled with the result - a streamlined, intuitive site that equips customers with the tools to more efficiently and easily submit their claims, which instills greater confidence in the ease and accuracy of their claims."

In addition to streamlining claims processing, additional improvements have been driven into post-purchase support for customers. Notably, charges on rotable parts for overhaul, which are over and above the standard overhaul price have been removed, eliminating unforeseen charges for the customer. Also, pay-in-advance customers who make core deposits with a credit card will now automatically receive the deposit back on their credit card after the claim has been settled.

About Textron Aviation Service
Textron Aviation offers customers factory-direct service and support throughout their entire ownership experience. Through a global network staffed with more than 3,000 employees, customers have direct access to a team of expert service representatives offering maintenance, inspections, parts, repairs, avionic upgrades, equipment installations, refurbishments and other specialized services. Textron Aviation manages a growing fleet of more than 60 mobile service units (MSU) and rapid response aircraft that can be mobilized to respond to maintenance events by contacting 1CALL, a team of AOG specialists providing prioritized service and support during unscheduled maintenance events.

http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12412609/textron-aviation-unveils-upgraded-warranty-claims-processing-website-at-2018-customer-conference

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India To Take Long View Toward Airport Development

The Indian government has decided to take a longer-term view toward addressing its airport infrastructure needs, as domestic traffic growth reaches 18 percent a year. Finally recognizing the shortcomings of planning in three- to five-year increments, and often on an emergency basis, India endeavors now to plan for 15 to 20 years into the future, theoretically allowing for infrastructure development to keep pace with traffic growth, said minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha.

The government initiative known as Next Gen Airports for India centers on upgrading technology at airports to allow for 1 billion trips per year in the next 15 years, said Airports Authority of India chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra. According to Sinha, the country will invest $15 billion in airport infrastructure over the next five years.

India is also considering development of a new airport in Goa, a second airport for Delhi at Jewar, and Navi Mumbai, the second airport for Mumbai, where work has already started. Major initiatives announced this month include a more than $700 million expansion of Guwahati, Chennai, and Lucknow airports in the northeast, south, and northern India, respectively. The project management contract for the first two has gone to U.S.-based Aecom under the India-U.S. Aviation Cooperation Program (ACP), a bilateral public-private partnership between the U.S. Trade Development Agency (USTDA), the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and U.S. aviation companies. ACP provides a forum for communication between the government of India and U.S. public and private sector in India. The partners expect the new terminals to open by 2021.

U.S. companies have expressed interest in India's airports plans. Recently, more than 250 U.S. and Indian public and private partners participated in the sixth biennial U.S.-India Aviation Summit, where U.S. companies signed approximately $300 million in commercial deals, mainly with AAI.
 They included Smiths Detection, which won a $50 million bid to install and integrate high-speed explosives-detection systems for hold-baggage screening at 11 sites across nine airports in India.
 The first group of machines will undergo installation in the second half of this year. Meanwhile, L3 Aviation Products' maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility in India received CAR 145 certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. It now stands as one of the first avionics manufacturers to establish an MRO facility in India to repair and sustain its avionics equipment for Indian aircraft. The DGCA approval authorizes the facility to repair products for Indian commercial aviation customers for flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders. Separately, Harris Corporation took responsibility for modernizing India's air traffic management communications infrastructure under a 15-year, $141 million contract to serve as the prime contractor and systems integrator for AAI's Futuristic Telecommunications Infrastructure Initiative.

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2018-05-15/india-take-long-view-toward-airport-development

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Embry-Riddle Tackles Language as a Factor in Aviation Safety
On Aug. 14, 2005, a Helios Airways Boeing 737-300, en route from Lanarco to Prague by way of Athens climbed to 16,000 feet altitude before the captain reported an alarm. For eight minutes, the Boeing flew to 28,900 feet while the captain communicated with a ground team. Passenger oxygen masks deployed. Transmissions went silent. Fighter jet pilots, once airborne, saw the Boeing's first officer slumped over the controls.
 
The aircraft crashed into a hillside, killing all 121 souls onboard.

Hypoxia resulting from a pressurization mode selector left in the "manual" position was reported as the cause of the accident, linguist Elizabeth Mathews noted May 9 at the International Civil Aviation English Association (ICAEA) conference on communication as a factor in aircraft accidents, hosted by Embry-Riddle.

However, an accident report made multiple references to a "lack of clarity in message" from the Boeing's commander, said Mathews, an assistant professor of aerospace and occupational safety on Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach, Fla., campus. Moreover, the German captain and the Cypriot co-pilot "tried to solve the problem but encountered some problems communicating with each other," according to the Aviation Safety Network (ASN) database.

"Language as a possible contributing or latent factor in aviation accidents should be investigated with the same degree of methodical and systematic thoroughness with which all other human and operational factors related to aviation safety are considered," said Mathews, a former linguistic consultant to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations assembly that establishes safety standards.

To provide clarity on the role of miscommunication in aircraft accidents, Mathews and her collaborators have undertaken a systematic global study of fatal events from 1990 to 2012. The team - including Mathews' faculty colleagues David Williams, Anthony Brickhouse and Jennifer Roberts and graduate student Steven Singleton - has been scouring accident investigation reports.
 They are leveraging a specially developed taxonomy based on the well regarded Human Factors Analysis and Classification System framework, co-developed by Scott Shappell, chair of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology.

Objective Evidence Needed
Understanding language as a factor in aircraft accidents urgently requires objective research, said conference keynote speaker Captain Daniel Maurino, safety management advisor with the ICAO Technical Cooperation Bureau.

In the past, however, accident investigators did not typically look for communication issues. Deep dives into accident reports have tended to turn up small numbers of language-related cases. When he searched 42,000 records of accidents maintained within an ICAO database, for example, Maurino found only 81 attributed to communication issues.

Yet, aspiring pilots, controllers and technicians need improved training, at an early age, in speaking and reading aviation English, he said. ICAO standards currently require pilots and controllers to achieve "operational Level 4" proficiency in English.

Former airline pilot Tom Nichols, another speaker at the conference, noted that the world will need some 617,000 additional pilots by 2035. Yet, across many regions such as Asia, Mexico, South America and parts of Africa, English proficiency ranges from 5% to 15%.

"The multicultural cockpit is a growing phenomenon in the world," he said. Helping young people learn English before they enter aviation fields will require significant funding.

Rarely hosted by a university, the ICAEA conference brought attendees from 41 different nations to the Embry-Riddle campus. Participants included pilots, maintenance specialists, trainers, civil aviation authorities, academicians and many others.

https://news.erau.edu/headlines/embry-riddle-tackles-language-as-a-factor-in-aviation-safety/

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Airbus CyberSecurity Brings Its Expertise to EU Funded Brain-IoT Project

Elancourt, 14 May 2018 - A European consortium of twelve industry and academy partners from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, including Airbus CyberSecurity, has won the approval of the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 to begin working on Brain-IoT. The focus will be on interoperability and cybersecurity in the context of the Internet of Things (IoT).

As IoT products and services are being deployed more regularly in real life scenarios, concerns have risen in terms of dependability, security, privacy and safety. The Brain-IoT project, funded by the EU with a budget of € 5 million, aims to establish a framework and methodology that supports users of IoT platforms, offering model-based tools that will aid the development of innovative, tightly integrated solutions for interoperability and cybersecurity.

As a security work package leader, Airbus CyberSecurity will provide its expertise and latest technologies to the Brain-IoT framework. The company's experts will work with a particular focus on the areas of secure IoT devices and service provision, with the objective of deploying a state-of-the-art security layer and innovative lightweight mechanisms to secure all kinds of IoT elements. These solutions will apply to unilateral devices, such as sensors, as well as to more complex equipment, such as smartphones. Airbus CyberSecurity will also provide expertise to the IoT working group in promoting and strengthening security solutions for entire IoT ecosystems.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for us to contribute to the most important security topic facing our generation. When it comes to IoT, it's necessary to address tomorrow's safety and security issues today", said Steven Rymell, Head of Technology for Airbus CyberSecurity.

The Brain-IoT consortium is coordinated by Istituto Superiore Mario Boella (ISMB), Italy, and includes companies and institutions from five European countries. More information about the Brain-IoT project is available at http://brain-iot.eu.

About Airbus
Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2017 it generated revenues of € 59 billion restated for IFRS 15 and employed a workforce of around 129,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world's leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12412660/airbus-cybersecurity-brings-its-expertise-to-eu-funded-brain-iot-project

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Asset Insight Rolls Out Real-time Aircraft Valuation Tool
 
Asset Insight has launched a web-based tool that provides an aircraft's current market and estimated residual values, a comparison of marketability against other aircraft listed for sale, and predicted future maintenance expenses. Dubbed eValues, the tool also allows users to track data for one or more aircraft and compare current and forward-looking information for selected aircraft side-by-side. A subscription to eValues starts at $50 per month for one aircraft.

According to Asset Insight, the new tool analyzes every production year for most modern business aircraft models. Analytics are based on preloaded aircraft information by serial number, but subscribers can update existing data and assumptions for any aircraft.

Valuation data and other information can be presented in graph and table formats for current, residual, orderly liquidation value, and maintenance events. This data provides a current snapshot, as well as a five-year outlook, the company said. Aircraft can be analyzed and compared side-by-side for buy and sell decisions, and groups of aircraft can be saved and tracked individually or as a portfolio.

"The eValues system derives values using the same methods, techniques, and processes an aircraft appraiser would use and is the industry's only tool that runs on a true artificial intelligence platform," said Asset Insight president Tony Kioussis. "As such, the system's capabilities will continue to improve by virtue of embedded algorithms. It is the only automated, web-based system that can forecast residual values, maintenance events and their cost, aircraft marketability, and other useful planning and decision-making information."

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-05-15/asset-insight-rolls-out-real-time-aircraft-valuation-tool

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Turkish student designs green turbojet engine

A high school student from western Turkey's Eskisehir has designed a gas-turbine turbojet engine that can run on six different fuels.

Eray Sarisögüt, 17, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that his engine can run on kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), propane, 130-octane aviation gasoline, diesel oil and butane."The ability to use different fuels can bring down the costs. It is a high performance engine and has a combustion chamber made by Tusas Engine Industries [TEI]," he said.

Sarisögüt, who is in 11th grade at Sabiha Gökçen Vocational Education High School, said the gas-turbine turbojet is also environmentally friendly.

Arif Özkan, project adviser and a teacher at the school's aviation maintenance department, said this was a "first" in terms of the types of fuel the turbojet engine can use.

"The combustion chamber we received from TEI is a key part of the project. Usually, a turbojet engine that runs on kerosene will cost you at least $100,000," Özkan said.

"But by doing it indigenously, we have managed to bring down the costs to TL 5,000 ($1,125). Many schools have requested us to make more for educational purposes," he added.

https://www.dailysabah.com/life/2018/05/17/turkish-student-designs-green-turbojet-engine

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OneSpace launches China's first private rocket

 


China's private space sector has achieved liftoff.
OneSpace, a startup based in Beijing, on Thursday became the country's first private company to launch its own rocket. It said its 9-meter-tall OS-X rocket successfully blasted off from a base in northwestern China.

The aim of the mission is to collect data for a research project the startup is working on with the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, a state-owned company.

Founded in 2015, OneSpace is often likened to Elon Musk's rocket company, SpaceX, a comparison that founder and CEO Shu Chang doesn't shy away from.

"OneSpace's situation right now is very much like where SpaceX stood in its early years. SpaceX is the first in the US. We're the first in China," he told CNNMoney in an interview ahead of the launch.
"This is the first rocket developed and built entirely with homegrown technology," said Shu, who previously worked for a state-owned aerospace company and an investment firm.

OneSpace is still a long way from matching the feats of SpaceX, which regularly launches big rockets that put satellites in orbit and then return to Earth. OneSpace's OS-X rocket is designed to carry out tests and research during suborbital flights.

Some of the Chinese company's claims have been met with skepticism, though.

Xin Zhang, a professor of aerospace engineering at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said he doubted the rocket is entirely OneSpace's own work.

The company claimed on Thursday that the rocket it launched only took one year to develop and build. Shu had previously suggested it took three years.

"That's supersonic speed," according to Zhang, who said it can take companies as long as 10 years.

OneSpace says it has so far raised 500 million yuan ($78 million), which is a paltry sum in an industry that regularly swallows billions of dollars, Zhang added.

"I think it's difficult unless they cut corners," he said.

Shu says that like SpaceX in its early days, OneSpace is used to facing doubters.

"When OneSpace was founded in 2015, we visited a lot of business insiders and experts, and they all said it's impossible," he said.

The company claims it has saved money in part by setting a "low-cost goal from the very start," including using a specially designed electrical system that weighs 10 times less than those typically used in other rockets.

Although the company stresses it's privately owned, it does have some links to Chinese authorities.

It says it cooperates with Chinese military institutions on research and development and technical services. The startup also has a manufacturing plant in the southwestern city of Chongqing that is partly owned by the local government.

Like a growing number of startups, OneSpace wants to use its rockets to help companies launch small satellites for a range of uses, including improving internet access on planes and trains.

It's planning to roll out a line of rockets later this year that it says could help halve the cost of satellite launches.

It faces competition from other Chinese startups that are working on their own rockets, including LandSpace and LinkSpace.

Demand is growing for satellite launch services in China, according to Yang Feng, CEO of Spacety, a micro-satellite startup founded in 2016.

In just the past few years, more than 20 micro-satellite developers have emerged in China, he estimates.

"Satellites are at the core of the commercial space industry," Yang told CNNMoney in an interview.
 "Without satellites, the existence of commercial rocket makers would be pointless."

OneSpace's ultimate goal is to make space accessible to ordinary people, according to Shu.Someday, the company would like its rockets to be able to take humans to space - but for now, it needs to stay "practical."

"Many compare us to SpaceX but to be honest, the gap is more than a little," the CEO said.

"No matter how good your story is, what matters is if you have launched a rocket or not. It's the benchmark of a rocket company. So this launch is crucial to everything - capital investment, media attention and the government's support."

http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/16/technology/onespace-china-spacex-startup/index.html

Curt Lewis