November 7, 2019 - No. 087 In This Issue Boeing to invest $1 billion in global safety drive: sources Aviation industry to counter flight shaming movement: IATA chief. Flying is safer, but aviation claims and risks grow. OXIS Energy and Bye Aerospace Begin Collaboration to Increase the Endurance of Future Bye Aerospace CAE and Directional Aviation complete strategic partnership. Inside the High-Stakes Race to Build the World's First Flying Taxi Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE Attracts More Aviation Startups & OEMs OSU Study Finds Drones Pose Growing Danger For Aircraft Pilots West Star Aviation Announces Federal Apprenticeship Event for National Apprenticeship Week Former Tesla engineer developing drone with larger payload capacity that could be used on fires SpaceX's Starship May Fly for Just $2 Million Per Mission, Elon Musk Says Boeing to invest $1 billion in global safety drive: sources SEATTLE/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Boeing Co is planning an initial investment of around $1 billion into industry-wide pilot development as part of a long-term initiative to reduce risks like those faced by the crew in two 737 MAX crashes, people familiar with the matter said. The embattled planemaker is trying to rebuild trust and cooperation with airlines, passengers and regulators around the world after the 737 MAX was grounded in March, following crashes in which a total of 346 people died. Details of the company's "Global Aviation Safety" initiative remain under wraps due to delays in returning the 737 MAX to service, as attention focuses on changes to cockpit software that investigators say played a major part in the two crashes. Boeing will launch the pilot development project after regulators approve changes to 737 MAX software and training and the plane resumes flights, one of the people familiar with the matter said. The company currently expects that to happen in the United States by year-end. The plane is likely to return to service in Europe during the first quarter of 2020, the head of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said earlier this week. The pilot project spending budget, people familiar with it said, will be in addition to the more than $8 billion in costs from compensation to airlines for delayed aircraft deliveries and lower production tied to the 737 MAX grounding. The training initiative is still being developed and will be rolled out over years, one of the people said. While costs are expected to rise over time, the effort may overlap with future aircraft programs. "It will involve significant funds to raise standards around the world and requires Boeing putting its own money in," said another person familiar with the project. Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg was accused by U.S. lawmakers in back-to-back hearings last week of placing profits over those safety standards, a charge Boeing denies. Muilenburg said Boeing would help "build a talent pipeline" of pilots and invest heavily in the pilot-machine interface or fight deck for the next generation, but gave few details. A Boeing spokesman declined additional comment. Part of Boeing's investments will include improving aviation infrastructure, such as air traffic and flight simulation systems, a third person with knowledge of the plans said. It is also considering whether to develop new training materials or methods for various career stages, and fund training centers or recruitment efforts, the people said. Boeing could also create a data-sharing network on aircraft design with global regulators, one of the people said, in a bid to improve outside knowledge of its aircraft technology and operations. The head of the EASA told Reuters in a recent interview that it would demand more data when deciding whether to certify future jets. PILOT SHORTFALL Outlines of the new investment were drawn up in the wake of the crashes as Boeing executives acknowledged that stall-prevention software known as MCAS confused the pilots due to an overwhelming workload, the people said. Investigations have raised questions over whether that was in part due to faulty assumptions about the hazards involved, leading to a design that placed unrealistic demands on pilots. Investigators and global regulators have also pinpointed concerns about certification and training. Boeing says it followed industry practice on reaction times. Experts say that Boeing, as the largest planemaker in the world, and its regulator, U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, have played a key role in shaping global standards around aircraft design and operations. Even before the crashes, the aircraft industry was bracing for a staffing shortfall of 1.5 million aircraft technicians and pilots over the next 20 years. Both Boeing and Europe's Airbus have already launched beginner training programs to help ease the shortages. The crashes have also sped up a rethink of safety needs in emerging markets, where demand for new jets is driving a huge share of Boeing's business. But airlines face gaps in regulation and infrastructure. Safety experts have voiced concerns that the sheer growth of aviation has lowered the bar for the skills required to enter training, adding pressure for cockpit and training improvements. "There is a large generation of pilots that will be needed over the next 20 years and we need to be thinking about designing our airplanes for that next generation," Muilenburg said at the hearing last week. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/boeing-invest-1-billion-global-121010909.html Back to Top Aviation industry to counter flight shaming movement: IATA chief KUWAIT (Reuters) - The aviation industry is to launch a campaign it hopes will counter a 'flight shaming' movement that has weakened demand for air travel in Europe where some travelers are increasingly concerned about their environmental impact. The industry's image has been damaged this year by a growing Swedish-born movement led by activists such as teenager Greta Thunberg calling for greater action against climate change, including ditching air travel. Global lobby International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents nearly 300 airlines, is coordinating the campaign which will involve industry stakeholders. "We will launch a very, very big campaign ... to explain what we have done, what we are doing, and what we intend to do in the future," IATA's head Alexandre de Juniac told Reuters in an interview in Kuwait on Tuesday. The campaign will try to explain to the public how the industry is reducing its environmental impact, countering what de Juniac said had been "misleading information." IATA is coordinating the plan through the Air Transport Action Group, a coalition of industry organizations and companies. De Juniac did not say when the campaign would launch but said it would be available to stakeholders across the industry including airports and airlines. Flight shaming has dented demand in Europe, particularly in northern parts but also in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. "It's difficult to measure and beyond European borders we have seen nothing but it will come," de Juniac said. Commercial flying accounts for about 2.5% of global carbon emissions today but without concrete steps to alleviate the problem, that number could rise as global air travel increases. The aviation industry has already cut carbon emissions from each plane traveler in half since 1990, largely thanks to more fuel-efficient aircraft, and has a plan to cut net emissions by 2050 and achieve carbon-neutral growth from 2020. Airlines have warned of the negative impact of the flight shaming movement and some have criticized the industry for so far failing to explain itself. Emirates President Tim Clark said in October the industry had to do a better job addressing the issue, highlighting improvements in technology that have reduced the carbon footprint of aircraft. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-airlines-environment-iata/aviation-industry-to-counter-flight-shaming-movement-iata-chief-idUSKBN1XF1HE Back to Top Flying is safer, but aviation claims and risks grow The global airline industry has experienced some of its safest years in terms of fatalities recently, despite a number of crashes, according to a new study - but long-term improvement of its risk management record is challenged by a growing number of claims and risks. The findings come from a study conducted by Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) in partnership with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the largest fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace. According to the study, the airline industry has seen heightened loss activity from more costly repairs and engine claims, damage from foreign objects such as bird strikes, ground collision incidents, slips and falls, fleet groundings, mis-fueling incidents and liability awards. "Thankfully, fatal air accidents involving the modern generation of commercial aircraft are infrequent, and the past few years have been among the safest ones in aviation history," said Tom Fadden, global head of aviation at AGCS. "However, the headline improvements in safety shouldn't lull the aviation industry into a false sense of security. The sheer volume and magnitude of aviation losses is often underestimated. At any time, Allianz alone will handle thousands of claims, and be it grounding incidents or collisions with drones, there are also many new risks on the horizon which airlines, manufacturers and airports have to prepare for." The report analyzed more than 50,000 aviation insurance claims, worth more than US$16.3 billion, made between 2013 and 2018. It revealed that collision and crash incidents accounted for 57% of the value of all claims - equivalent to US$9.3 billion - and 27% of claims by number. The report projected that more costly grounding incidents, business interruption resulting from cyber and drone events, and more incidences of turbulence will have an influence on the loss landscape. "Overall, aviation insurance claims are increasing in frequency and severity, driven by higher values of aircraft, increased repair costs and rising liability awards for crash victims," said Dave Warfel, regional head of aviation for North America at AGCS. "The volume of claims is also a reflection of growth in air transport, with increased passenger numbers and more congested airports, as well as growing demands on airlines, manufacturers and ground services." The fact that crashes and collisions are the top causes of aviation claims isn't driven only by major aviation disasters, AGCS said. Such claims also include incidents like hard landings, bird strikes and incidents on the ground. The average runway incident claim, for example, totals about US$1.9 million. Faulty workmanship or maintenance is the second top cause of claims, followed by machinery breakdown. Modern aircraft can also be more expensive to repair, contributing to costlier claims. Increasing complexity in aircraft design, technology and manufacturing is also leading to more costly grounding incidents, sometimes involving entire fleets, AGCS said. The redesigned Boeing 737 Max, for example, remains grounded following two fatal crashes within five months in 2018 and 2019. "Such incidents highlight the challenge in finding technical solutions to complex problems, which increases the time it takes to get grounded aircraft back into operation," Warfel said. "Civil aviation and airline safety authorities have grown increasingly cautious, and rightly so. However, this will likely result in more - and longer - groundings of aircraft in the future." Liability claims per passenger are also increasing, with many plaintiffs seeking higher awards. With potential awards per passenger reaching millions of dollars, a major crash could result in a liability loss of up to US$1 billion in the future, the report said. The report also warned of a range of emerging risk scenarios. For example, the projected demand for new pilots - about 800,000 over the next 20 years, double the current workforce - brings challenges in recruitment and training, the report said. And a number of recent accidents have raised concerns that pilots are over-reliant on aircraft automation systems. Incidents of turbulence are also predicted to increase due to climate change, with the North Atlantic flight passageway projected to see the largest increase. Extreme turbulence can cause structural damage to an aircraft, which can cost millions of dollars. The growing number of drones and cyber risks such as data breaches, system outages and hacker attacks are also predicted to have a significant impact on aviation loss. Accidents on the ground could increase as well, according to the report. In many cases, airport infrastructure hasn't kept up with the rapid growth in passenger and aircraft numbers, and it is predicted that most of the world's busiest airports will face capacity issues within a decade. Ground congestion causes delays, and also increases the risk of collisions and ramp accidents, AGCS said. On a more positive note, the report highlighted the ongoing decline in the number of fatal accidents over the past 60 years - a period when the number of passengers has skyrocketed. Between 2008 and 2017, there were 2,199 fatalities from 37 commercial passenger fleet jet events globally - less than 8% of the total number since 1959. In 2017, for the first time in at least 60 years, there were no fatalities on a passenger jet flight, and 2018 ranks as the third-safest year ever, with 2015 in second place. https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/breaking-news/flying-is-safer-but-aviation-claims-and-risks-grow-190701.aspx Back to Top OXIS Energy and Bye Aerospace Begin Collaboration to Increase the Endurance of Future Bye Aerospace eAircraft OXFORD, England, Nov. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- OXIS Energy and Bye Aerospace have begun a 12-month collaborative programme, announced in late July that seeks to achieve a 50% to 100% increase in flight time from a single charge on future Bye Aerospace eAircraft. OXIS has developed an innovative Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) battery technology that offers significant benefits to aviation markets. Compared to existing Li-ion battery systems technology, the high gravimetric energy density of the OXIS technology - in excess of 500 Wh/kg at 20Ah capacity offers a two-fold reduction in battery system weight resulting in a significant increase in flight duration. At the outset, the programme will test OXIS cells and modules against the performance characteristics of existing and soon-to-be-announced Bye Aerospace aircraft. This will produce data that will demonstrate the advantages of the OXIS Li-S technology to the aerospace sector and more specifically, to Bye Aerospace's future aviation applications. OXIS CEO, Huw Hampson-Jones said, "We believe this collaboration will offer Bye Aerospace the confidence that OXIS Li-S systems will deliver the battery technology that meets the demanding performance and quality required to increase the efficiencies of their future electric aircraft. OXIS is focusing its research and development on the transformation of piston and turbo prop aircraft that is required for regional flight transportation. We believe this to be the first phase in the electrification of commercial aircraft and will ultimately form the basis for the electrification of Air Taxis, with the additional requirement for regional aircraft. "The United States has an impressive tradition of aviators who understand the need to experiment and embark on the deployment of new innovative technology, thus effecting a seismic paradigm shift in the powering of aircraft from using lead based fossil fuels to Li-S battery systems that are free of any toxic pollutants. As a consequence of the significant extension of aircraft flight duration, both companies believe this will allow for the widespread adoption of electric aircraft across the skies of the United States." George E. Bye, CEO of Bye Aerospace, acknowledged the importance of next-generation technologies to help companies such as Bye Aerospace keep up with the revolutionary trends of electric aviation and the resulting demands for more efficient aircraft. "OXIS Energy's battery technology continues to be an important consideration, and we appreciate the opportunity to collaborate in this way." Editor's Notes OXIS Energy Ltd is involved in the design, development and now the move towards commercial production of lithium sulfur cells for battery systems. OXIS manufactures and produces all aspects and components in the making of the Li-S cell. With over 42 patent families, OXIS has been granted 186 patents with 87 pending. www.oxisenergy.com Bye Aerospace is developing FAR 23-certified general aviation aircraft, starting with the eFlyer 2, for the flight training role. The eFlyer family of aircraft, featuring exemplary engineering, research and electric aircraft solutions producing no CO2, is designed to answer compelling market needs. The company was founded by George E. Bye who is also Chairman and CEO. www.ByeAerospace.com https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oxis-energy-and-bye-aerospace-begin-collaboration-to-increase-the-endurance-of-future-bye-aerospace-eaircraft-300952292.html Back to Top CAE and Directional Aviation complete strategic partnership A strategic partnership between flight training provider CAE and corporate aviation investment firm Directional Aviation - announced in August - is now complete after the two companies concluded the deal in early November. Under the agreement, CAE has created a joint venture with Directional affiliate Volo Sicuro and acquired, for $85 million, a 50% stake in simulator-based training company Simcom. In turn, six other Directional affiliates - manufacturer Nextant Aerospace, and operators Corporate Wings, Flexjet, Flight Options, Flairjet and Sirio - have signed a 15-year exclusive training services agreement with Simcom and CAE. Together, the operators have a fleet of 175 business jets and turboprops, and more than 80 aircraft on order. CAE chief executive Marc Parent says the agreement will "further strengthen CAE's position in the business aviation training market". This includes the company's $645 million acquisition of Bombardier's Business Aviation Training arm. The deal was completed in March, bringing 12 new Bombardier business jet full-flight simulators - located in Dallas, Texas and Montreal, Canada - into its training network. As part of the agreement with Directional, Simcom will purchase equipment from CAE, including five full-flight simulators: two Bombardier Challenger 350s, one Embraer Phenom 300, a Legacy 500 and a Gulfstream G650. Simcom already has nearly 50 simulators - spanning jets, turboprops and piston-engined aircraft - across its facilities in Orlando, Florida, Scottsdale, Arizona, and Humberside, the UK. Directional founder and principal Kenn Ricci says: "CAE's investment in Simcom, along with our new long-term partnership, will allow us to realise our vision of creating industry-leading training solutions for private aviation." He adds that Montreal-headquartered CAE's technology and training expertise will allow Directional's affiliates "to better serve both internal and external customers". https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/cae-and-directional-aviation-complete-strategic-part-462008/ Back to Top Inside the High-Stakes Race to Build the World's First Flying Taxi MUNICH - Inside an airplane hangar about 20 miles from central Munich, Daniel Wiegand lifted the door of a prototype that he said would become one of the world's first flying taxis. He's coy about how much it cost to build - "several million," he says - but promises that within five years a fleet of them could provide a 10-minute trip from Manhattan to Kennedy International Airport for $70. A lot is riding on his plane. Mr. Wiegand, 34, is the chief executive and a founder of Lilium, one of the most promising and secretive start-ups in the global race to build an all-electric aircraft that will - regulators and public opinion willing - move passengers above cities. "This is the perfect means of transportation, something that can take off and land everywhere," Mr. Wiegand (pronounced VEE-gand) said. "It's very fast, very efficient and low noise." Expectations that aerial taxis will be a reality in the coming years are quickly building. Companies like Lilium are testing their machines, laying the groundwork for wider production and starting discussions to gain support from government officials. At least 20 companies are in the market, which Morgan Stanley estimates will top $850 billion by 2040. Larry Page, the billionaire co-founder of Google, is financially backing Kitty Hawk, a company run by the first engineers on Google's autonomous car. Boeing and Airbus have projects underway. Automakers including Daimler, Toyota and Porsche are investing in the sector. Uber is developing an air taxi service, with plans to open by 2023 in Los Angeles, Dallas and Melbourne, Australia. Yet saying your plane could fly over Manhattan in five years doesn't mean it will. Building durable jets at a reasonable cost still presents engineering and technical challenges. And a long process awaits with regulators, including the Federal Aviation Administration, that will need to weigh safety concerns. "The question is can we build a platform that is broadly accessible to everybody and is not just a rich person's toy, and can we build it so quiet that people on the ground aren't annoyed by it?" said Sebastian Thrun, the chief executive of Kitty Hawk. Lilium, which has raised more than $100 million from investors, illustrates the high-wire act of the companies trying to live up to the hype. The black-and-white aircraft shown by Mr. Wiegand is less "Jetsons"-like flying car than a glider, with a carbon fiber body and 36-foot wingspan. Like several other flying taxis in development, it is battery powered, providing a range of 186 miles and a top speed of nearly 190 miles per hour. Inside the oval cabin will eventually be plush seats and other comforts for four passengers and a pilot. The engines are packed inside four wings with flaps that rotate so the aircraft can take off and land vertically like a helicopter. But it is quieter than a helicopter, so it could potentially land in some areas traditionally off limits to aircraft. The costs of the jets may eventually fall to several hundred thousand dollars each, Mr. Wiegand said. And with lower maintenance costs because there are fewer mechanical components, rides should cost roughly the same as an Uber or a taxi ride. Insurance companies have told him that they will provide him with risk coverage. If successful, he said, the jets will transform urban transportation, with customers using Lilium's app to book a flight from a network of small airports that connect suburbs, college towns and other hubs to cities. Imagine, he said, jets connecting areas across California or southern Germany that don't have high-speed train lines. Eric Allison, the head of Uber's flying taxi effort, said the technological hurdles were less complex than for autonomous vehicles; there is less traffic in the air, and the first generations of the aircraft will have pilots. Still, Mr. Allison said, no company has received government certification to fly commercially. "That's a tall order," he said. Then there are the many other obstacles to overcome. Battery technology limits how far the vehicles can fly. Building a prototype is different from starting mass production. And the price of the machines, and operating them, needs to be low enough to make rides affordable for customers. Regulators could slow development by limiting the number of takeoffs and landings on desirable routes. There aren't enough air traffic controllers now to handle a big influx of flights across cities. One fatal accident and demand could dry up. "This is going to be a test of staying power - an ability to lose money, an ability to ride out a failure," said Adam Jonas, a lead author of the Morgan Stanley report on the industry. "Many will fail." Lilium is years away from making money and, with more than 300 employees and an expensive research and development budget, is burning through cash. Mr. Wiegand said it would have to raise more money. "It's not enough to just build a nice prototype and fly it around," he said. "What we really need to be successful is building a company that's capable of designing, certifying, manufacturing and operating these aircraft in very large scale." Lilium has said little publicly beyond releasing a few engineering specifications and declaring that it will be carrying customers by 2025. It is seeking certification for its jet from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and plans to do the same with the F.A.A. The hypothetical New York route is more of a long-term goal. After accepting an invitation to be the first journalists to see its jet, reporters from The New York Times arrived at Lilium's headquarters last month only to face restrictions on what they could photograph or see. Executives say the company has completed hundreds of test flights and simulations, but none were held during the visit because of rain and wind. (Last month, Lilium released a slickly produced video showing its jet completing a test flight.) American rivals say they know little about Lilium beyond its hiring of experienced aviation executives from Rolls-Royce, Airbus and Raytheon to oversee areas such as manufacturing, quality control and procurement. Even Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor and a trained physicist, is intrigued. At an aviation conference last year, she stopped by Lilium's booth and peppered Mr. Wiegand with questions about the battery, flight range and engines. Mr. Wiegand said secrecy was necessary to keep rivals from learning too much. Unlike other jets that look similar to the small commercial drones that can be bought in a store, Lilium's plane has packed 36 smaller engines in its rotating wings that act as thrusters for takeoffs, landings, and subtle movements forward and back. Encasing the engines in the wings reduces friction and noise. "Nobody has one with the performance we have," Mr. Wiegand said. He came up with the idea for Lilium during college, working out the engineering specifications while many of his friends were out drinking. He founded the company with three others in 2015, borrowing money and persuading suppliers to provide some free parts to begin building a small prototype. After proving it worked, they raised money from investors including Niklas Zennström, a co-founder of Skype who now runs Atomico, a venture capital firm in London. In 2017, the Chinese internet giant Tencent led an investment of $90 million. Nobody has flown inside Lilium's jet. Test flights are done remotely from the ground. But Mr. Wiegand, who was flying gliders at age 14, promises to be one of the first. "I was flying long before I was allowed to drive a car," he said. Correction: Nov. 5, 2019 An earlier version of this article misstated the potential size of the aerial taxi market according to an estimate by Morgan Stanley. It is more than $850 billion by 2040, not more than $850 million. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/05/technology/flying-taxis-lilium.html Back to Top Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE Attracts More Aviation Startups & OEMs A series of startups and established aviation giants are joining the Dassault Systèmes' (DS) 3DEXPERIENCE platform family to support their digital engineering initiatives. Adding to the Airbus, Boeing, Bell, Lockheed Martin, and BOOM Supersonic family, electric air mobility pioneer Eviation Aircraft is also coming on board. A few more aviation startups are also using the Dassault platform, such as Joby Aviation and Solar Impulse. Stay tuned, as we will soon reveal even more startups who will use Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXPERIENCE Lab. The big news is urban air mobility (UAM) startup Eviation chose the Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE Lab platform to design its electric airplane, the Alice. Eviation just announced its use of the Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform to develop the first prototype of its zero-emission regional commuter aircraft, due out in two years. The electric aircraft startup plans on commercializing the Alice. The electric airplane was recently selected by Cape Air to be the world's first all-electric regional commuter aircraft capable of carrying nine passengers and two crew for 650 miles at 10,000 feet. I reached out to David Ziegler, VP of Aerospace & Defense at Dassault Systèmes, about the important part a simulation environment plays for electric UAM companies. This is what he told me: "UAM players will have to face a tremendous challenge in terms of noise emission in urban environments, and in the case of electrical aircraft, they are also facing the challenge of energy density (e.g., how much energy can you pack in an aircraft per kilogram of battery), knowing that weight is a very important issue that plays on your overall payload and range. Being able to play into a simulated environment helps you at an initial stage to perform multi-discipline optimization, which is key to the overall aircraft design and technology choices." I also asked how important it is to the future of aviation that companies like Eviation are coming to market and disrupting business as usual, and what DS can bring to the table in that regard. "The world, and the aircraft manufacturers, are realizing that aviation will need to transform in order to be more sustainable. Eviation is at the forefront of that transformation. Dassault Systèmes is at the core of this industry renaissance by bringing the necessary environment - the 3DEXPERIENCE platform - for helping these new companies invent new type of solutions for new type of customers. Major OEMs are definitely taking notice. For example, both Airbus and Boeing - adopters of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform as part of their digital transformation programs - also have vested interest in UAM, whether it is through Aurora in the case of Boeing, or through the development of Vahana in the case of Airbus." What is the ultimate benefit to the consumer? "The world at large and the traveling public will benefit directly by having access to new, safer, more sustainable modes of transportation. The dream of flying is as old as mankind, and I believe now that through the industry renaissance we are seeing in the aerospace industry, the world is entering a new age of sustainability." I asked if a company like Eviation had the ability to be successful 10 or even 5 years ago. What has changed today and how can they accelerate time to market? "The automotive industry has clearly led the path for electrification. While the needs for aviation are more critical in terms of weight, the transformation toward an electro mobility in the automotive sector has helped define new materials, new field of research both in battery design and distributed power. I also believe that we do live in a very different society now, where sustainability is a major concern for the future." In trying to make sense as to how the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform helped companies like Eviation be successful, I asked Ziegler what this means for the overall market? Will we see more innovation down the line? "The 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud, and our solution 'Reinvent the Sky,' helps startups design the best concept by giving them the ability to simulate their product in a virtual, and make sure the design is flawless before entering into production. It also helps them accelerate the overall design cycle, being able to scale very fast - thanks to the cloud." Finally, does DS see a difference in how startups and OEMs approach the e-UAM market? Are their needs different and how is DS positioned to answer those different needs? "The approaches are not very different in terms of design or technology. Boundaries are blurred especially due to the fact that many OEMs are investing in these startups. However, for pure players, scalability in terms of resources is key. This is why startups are more keen to embrace a cloud solution, especially since they do not have usually any legacy environment." CEO Omer Bar-Yohay said in the press release: "When we selected the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, we were an early-stage startup with limited resources and time. We've developed our commercial-stage prototype faster than we imagined, and have already signed our first customer in the U.S." The aviation startup chose the Dassault Systèmes platform after its track record in the aviation space has helped enable the success of many airplanes we fly today. Eviation will use the platform to ideate, design, and produce the Alice. This will hasten the speed of its design and delivery on the resources available. Lockheed Martin also chose the Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE Lab to design its next generation of airplanes and helicopters. Lockheed Martin's Aeronautics and Rotary and Mission Systems business areas will use the platform for 3D design software, 3D digital mock-up, and product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions. This partnership further underlines the need for comprehensive digital environments to support digital engineering and design in the aerospace industry. The Automotive Industry Is Also Onboard And since we're on the topic of more efficient aircraft, we should note the automotive industry is also going through many changes. Electric vehicle (EV) makers are also using the platform to transform the industry. As we can all see, most automakers are undergoing massive reorganizations affecting their portfolios and committing to the development of electric and connected vehicles. Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE Lab CEO Bernard Charles said Toyota is also adopting the platform to reinvent its already famous traditional car development system to drastically improve its productivity. As the automotive industry undergoes this major transformation, carmakers are facing challenges of survival and sustainable growth. They are planning solutions to build product portfolios that consumers will see in the market within five to ten years. During its recent earnings call, Dassault mentioned that Spark Racing Technology, a motorsport manufacturer engineering high-performance electric cars, also adopted the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to deliver an electric-powered racing car to all teams participating in the fourth season of the Formula E racing series. It will be designing and assembling the entire car with its completely new innovative architecture in less than two years, and will deliver the finished vehicle to 40 teams participating in the competition. According to Spark's CEO, Theophile Gouzin, "By using the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, we have a reliable and high-performing solution [...]. It has opened many doors for us in terms of new business." I was hoping for the convergence of the aviation and automotive industry a few years ago. The Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE Lab is now helping to bring it to life. While we are still far from a universal pod that can drive, go on and underwater, as well as fly, these different industries using simulation bodes well for a future of emission-free flights and drives. https://cleantechnica.com/2019/11/06/dassault-systemes-3dexperience-attracts-more-aviation-startups-oems/ Back to Top OSU Study Finds Drones Pose Growing Danger For Aircraft Pilots A new study by researchers with Oklahoma State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is showing the danger drones pose for pilots. The study, published in the International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace, looked into drones encroaching airspace near runways and found close calls between drones and commercial planes are on the rise. Researchers said if an engine took in a drone, it could bring a plane down. They said during an experiment pilots failed to see a moving drone during 28 of 40 tests. For a drone that hovered without motion, only 3 of 22 were spotted by pilots. "Our eyes are attuned to movement. When a drone is not moving, it becomes part of the background," said Dr. Matt Vance, assistant professor of aviation and space at Oklahoma State University. Researchers said drones are especially dangerous in the final approach for landing. They said a drone can catch pilots unaware, giving them little time to react and not enough altitude to safely get out of the way. "Dangerous close encounters between aircraft and drones are becoming an increasingly common problem," Wallace said. "Statistics on pilot sightings of drones continue to increase year over year, and what is being reported by pilots is probably just the tip of the iceberg. The vast majority of the time, unmanned aircraft are not being seen by pilots." Researchers pointed to a recent close-call that happened to a commercial crew on approach to Boston's Logan International Airport. The crew reported a drone at about 3,500 feet above ground level - higher than U.S. Federal Aviation Administration regulations allow. The event took place a week after another crew spotted a drone after takeoff from the same airport. Luckily the crew spotted both before it was too late. The study said there are 1.4 million registered drones in the United States, but many more unregistered with no reliable way to track drone flights. While the FAA has made strides to secure and control airspace from drones, the study says FAA's efforts have been met with mixed results. The research team's next project will involve rigging a drone with an electronic pinging device, which uses automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast technology to track aircraft. The study will assess whether the technology helps pilots pinpoint and avoid a collision with the drone. https://www.newson6.com/story/41280409/osu-study-finds-drones-pose-growing-danger-for-aircraft-pilots Back to Top West Star Aviation Announces Federal Apprenticeship Event for National Apprenticeship Week West Star Aviation is pleased to announce their partnership with Madison County Career and Technical Education Office, along with Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) for a Federal Apprenticeship Event for National Apprenticeship Week at their East Alton, IL (ALN) facility on Nov. 14-15. This special event will allow students to inquire about aviation maintenance careers and explore the local opportunities available with the new AMT Apprenticeship Program, in conjunction with the two-year Aviation Maintenance Technology program at SWIC. The event will include a lunch, facility tour, presentation and commentary from current West Star employees working as Apprentices while attending SWIC, as well as management, plus college life details from SWIC's enrollment specialist, typical daily routine, learning experiences, required supplies and cost information. "We are excited to be able to share this real-life experience with students in the area. It allows them to explore the true working environment where they can complete their degrees and graduate with a secure job in the local area," said Katie Johnson, Vice President of Human Resources. "We are always looking for ways to expand our hiring programs while exposing potential graduates to the corporate aviation industry, thus gaining the most experienced technicians and offering them an extended career with West Star," Johnson continued. https://www.aviationpros.com/education-training/press-release/21113187/west-star-aviation-west-star-aviation-announces-federal-apprenticeship-event-for-national-apprenticeship-week Back to Top Former Tesla engineer developing drone with larger payload capacity that could be used on fires The lead electrical engineer that helped design the Tesla all-electric battery-powered semi-trailer truck is one of the three people that have created a company that is developing an unmanned aircraft system, or drone, that could be used on fires, as well as other functions. Joshua Resnick, the CEO, said he worked on the Tesla semi project from the time it was first drawn up on a napkin through its introduction to the public in 2017. Mr. Resnick is one of the three founders of Parallel Flight Technologies working on a drone with a much longer endurance and a larger payload capacity than those currently being used on wildfires. Most drones can only stay aloft for 20 to 30 minutes and can carry a few pounds of cargo - less if they are transporting more. Parallel Flight Technologies expects their aircraft to be able to transport 75 of pounds for one hour, or 50 pounds and stay airborne for 2.5 hours. On any aircraft the power to weight ratio is critical. Eliminate weight or add power and it can travel longer and farther. The primary limiting factor in electric-powered aircraft is the weight of the batteries. Until there is a huge leap in battery technology we'll be unlikely to see them powering aircraft with more than 50 pounds of cargo while staying aloft for more than 15 minutes. So we need new, or at least, different technology if we hope to see a drone carrying a portable pump, fire hose, and fuel to a remote site on a wildland fire. "We are building a new drone technology and it can be used for a lot of different things, but wildfire would really be the use case that was the impetus for me to even start on this project," Mr. Resnick said. "We had a fire not far from our home in Santa Cruz, California in 2017 either right before or right after the Santa Rosa Fire, and it was after that that I started looking into the different ways that unmanned systems could be used in a wildfire effort. That's when I started understanding that using unmanned systems to resupply firefighters could be very useful especially when manned aircraft could not fly due to smoke inversions or nighttime." Hybrid systems, using a gas engine to drive a generator which powered electric motors to spin the propellers, have been tried before, but it was not much more than strapping a generator to a drone which added too much mass and weight to be practical. Also, the many power conversion steps led to a loss of efficiency. "We have developed a parallel hybrid drone," Mr. Resnick said, "where the propellers are powered by a combination of gas and electric. The electric motors provide the responsiveness so the aircraft can maneuver and the gas supplies the duration and the high power to weight ratio." The aircraft is powered by four hybrid power modules, each with a gas-electric combination. The 2-cycle gas engines work in combination with the electric motors, which provide very high peak thrust as well as redundancy. Larger aircraft in the pipeline could be powered by other fuels, such as diesel or jet fuel. In fall of 2018 the company built a proof of concept aircraft, and in August, 2019 successfully demonstrated heavy lift capability and duration with a new prototype aircraft. In 2020 they expect to be ready for joint exercise missions with several agencies interested in the aircraft. "I want to find ways to integrate this new technology with the existing solution," Mr. Resnick said. "I don't see it as a replacement for helicopters, we're talking about a much smaller payload. I'm seeing, for example, smoke inversions where helicopters are grounded at nighttime or early dawn before manned aircraft are flying, to be able to operate our drones to do some of this work, while finding ways to deconflict the airspace between drones and manned aircraft." I noticed that in photos of the prototype the props appear to be made of wood. When I asked Mr. Resnick if that really was the case, he yes, the props on the prototype are wood due to the cost. If a prop was damaged during testing, they would be out about $100. If made of carbon fiber, such as might be used on the production version, the cost would be about ten times higher. The U.S. Department of the Interior has leaped into the use of drones in the last few years and currently has over 800 unmanned aircraft. In 2018 they flew over 10,000 drone missions. Parallel Flight Technologies is consulting with personnel in the DOI who have experience in establishing and operating a drone program. The DOI was recently in the news when their entire drone fleet was grounded except for those needed for firefighting and other emergency services. It turns out that all of the DOI drones are either entirely made by a Chinese company, DJI, or have chips or other parts that are manufactured in China. The Wall Street Journal reported that "the Department of Homeland Security was concerned about drones' capacity to observe and transmit prohibited infrastructure surveillance and conduct cyberattacks." Mr. Resnick said the Parallel Flight Technologies drones will be American made and will conform to security specifications required by the DOI and Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Resnick said they are working closely with Drone Amplified who they hope can build a larger drone-mounted plastic sphere dispenser (PSD) system for Parallel Flight Technologies' upsized drones so that they can be used to ignite burnouts or prescribed fires. Drone Amplified recently introduced a PSD, Ignis 2.0, that can hold 400 to 450 spheres that ignite 30 to 45 seconds after being released from the drone. Their previous system, Ignis 1.0, carried 150 spheres. Parallel Flight Technologies is raising funds through an equity crowd funding effort which is open to the public for anyone to invest in the company. Parallel plans on selling a small number of initial aircraft in late 2020 to its first customers before full production begins in 2021. Parallel Flight Technologies https://fireaviation.com/2019/11/05/former-tesla-engineer-developing-drone-with-larger-payload-capacity-that-could-be-used-on-fires/ Back to Top SpaceX's Starship May Fly for Just $2 Million Per Mission, Elon Musk Says SAN FRANCISCO - Each flight of SpaceX's big Mars-colonizing spacecraft will have a very small price tag, if all goes according to plan. The Starship system, which consists of a reusable 100-passenger spaceship stacked atop a huge reusable rocket known as Super Heavy, will use just $900,000 worth of propellant to get off Earth and into orbit, Elon Musk said here today (Nov. 5) at the first U.S. Air Force Space Pitch Day. "If you consider operational costs, maybe it'll be like $2 million" out of SpaceX's pocket each time, Musk said during a conversation with Lt. Gen. John Thompson, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center, Air Force Space Command, at Los Angeles Air Force Base. "This is much less than even a tiny rocket," Musk added. "So, it's something that needs to be made." During Space Pitch Day (which should be called Space Pitch Days, since it runs through tomorrow), companies try to sell Air Force brass on their space-related ideas. In keeping with this focus, Thompson mostly asked Musk about business stuff - how to spur innovation, how management and leadership styles shift as a company grows, and so on. This may sound relatively dry to space geeks, but Musk injected some fun nuggets into the conversation. For example, the billionaire entrepreneur said he does "zero market research whatsoever," striving instead to create the Platonic ideal of a rocket or car. (Musk is also CEO of electric-vehicle maker Tesla.) If he pulls that off, then "people will want to buy it," Musk said. He also hyped Tesla's new pickup truck, saying that "it looks like an armored personnel carrier from the future," and announced that he had just finished watching the 1996 movie "Space Jam" (serially, during 15- to 20-minute morning workout stints on the treadmill). Musk demurred when Thompson asked about his leadership qualities, saying he doesn't consider himself an expert on leadership. Thompson urged Musk not to "sell himself short" in this regard, teeing up a self-deprecating joke that the billionaire jumped on. "That's true. There's plenty of others doing that," Musk said, referring to investors who are betting on the stock price of his companies (particularly Tesla) to fall. Toward the end of the 40-minute conversation, Thompson gave Musk the floor to say anything he wanted to the audience of investors, engineers, entrepreneurs and military officials. The SpaceX founder and CEO took the opportunity to talk about something near and dear to his heart: the importance of fully and rapidly reusable orbital rockets. This is the technological advance that will slash the cost of spaceflight by orders of magnitude, allowing humanity to become a truly spacefaring species, Musk has said repeatedly over the years. "It's absolutely profound to have a reusable rocket," he said here today. "This is the holy grail." SpaceX has been working to make this vision a reality, and the company has made considerable progress. SpaceX now routinely lands and reflies the first stages of its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, and it's doing the same with the heavy-lift Falcon Heavy, which has three launches under its belt. The company is now also starting to recover and refly payload fairings, the protective nose cones that surround satellites during launch. (There is still work to do, however; for example, the second stage of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy is still single-use hardware.) Starship and Super Heavy fit well into this grand vision. Both vehicles (the spaceship, like the overall architecture, is known as Starship) will be fully reusable, and each individual craft will fly many times before it's retired, Musk has said. These missions will be quite varied. Starship and Super Heavy are designed primarily to help humanity settle Mars, the moon and other deep-space destinations, but SpaceX wants the duo to take over all of the company's needs eventually. So, if all goes according to plan, Starship will also launch satellites (perhaps starting as early as 2021) and maybe even clean up space junk and ferry people on point-to-point trips around Earth, Musk has said. Being able to do all of this for $2 million a pop would be revolutionary. That would be the cost of each mission for SpaceX, to be clear; we don't yet know how much the company will charge customers for a Starship mission (or "is charging," for Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has already booked a round-the-moon flight on the vehicle, with a target launch date of 2023). But, for some perspective, SpaceX currently sells Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches for $62 million and $90 million, respectively. And those prices are considerably lower than similar services offered by SpaceX's competitors. https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-flight-passenger-cost-elon-musk.html Curt Lewis