December 17, 2018 - No. 099 In This Issue Boeing Flies Close to Trade Tussle With New Facility in China. Aviator College of Aeronautical Science & Technology Announces a Multi-Million Dollar Expansion Business Jets Shift to Eco-Friendly Efficiency Unique solution to improve flight safety in General aviation How This Airline Could Transform Commercial Aviation In The US Sky-Drones partners with Altitude Angel and integrates airspace services in SmartAP GCS Airobotics Receives Unique FAA Waiver for Arizona Drone Flights Air Astana Takes Delivery of First Embraer E190-E2 Aircraft Powered by Pratt Biometric passport screening tech at Miami International Airport wins industry innovation award. VIRGIN GALACTIC ROCKET COMPLETES COMMERCIAL HUMAN FLIGHT TEST, MORE FLIGHTS SOON Boeing Flies Close to Trade Tussle With New Facility in China ZHOUSHAN, China- Boeing Co. opened a new Chinese production facility, as the American aviation company tries to cater to its top export market while steering clear of the tensions battering U.S.-China relations. At what Boeing calls its "completion and deliver center" here on an island south of Shanghai, the first finished jet, a 737 MAX, rolled off the production line Saturday, ready for delivery to Air China Ltd. Though a Boeing billboard for the facility at the local airport proclaims "the future is built here," the center doesn't actually build planes. Rather, it paints and fits the interiors of jets flown in from Boeing's factory in Renton, Wash., ahead of their delivery to Chinese airlines. The facility, and its limited remit, illustrate the tightrope Boeing is walking as the U.S. and China spar over trade, including the transfer of technology. "Boeing's walking a fine line," said Scott Kennedy, an expert on China's industrial policies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C., think tank. Boeing, he said, must court China to safeguard its market position without risking a backlash at home, where manufacturers are under pressure to build more in America and less in China. Boeing China's president, John Bruns, called the new center in Zhoushan "a big deal." It will produce 100 jets a year and employ 300 people at full capacity. "It really demonstrates our commitment to this market," Mr. Bruns told reporters Saturday ahead of the center's opening ceremony. That is especially so, given the "challenging time we're going through," he said, referring to U.S.-China relations. After threatening and then imposing tariffs on goods that cover about 60% of their trade, the U.S. and China declared a 90-day truce this month to create room for negotiations. Even if the two sides manage to put punitive tariffs in abeyance, harder to resolve will be many of the Chinese trade practices the U.S. says are unfair, including the coercive transfer of technology. China's leadership has set its sights on retooling the country's manufacturing base to dominate industries of the future, including aviation. While officials are considering shelving the centerpiece strategy for that effort, known as Made in China 2025, as a concession, many powerful bureaucracies and state companies believe that such an upgrade is critical if China is to become a superpower. As the biggest U.S. exporter of all, Boeing's dependence on China makes it an obvious target in a trade war. One of every four planes Boeing delivers goes to a Chinese carrier. Over the next two decades, the company expects China to buy one in six of all jetliners sold globally-some $1.19 trillion in Chinese orders Boeing expects to split with European rival AirbusSE. While Airbus would like to enlarge its share at Boeing's expense, both companies are struggling to clear yearslong backlogs of orders. As a result, China can't hammer Boeing without disrupting its own fast-growing aviation sector. Tellingly, a 5% tariff China slapped on U.S. aircraft in September exempted Boeing's large jets. Boeing is "not immune to the trade war, but it's at the bottom of the list" of targets, CSIS's Mr. Kennedy said. In the longer term, China's plan to develop its own jetliners-a key plank of Made in China 2025-is a risk. China's homegrown C919, a rival to the 737, is still in testing but deliveries to state-owned Chinese airlines should start by around 2021. And aviation companies are under pressure to help China's budding aviation sector, by providing technology and know-how, in exchange for market access. Airbus has responded by operating an actual production line that builds A320 jets in the northeast city of Tianjin. It is increasing production there to six aircraft a month, from around four currently. It also has a local finishing center similar to Boeing's for wide-body aircraft. Boeing's new Zhoushan facility is meant to show the company deserves its market-leading position in China. Mr. Bruns said Boeing contributes around $1 billion a year to the Chinese economy by sourcing jetliner parts here and through training programs. Even so, Boeing still builds exclusively in the U.S. and has no plans to change that, Mr. Bruns said. While painting and fitting 737s in China frees up capacity in the U.S., he said, it is more efficient to assemble the jets in a single U.S. location. Richard Aboulafia, a vice president at Teal Group, a U.S. aviation intelligence company, said Boeing is doing a good balancing act in China. Moving local production to China hasn't enabled Airbus to eclipse Boeing, he said: "A domestic China line doesn't get you very much," other than risking the transmission of valuable technology. https://www.wsj.com/articles/boeing-flies-close-to-trade-tussle-with-new-facility-in-china-11544875263 Back to Top Aviator College of Aeronautical Science & Technology Announces a Multi-Million Dollar Expansion at Fort Pierce Campus FORT PIERCE, Fla., Dec. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Aviator College of Aeronautical Science & Technology has announced plans to expand their Fort Pierce, Florida campus. The expansion, projected to cost nearly $4 million, is part of Aviator's strategic growth plan and will include a multi-faceted construction project. "We are excited to announce this incredible expansion at our Fort Pierce campus," said Michael Cohen, Founder and President of Aviator College. "As we continue to grow to meet the demands of the aviation industry and our increasing student body, we are also expanding the variety of programs we offer. The aviation industry is currently estimating a severe shortage of pilots and maintenance technicians as the baby boomer population ages out and retires. We plan to do our part to meet those needs." Expansion plans include adding 5,000 square feet to Aviator's academic building. The current 24,000 square foot academic building is a modern two-story building that houses the classrooms, flight simulator, learning resource center, FAA testing center, library, pilot shop, bookstore and Administrative offices. Additional expansion plans include adding 18,000 square feet for a new Airframe Power Plant Technician Training facility, building a new advanced simulator building to house flight simulators and adding additional college campus housing. Ground breaking will take place in early 2019. With the expansion of the College, approximately 20 new positions will be created. As one of the United States' leading fulltime aviation colleges that offers both degree and non-degree aviation certifications, Aviator College has graduated thousands of students from all over the world. For more information, visit their website at http://www.aviator.edu or call them at 1-800-635-9032. The College is located at the Treasure Coast International Airport and Business Park in Fort Pierce. ABOUT AVIATOR COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Aviator College started in 1983 as an aviation school offering flight training. Now more than 35 years later, Aviator College has developed into one of the leading aviation colleges and flight schools in the United States, and has over 500 students currently enrolled. Aviator's Aviation Degree program has specific emphasis on the pilot training aspects needed to meet the requirements of the commercial airline pilot industry. Aviator College also offers an Aircraft Maintenance Technician program at its newest campus located in Kissimmee, Florida. All of Aviator's classes are taught by professional, certified teachers preparing students for their new career in the aviation industry. For more information on Aviator's programs, financial assistance or for a tour of the campuses, view their website at http://www.aviator.edu, call 1-800-635-9032 or visit their campuses located at 3800 Saint Lucie Blvd., Fort Pierce, Florida 34946 or Kissimmee Gateway, Airport Campus, 606 Dyer Blvd., Kissimmee, Florida 34741. https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/18/12/r12856315/aviator-college-of-aeronautical-science-technology-announces-a-multi-m Back to Top Business Jets Shift to Eco-Friendly Efficiency Leading charter and fractional aircraft ownership companies are making corporate jet travel more efficient, largely through an aggressive fleet-renewal and expansion program. These new-generation business jets burn less fuel, have fewer emissions, require less frequent maintenance, and feature more advanced avionics than the legacy aircraft they are replacing. Industry leader NetJets, with a fleet of 700 aircraft, has taken delivery of more than 250 new-generation jets since 2012, when it placed a $17.6 billion order for new aircraft from Bombardier, Cessna, and Embraer. Beyond the aircraft themselves, the operators are implementing new practices and technologies that make operating private aircraft even more efficient. Most of these are focused on reducing deadheads-legs that the aircraft fly empty on the way to picking up, or after dropping off, a customer. Fractional jet company Executive AirShare's regional aircraft-basing model-as opposed to a national one-allows it to sell shares based on owner occupied days instead of hours. This allows an owner to stay with the same aircraft for the entire round trip, rather than paying for unoccupied deadhead legs when an empty aircraft has to be summoned to come and pick them up. Besides reducing deadheads, the practice also cuts the hourly costs charged to customers by nearly half. Separately, new software from companies such as Coastal Aviation Technologies and Stellar Labs helps fractional and charter companies optimize their schedules to reduce deadheads. Stellar estimates that 38% of all business aviation flying is deadhead. While deadhead flying can be reduced, it will probably never be completely eliminated. But charter companies are doing a much better job of wringing at least some revenue from those flights by marketing them on either a whole-aircraft or per seat basis to travelers who have last-minute flexibility, via apps such as EmptyLegMarket. But new aircraft is where the eco-conscious trend is most visible. By the end of 2018, NetJets competitor Flexjet will have refreshed more than half of its 140 aircraft fleet within the prior three years. Matt Doyle, Flexjet executive vice president of sales, said the company's fleet-renewal strategy has helped increase new business by 76% in the first half of 2018 year over year, and to grow revenues overall by 17% for the period, compared with the same time in 2017. People enjoy flying on newer airplanes, and given that they are more efficient, they have more attractive operating costs, which both stimulates new business and encourages existing customers to fly more. "We're constantly evaluating aircraft that are more efficient and have a lower carbon footprint," Doyle says. He points to the large-cabin, long-range Gulfstream G650 as an example; the company has purchased four in recent years. Doyle says major advances in engines, aerodynamics, and avionics over the past decade have made private- jet travel dramatically more efficient and appealing, and these factors are driving fractional-ownership, leasing, and charter companies to acquire new aircraft. New engine technology includes full authority digital engine control, or Fadec, that can cut fuel burns 20% to 30%. On older aircraft, pilots were constantly having to manually reset the engine controls to compensate for altitude, temperature, and atmospheric pressure to optimize fuel consumption. On Fadec-equipped aircraft, computer controls do this automatically, and the fuel savings are demonstrable. Inside the cockpit, the computers are smarter and do more. Many new models of business jets have either full or partial fly-by-wire, or FBW, computerized flight controls. First popularized in fighter jets during the 1970s, FBW replaces mechanical linkages with electronic flight controls and digital computers. This helps deliver a smoother ride for passengers, enhances safety, takes weight out of the aircraft, and simplifies and speeds maintenance. https://www.barrons.com/articles/business-jets-shift-to-eco-friendly-efficiency-51544900400 Back to Top Unique solution to improve flight safety in General aviation With the advancement in technology, aircrafts and drones are getting more and more attention and becoming popular worldwide. They are rapidly moving towards becoming an integral part of the aviation industry. Aircrafts and drones are gaining importance in the fields of tourism, business tours, security and surveillance, weather reports and research purposes. They can also be used in emergency cases such as evacuation of casualties etc. As we know, the worldwide air travel has increased significantly, with an average growth of 6.2% in passenger travel in last five years alone. The reasons for such a rapid increase in air travel are improving standards of living, increasing importance and demand of aircrafts and drones, and a growing middle class in the fast-emerging economies. Although, the increase in air travel contributes significantly to the economic growth, it also leads towards the problem of excessive air traffic. This problem is associated with the collisions of aircrafts and drones, thus, making the airspaces more dangerous for traveling. In order to address this problem, sense and avoid technology was introduced. This technology is one of the key enabler technologies that allows a drone to operate beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) as this is critical for the operation of drones in a safe and secure manner. By incorporating sense and avoid technology, the drones can be used efficiently for several scenarios, for example, parcel delivery and in the media industry. Furthermore, this technology is associated with the increased safety of drones within the airspace, as well as the reduced risk of loss of property or life. Research undertaken by "BIS Research" indicates that two forms of technologies are being used for sense and avoid purposes: • Cooperative Technology • Non-cooperative Technology Cooperative technology offers a number of key benefits over non-cooperative technology. It provides advanced and state of the art systems, such as, Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (T-CAS) and Automatic Dependence Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) transponder. On the other hand, non-cooperative technology works on active sensors, for example radar, ultrasonic sensors and passive sensors, which include Electro-Optical and Infrared cameras (EO/IR) etc. One of the most significant cooperative technologies in the aviation industry is sky[nav]pro. It is a software and hardware based, integrated system for planning and navigation purposes. With it`s specially developed hardware serving several purposes ranging from communication, weather information, collision avoidance and worldwide live tracking. sky[nav]pro is unique when it comes to market comparison because of its mobile hardware concept, use of portable and multiple communication technologies and its worldwide availability. With its state of the art design, sky[nav]pro has become the first and only product that provides all the above-mentioned benefits in one unit in form of a portable device. An additional advantage is the cost-effectiveness of sky[nav]pro. The software application is provided free of charge containing planning and navigation features. Whereas, for premium services like live weather data, collision alerts and worldwide tracking with SOS feature, the specially designed hardware is required. The hardware is available in two models which are already developed and active throughout central Europe. It can be easily installed in any aircraft whether manned or unmanned due to its system level integration. sky[nav]pro is being used worldwide in order to resolve the emerging air traffic problems. It offers a perfect collision avoidance system for all types of aircrafts and drones. However, what makes sky[nav]pro so unique? • Integrated Traffic View - It offers integrated traffic information and automatic alert to alarm the pilot both visually and acoustically. With Automatic Dependence Surveillance Broadcast signals (more commonly known as ADS-B), sky[nav]pro displays the traffic integrated into the navigation app. • Latest FLARM® Technology - FLARM® is a collision avoidance system in aircrafts. Since 2004, it has been installed in at least 25,000 aircrafts. sky[nav]pro has incorporated the latest FLARM® technology so that older aircrafts can also experience the new trends in technology and have a higher efficiency for collision avoidance. • Terrain and Obstacles Database - With the Terrain and Obstacles Database, sky[nav]pro also warns about any other obstacles ahead, such as pinwheels and power polls. This way, sky[nav]pro provides information not only about ongoing air traffic but also about the general environment. • Emergency Services - sky[nav]pro offers a 24/7 customer support service in different languages, in order to provide the best possible product experience and to avoid any inconvenience during the flight. With drones becoming part of our everyday life and air travel constantly gaining popularity, airspace is getting more crowded than ever. This causes severe flight-safety issues, which calls for a modern networking solution that covers the entirety of air traffic. That is where sky[nav]pro comes in, offering a portable and cost-efficient 4-in-1 solution, to make the sky a safer place. More Information under: https://www.skynavpro.aero/en/ http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/4072388 Back to Top How This Airline Could Transform Commercial Aviation In The US The founder of JetBlue, Mr David Neeleman, is in the process of founding a new airline. While the airline has no official name yet, the project has been called Moxy. With $100 million in funding from three aviation CEOs, the airline is expected to begin receiving aircraft in 2021. The airline will be operating on a low-cost model, but not ultra-low-cost, while being focused around technology. As such, the app for the airline will be key to travelling. A220 Carrier David Neeleman's Moxy will be launched using a fleet of A220 aircraft. A good chunk of the funding for the aircraft has been spent on the fleet. As such, Moxy is expecting to receive 60 of Airbus' A220 aircraft. Deliveries of the new craft, however, won't commence until 2021, so we still have a while to wait. Justifying the choice of aircraft, Mr Neeleman told Condé Nast: "With the A220, we bought a plane that has maximum flexibility. So we could do all of the above. Fly it short, fly it long. Fly off long runways, short runways. We want to be able to have a premium cabin. With the plane, I could do a domestic first class, I could an international lie-flat product." How Will Moxy Change Air Travel? David Neeleman hopes that Moxy will change the face of air travel. The majority of routes are going to be from smaller secondary airports in a point to point configuration. As such, the airline will have little to no competition on its selected routes. While this means there may be fewer people wishing to travel, Moxy has foreseen this. This is the reason for the choice of the A220. There will be less pressure to fill the aircraft that comes with fewer seats. He is going to fly between smaller cities where you would usually have to connect through a hub. As such, it is estimated a Moxy ticket will bring a route down to $100 where it was $400-500. Despite this, Mr Neeleman has made it clear that passengers will not be "treated like garbage" and instead that the airline will "take care of you" In the meantime, there will be plenty of time to work on things such as software and deciding a name. Will you travel on David Neeleman's airline? What would you name it? https://simpleflying.com/how-this-airline-could-transform-commercial-aviation-in-the-us/ Back to Top Sky-Drones partners with Altitude Angel and integrates airspace services in SmartAP GCS Sky-Drones - the leading UAV flight control system solutions expert partnered with Altitude Angel - aviation technology company who creates global-scale solutions that enable safe integration and use of fully autonomous drones into global airspace. Sky-Drones creates professional UAV flight control systems including autopilot hardware, onboard software, ground control software and cloud services. The company brings technology to help its global customers building and operating commercial drones for security, inspections, mapping and media production. "At Sky-Drones we highly appreciate, prioritize and always strive to enhance the safety of drone operations", - says Kirill Shilov, CEO of Sky-Drones. An exponentially growing number of drones and more complex missions require reliable airspace regulator which will allow bringing drone operations at an even higher level. Altitude Angel is a trusted advisor to regulatory groups and national aviation authorities, working in partnership with key stakeholders to manage new legislative and regulatory issues. These are one of the key reasons why Sky-Drones has chosen Altitude Angel as a strategic partner on its way of unmanned aerial vehicles integration into controlled airspace. SmartAP GCS is mission planning and control software by Sky-Drones. The application is available for any platforms and operating systems which makes it versatile and flexible. Recently the company has finished the first step of Altitude Angel services integrated into the app. Now and onwards SmartAP users are able to see airspace and ground hazard data which will make their decisions on flight location selection and mission scenarios more aware and adequate. It's a major milestone towards incorporating BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight) drone operations on a regular basis which will eventually lead to the new business opportunities of UAV applications. The next step is an implementation of automated in-app airspace authorization request based on the pre-planned mission. This would mean that Sky-Drones customers will get an opportunity among the first worldwide to be able to fly in controlled airspace without the need to switch between control and authorization apps. https://sky-drones.com/ https://www.suasnews.com/2018/12/sky-drones-partners-with-altitude-angel-and-integrates-airspace-services-in-smartap-gcs/ Back to Top Airobotics Receives Unique FAA Waiver for Arizona Drone Flights Israeli drone provider Airobotics this week announced receiving the FAA's first ever three-prong certificate of waiver for "flying Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) for automated drone operations, over human beings, with a visual observer that is not required to keep a visual line of sight on the drone." The waiver will allow the company to operate drones from its Remote Operations Center in Scottsdale, Ariz. In September, Airobotics launched its North American headquarters in Scottsdale and will operate all North and South American operations from the facility. BHP, the world's largest mining company, is Airobotics' first customer in the U.S. Airobotics CEO Ran Krauss explains: "We recently opened our U.S. headquarters in Arizona and this latest certification opens the gateways to offering American mining companies, seaports, major construction projects, and in the future smart cities, an optimal means of increasing efficiency and safety while decreasing operational costs. As our unique pilotless drone technology and industrial grade platform continues breaking new ground, we are able to provide customers with a more accurate and frequent data-driven solution that is the only one of its class in the industry." He added, the company plans to use the waiver mostly for mining operations. In May, Airobotics struck an exclusive deal with mining engineering firm RockBlast to deploy the fully autonomous drones to mining sites in Chile. "When deciding where to launch our first US office, Arizona was the top choice for us as it has a strong mining industry, great weather conditions for drone testing, and potential partners we're excited to work with," Krauss said in September. "The state and local governments are very supportive of autonomous and aviation technologies and the UAV industry specifically, aligning with our plans to operate [BVLOS] in the U.S." Airobotics was recently honored by The Wall Street Journal as one of Top 25 Tech Companies to Watch in 2018 and as one of the world's "Most Innovative Companies" by Fast Company. The company received Frost & Sullivan's 2018 Global New Product Innovation Award and the 2017 Edison Award for innovation and excellence as well. https://dronelife.com/2018/12/15/airobotics-receives-unique-faa-waiver-for-arizona-drone-flights/ Back to Top Air Astana Takes Delivery of First Embraer E190-E2 Aircraft Powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF™ Engines ASTANA, Kazakhstan, Dec. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) joined Air Astana today in celebrating the delivery of the airline's first Embraer E190-E2 aircraft. The E190-E2 is powered exclusively by Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engines. The delivery was commemorated in a celebration attended by officials from Air Astana, Embraer and Pratt & Whitney at Air Astana's Aviation Technical Centre in Astana, Kazakhstan. "Air Astana is pleased to add the E190-E2 aircraft to our growing fleet. We are currently enjoying the economic and environmental advantages of our GTF-powered Airbus A320neo family aircraft, and the E190-E2 aircraft will provide additional benefits as well as significantly improve our passenger experience," said Peter Foster, president and CEO of Air Astana. Air Astana is the first airline to operate the GTF engine on two aircraft platforms, currently operating 4 GTF-powered A320neo family aircraft and with an additional 13 aircraft on order. The airline also operates three PW4000-powered Boeing 767 aircraft and 12 V2500-powered A320ceo family aircraft. "Pratt & Whitney truly values the confidence that Air Astana has placed in our engines, especially in the clean, fuel-efficient geared fan technology of the GTF engine," said Rick Deurloo, senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer support at Pratt & Whitney. "We look forward to continuing to collaborate with Air Astana to support their fleet for many years to come." In addition to being selected as the exclusive engine for the E2 commercial aircraft, Pratt & Whitney's APS2600E auxiliary power unit (APU) is the sole-sourced APU for the E2 family. The APS2600E APU gives airlines greater flexibility, by increasing the altitude ceiling for ETOPS and other operations, and providing a significant increase in electrical power delivery, to meet the needs of today's airlines. Since entering into service in early 2016, the GTF engine family has delivered on its promised ability to significantly reduce fuel burn, NOx emissions and noise footprint. About Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft and helicopter engines, and auxiliary power units. United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. To learn more about UTC, visit its website at , or follow the company on Twitter: . To learn more about the GTF engine, visit pwgtf.com. To receive press releases and other news directly, please sign up . This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business opportunities. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in levels of demand in the aerospace industry, in levels of air travel, and in the number of aircraft to be built; challenges in the design, development, production support, performance and realization of the anticipated benefits of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in United Technologies Corp.'s Securities and Exchange Commission filings. https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/air-astana-takes-delivery-of-first-embraer-e190-e2-aircraft-powered-by-pratt-whitney-gtf-engines-1027810853 Back to Top Biometric passport screening tech at Miami International Airport wins industry innovation award The biometric passport screening booth at Miami International Airport has reduced waiting times by between 30% and 80% using facial recognition technology A biometric passport screening booth at Miami International Airport has been recognised for innovating passenger air travel. The technology, which has screened as many as ten passengers per minute via facial recognition, won the passenger experience and seamless travel honour in the 2018 International Airport Review Awards. It was the first of its kind in the US when it was introduced at the Florida airport in November 2017. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A Gimenez said: "Congratulations to MIA for once again being recognized as a global leader in the field of seamless passenger screening and innovative technology. "Recent enhancements are providing the world-class travel experience we want all our visitors to have when they enter Miami-Dade County." How does biometric passport screening work? The biometrics passport screening booth was introduced by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency in a renovated Concourse E, within the central terminal that was opened in 1959. It verifies a traveller's identity by matching their facial image to the document they are presenting. Speaking at an official launch in February, CBP executive assistant commissioner Todd Owen said: "We must balance our need to increase security while still expediting travel. "Passenger volumes are on the rise here at the Miami International Airport. "In order to meet the growing challenge of balancing traveller volumes and security, CBP has partnered with industry stakeholders to leverage biometric technology and systems." The airlines now using concourse E have reported waiting times decreasing by between 30% and 80% over the first year of the pilot programme after they relocated from Concourse D. The airport plans to expand biometric entry processing to its Concourse D and J passport control facilities in 2019. International Airport Review Awards recognition for Miami Launched to celebrate industry excellence, trade publication International Airport Review's awards are open to airports and suppliers. Organisations submit entries that showcase innovation in 11 categories across the airport and aviation industry. More than 12,000 votes were submitted this year to establish a shortlist and a panel of industry experts judged the winners. Miami-Dade aviation director Lester Sola said: "We are honoured to be recognised by International Airport Review, and by voters from our industry, for the launch of this cutting-edge passport screening facility. "We look forward to partnering with CBP on the expansion of biometric passport screening throughout our terminal, which will mean shorter, smoother wait times for all our passengers." https://www.compelo.com/biometric-passport-screening-miami-airport/ Back to Top VIRGIN GALACTIC ROCKET COMPLETES COMMERCIAL HUMAN FLIGHT TEST, MORE FLIGHTS SOON A Virgin Galactic rocket plane reached space on Thursday and returned safely to the California desert, capping years of testing to become the first US commercial human flight to breach Earth's atmosphere since America's shuttle programme ended in 2011. The successful test flight presages a new era of civilian space travel that could kick off as soon as next year, with Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic battling billionaire-backed ventures such as Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, to be the first to offer suborbital flights to fare-paying tourists. Branson, who said he personally put up $1 billion towards the roughly $1.3 billion development costs for Virgin's space businesses, told Reuters he viewed competition with Bezos and others as a race, though passenger safety was the top priority. "Today we get to enjoy the fact that we have put people into space before anybody else," Branson said. Virgin's twin-fuselage carrier airplane holding the SpaceShipTwo passenger spacecraft took off at 7:11 a.m. local time (1511 GMT) from the Mojave Air and Space Port, about 90 miles (145 km) north of Los Angeles. British billionaire Branson, wearing jeans and a leather bomber jacket with a fur collar, attended the take-off along with hundreds of spectators on a crisp morning in the California desert. After the rocket plane, also called the VSS Unity, reached an apogee of 51.4 miles (83 km) above Earth, a crying Branson hugged his son and high-fived and hugged other spectators. The plane reentered the atmosphere at 2.5 times the speed of sound and landed a few minutes later to cheers and applause, concluding roughly an hour's journey. One of the pilots handed Branson a small Earth stress ball when the two hugged. Thursday's test flight - the fourth mission during which VSS Unity flew under its own power - had pilots Mark Stucky and Frederick Sturckow onboard, four NASA research payloads, and a mannequin named Annie as a stand-in passenger. The next flight test is within the next couple of months, depending on data analysis from Thursday's flight, Virgin Galactic said. Branson has said Virgin's first commercial space trip with him onboard would happen "in months and not years." 51.4 miles from Earth The carrier airplane hauled the SpaceShipTwo passenger rocket plane to an altitude of about 45,000 feet (13.7 kms) and released it. Seconds later, SpaceShipTwo fired, catapulting it to more than 51 miles above Earth, high enough for the pilots to experience weightlessness and see the curvature of the planet. The ship's rocket igniting and vertical ascent through a cloudless sky could be seen from the ground. Virgin's latest flight test comes four years after the original SpaceShipTwo crashed during a test flight that killed the co-pilot and seriously injured the pilot, dealing a major setback to Virgin Galactic, a U.S. offshoot of the London-based Virgin Group. "It's been 14 long years to get here," Branson told reporters after the landmark flight. "We've had tears, real tears, and we've had moments of joy. So the tears today were tears of joy." Expensive Trip Nearly 700 people have paid or put down deposits to fly aboard Virgin's suborbital missions, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio and pop star Justin Bieber. A 90-minute flight costs $250,000. Virgin Galactic has received about $80 million in deposits from future astronauts, Branson said. Short sightseeing trips to space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket are likely to cost around $200,000 to $300,000, at least to start, Reuters reported in July. Tickets will be offered ahead of the first commercial launch, and test flights with Blue Origin employees are expected to begin in 2019. Branson added that he "would be delighted to offer Bezos a flight on Virgin" and for Bezos "to maybe offer me a flight" on New Shepard. Bezos' New Shepard has already flown to the internationally recognised boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space known as the Karman line at 62 miles (100 km) - though the Blue Origin trip did not carry humans. Virgin's Thursday launch did not go as high as the Karman line. Its pilots were aiming to soar 50 miles into the sky, which is the US military and NASA's definition of the edge of space and high enough to earn commercial astronaut wings by the US Federal Aviation Administration. Other firms planning a variety of passenger spacecraft include Boeing Co, Elon Musk's SpaceX and late Microsoft Corp co-founder Paul Allen's Stratolaunch. In September, SpaceX said Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, founder and chief executive of online fashion retailer Zozo, would be the company's first passenger on a voyage around the moon on its forthcoming Big Falcon Rocket spaceship, tentatively scheduled for 2023. Musk, the billionaire CEO of electric carmaker Tesla Inc, said the Big Falcon Rocket could conduct its first orbital flights in two to three years as part of his grand plan to shuttle passengers to the moon and eventually fly humans and cargo to Mars. Looking to the future after the successful flight, Branson talked about the possibility of using his space plane to link international cities, offering orbital space flights, or potentially even building a Virgin hotel in space. "One thing leads onto another. I forever dream," he told Reuters. "Actually, I said to my son today, we were sitting in the cockpit (before the flight), and I said sometimes I think life is just one incredible dream." https://www.firstpost.com/tech/science/virgin-galactic-rocket-completes-commercial-human-flight-test-more-flights-soon-5734971.html Curt Lewis