December 10, 2020 - No. 93 In This Issue : Uber air taxi technology – with DFW partners – sold off to Joby Aviation : Metro Aviation delivers cutting edge advantage for Texas DPS and becomes maintenance provider for the fleet : Etihad becomes first airline to join UKs leading digital aviation research project : How Is the Aviation Industry Moving Towards Future Net Zero Emissions Goals? : Solace Technology Helps the Federal Aviation Administration Streamline Data Flow for NextGen Weather Systems : Volocopter To Launch eVTOL Taxi Services in Singapore : Southeast Partners with US Aviation Group and Cape Girardeau Regional Airport for Professional Pilot Program : Ampaire Conducts Airline Route Flight Trials With Hybrid-Electric Aircraft : UK airport capacity must be limited for net zero: CCC : Canadore College: An experiential education that creates experts in aviation : SpaceX Starship explodes spectacularly after successful high-altitude test flight Uber air taxi technology – with DFW partners – sold off to Joby Aviation A day after Uber sold off its autonomous vehicles development arm, the San Francisco-based ride hailing company has also announced its Uber Elevate aerial ride hailing group is being acquired by Santa Cruz-based Joby Aviation. Joby Aviation is a transportation company developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing passenger aircraft, which it intends to operate as early as 2023. The cost of the transaction was not released, but as part of the deal, Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE: UBER) has agreed to invest a further $75 million in Joby as part of a broader transaction involving the acquisition of Uber Elevate by Joby and an expanded partnership between the two parent companies. This investment comes in addition to a previously undisclosed $50 million investment made as part of Joby’s Series C financing round in January 2020. Uber Elevate has identified the Dallas-Fort Worth area as one of its key development locations and has partnered with Bell and Hillwood to work on the technology and plans. Under the terms of the deal, Joby Aviation will acquire Uber Elevate, while the two parent companies have agreed to integrate their respective services into each other’s apps, enabling integration between ground and air travel for future customers. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in early Q1 2021, subject to regulatory review and customary closing conditions. On Monday, self-driving vehicle technology company Aurora announced it will acquire the employees and technology behind Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group in a stock transaction. Uber will also invest $400 million into Aurora, and Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will join Aurora’s board of directors. After the transaction, Aurora will be worth $10 billion and Uber will hold 26% stake in the company, Aurora CEO Chris Urmson said in an interview. “Our first product will be in trucking and freight, but we look forward to taking this great team that we have and accelerating that while continuing working on light vehicles and ride-haling, and we’ll ultimately see our vehicles deploying on the Uber network,” Urmson said. Uber will not have exclusive rights as a ride-hailing company to Aurora’s technology, but the two companies will have a “preferred relationship,” Urmson said. San Francisco-based Uber will lose a critical piece of its company after the pandemic cut into its finances by suppressing demand for shared rides. Its path to profitability has often been linked with its plans to deploy autonomous vehicles and reduce the high cost of paying drivers. – Associated Press contributed to this report https://fortworthbusiness.com/business/uber-elevate-sold/ Metro Aviation delivers cutting edge advantage for Texas DPS and becomes maintenance provider for the fleet Metro Aviation recently delivered a new H125 for the Texas Department of Public Safety, and it is the most advanced law enforcement helicopter completed by the Shreveport, Louisiana-based company. Metro collaborated with aviation technology and wireless communications leader, CNC Technologies, to customize the aircraft to meet the Texas DPS’s specific mission needs. The CNC team embedded with Metro to customize the next generation law enforcement aircraft, managing the installation of advanced technology systems and mission-specific equipment. “Metro Aviation and CNC Technologies leverage each other’s strengths to design, integrate, and support next generation airborne law enforcement aircraft,” said Alex Giuffrida, CNC managing partner. Collaborating closely with CNC Technologies, Metro Aviation’s experienced team equipped Texas DPS’ newest aircraft with the latest Wescam 4 MX10 with multiple payloads and options, including the newest audio/video tracker (AVT); advanced video switching, controlling multiple separate cameras to include cabin, tail, and hoist; advanced IP integration and multiple signal downlink, allowing the distribution of not just video, but any and all metadata from the aircraft; and multiple DVRs to capture audio and video from the aircraft’s numerous sources. The system has the ability to feed multiple video and data signals to all monitors and the existing Texas DPS ground-receive infrastructure. In addition, the aircraft features advanced mapping integrated with multiple mission system functions such as Garmin navigation and the Axnes wireless intercom system, which makes communication from air to ground efficient and effective. Metro worked with Texas DPS to install multiple audio stations, which include a special water-resistant panel specific to hoist operations, as well as a belly-mounted hoist flood light. “We have enjoyed a strong partnership with Texas DPS and have completed multiple aircraft for their agency,” said Metro’s aircraft configuration coordinator Amy McMullen. “The capabilities of this new H125 are beyond anything we’ve done, and we’re thankful for their ongoing business and confidence in Metro Aviation and our team.” Although Metro Aviation has completed numerous aircraft, N844TX is the most advanced law enforcement aerial mission platform completed to date, giving Texas DPS a cutting-edge advantage for completing their public safety missions. Expanding upon their longtime partnership, Metro was also awarded the Texas DPS contract to perform scheduled and non-scheduled maintenance of all aircraft systems in accordance with the respective aircraft maintenance manuals and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Maintenance will include airframe, engine, mission equipment, and all other aircraft components of all series of A-Star AS350, H125, and EC145 helicopters for the Aircraft Operations Division. https://verticalmag.com/press-releases/metro-aviation-delivers-cutting-edge-advantage-for-texas-dps-and-becomes-maintenance-provider-for-the-fleet/ Etihad becomes first airline to join UKs leading digital aviation research project Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has joined the £65 million Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre (DARTeC), due to open next year at Cranfield University. Etihad is the first airline to join the DARTeC consortium which has been working closely together for the last four years to deliver the world-leading research facility. Etihad brings expertise in sustainability, operational efficiency, safety and improved passenger experience along with real-world operational capability to the project. Specific topics Etihad and DARTeC will collaborate on include: reducing aircraft emissions both in the air and on the ground; creating safe, secure and efficient airspace; better understanding of whole-life sustainability impacts of aircraft; enhancing the passenger experience; increasing the reliability and availability of aircraft. Professor Graham Braithwaite, Project Lead and Director of Transport Systems at Cranfield, said: "We're delighted to welcome Etihad to the DARTeC project, with construction of our building now nearing completion at Cranfield's global research airport. As an innovative airline focused on the future challenges of safety, efficiency and sustainability, there is much overlap between Etihad's aims and the research themes of DARTeC. We look forward to working together to deliver the innovation required to enable the industry to 'build back better' from Covid-19." Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer, Etihad Airways, said: "Etihad has long been known as a leader for innovation in aviation and our acceptance into the consortium reinforces our commitment to driving the industry forward through technology, and corporation. "As an innovative, future-focused carrier, membership of DARTeC is a natural fit for Etihad, providing a unique opportunity to expand exploration of key topics across sustainability, safety and passenger experience with industry leading partners. "With this new partnership we hope to bring the best ideas, approaches and projects to Etihad to ultimately ensure that our operations are cutting edge and that our Guests have the best possible journey." Researchers attached to DARTeC are already working with industry on projects to reimagine what airports and airlines look like post-Covid-19, and driving forward innovations in digital airspace and airport infrastructure that will help the UK reach its target of net zero carbon emissions. DARTeC aims to address some of the main research challenges facing the aviation industry, including: the integration of drones into civilian airspace; increasing the efficiency of airports through technological advances; creating safe, secure shared airspace through secure data communication infrastructures; increasing the reliability and availability of aircraft utilising self-sensing/aware and self-healing/repair technologies. Game-changing technologies such as the first operational digital air traffic control tower in the UK and next-generation radar technologies on the University's licensed airport create a unique research and development environment. Etihad Airways joins Aveillant, Blue Bear Systems Research, Boeing, BOXARR, the Connected Places Catapult, Cranfield University, Inmarsat, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the IVHM Centre, Saab, the Satellite Applications Catapult and Thales in the consortium which has also received co-investment support from Research England. https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-12/cu-ebf120820.php How Is the Aviation Industry Moving Towards Future Net Zero Emissions Goals? There is little argument in the aviation industry about the need to create more sustainable aircraft, however, how and when to achieve zero emissions is still up for debate. During a Dec. 8 Global Symposium on the Implementation of Innovation in Aviation virtual panel hosted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), industry professionals focused on alternative fuel sources like hydrogen, efficient air traffic management, and cooperative governing bodies as pathways to zero emissions aircraft. “Business as usual will not get us to decarbonization path required science and by society,” Jane Hupe, deputy director of environment at ICAO, said in a taped address. “Aircraft today is 70 percent more quiet and 80 percent more fuel-efficient than in the 1960s, showcasing how the aviation sector has undergone spectacular innovation over time. But the fundamentals have stayed the same." This constant evolution of the existing technologies will continue to be needed, but only the introduction of radical disruptive revolutionary innovation will be able to deliver the inspiring levels of decarbonization required in order to respond to the evolving consumer demands and regulations, according to Hupe. "Long term commitments are essential for the construct of decarbonization pathways but should not shadow the need to act now," she said. A key to lowering emissions is finding alternative fuel sources. SkyNRG, a global leader for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), has been working on this aspect of the zero-emissions equation for 10 years. Their mission is to make SAF the new global standard, Charlotte Hardenbol, head of programs and solutions at SkyNRG, said during the panel. SkyNRG started by increasing small demonstration-scale projects and now has continuous volumes being produced daily, Hardenbol said. However, the production quantities they are hitting now will need to be increased by at least 85 percent to meet ICAO’s 2050 targets. “To actually reach our global climate targets, we need to build production capacity for SAF fast,” Hardenbol said. “If you look at the ICAO 2050 targets for a 50 percent carbon reduction versus 2005, for instance, that would mean that we would need to produce around 265 million tons of SAF by 2050. To give you a sense of perspective, we're around 100, maybe 200,000 tons in 2019. So, for us to reach that, we would need to build 500 sustainable aviation fuel production facilities at a scale of 500,000 tons until 2050. And that will need a lot of innovation for new technologies to scale and a lot of funding.” Companies like Airbus and ZeroAvia are looking to hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source. Simone Rauer, head of aviation environmental roadmap for corporate affairs at Airbus, said hydrogen is the most promising alternative fuel source because it is produced from renewable energy and other countries are also interested in investing in it. In September, Airbus unveiled its ZEROe zero-emission commercial aircraft concepts. Rauer said Airbus is exploring technologies like hydrogen fuel cells, hydrogen combustion, modified gas turbine engines, and cryogenic storage of hydrogen insulated tanks for these concepts. In the next four to five years, Airbus will have technology demonstrators and in 2025 they will make a decision about what sources of power to pursue with a focus on developing a full-scale prototype in the late 2020s. “While we're focusing really on CO2 emissions for this whole holistic decarbonization approach, as a priority, we do not forget about the reduction of other emissions and environmental aspects of the lifecycle of an aircraft,” Rauer said. “This is also the case for hydrogen technologies by, for example, considering their CO2 reduction potential all along the lifecycle.” ZeroAvia already completed a test flight of its hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft this September. Val Miftakhov, CEO of ZeroAvia, said they will have their first commercial offering of the aircraft in 2023 which will feature 10-20 seats with a 500-mile range. “We use hydrogen as the primary fuel to propel the aircraft, but we do not burn it in the engines, instead, we convert it to electricity using hydrogen fuel cells and then use that electricity to run the electric motors that in turn, turn the propulsor,” Miftakhov said. “In our first aircraft that we're putting on the market, this will be propellers and then we move to the larger engine or blade driving fans.” ZeroAvia also produces the infrastructure for the hydrogen fueling process. Miftakhov said this part is essential because the majority of hydrogen today is produced by fossil fuel sources which would defeat the purpose of building a zero-emissions aircraft. ZeroAvia has built fueling infrastructure at Cranfield University in the UK that is 50 percent renewable and hopes to make it 100 percent renewable. While zero-emissions aircraft and SAF are the ultimate goals for CO2 reduction, these are long term projects that will take years to fully implement. Benjamin Binet, vice president of strategy of airspace mobility solutions at Thales, said the aviation industry needs to also focus on what they can do now to lower emissions. “Why do we need to act now, now as in December 2020? It's because if we want to reach those targets long term, we need to do things as early as 2021,” Binet said. “I mean those low carbon aircraft are fantastic, but once again, we're talking 2035…so we need to find optimization before.” Thales has launched a green aviation innovation initiative to decrease emissions by 10 percent by 2023. Binet said one way to do this is to create a continuous improvement cycle consisting of evaluation, experimentation, exploration, and large-scale deployment of new technologies. An important aspect of this would be a “smart green meter” which would help create transparency across the industry and with customers about the environmental footprints of each actor. Thales is also looking at optimization with operations like different routes or procedures that can have a direct impact on climate. “What we want to do here is we want to define the procedures and invent the tools in order to have a direct impact on climate,” Binet said. “So how do we do that? …What we do is we sit together with the people in charge, so the people acting, the users. We sit with the pilot, air operations, and traffic controllers, we look at the current procedures, we invent together, we write together the operations, how we could optimize the operations in terms of the climate impact.” However, to fully meet ICAO’s 2050 goals, a few companies cannot be acting alone. There needs to be collaborative bodies to guide initiatives, which is why the UK Jet Zero Council was created. The UK Jet Zero Council brings together senior-level representation in the government, industry, and academia to provide advice on the government’s ambitions for clean aviation. “In 2018, the UK became the first developed country to commit to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, and whilst that's the kind of great things for the UK is kind of credentials around climate change, it's a challenge for me and my team because most of the modeling suggests that the aviation sector will be the highest residual is for carbon by 2050,” Darryl Abelscroft, head of aviation decarbonization strategy for the UK government’s Department of Transportation, said during the webinar. While COVID-19 has had devastating impacts on the commercial aviation industry, Abelscroft said it presents an opportunity to innovate with new technologies while understanding the needs of the sector in the coming years. “The focus in the UK at the moment is on restarting and recovery of the aviation sector but that does present an opportunity,” Abelscroft said. “That partnership working allows us to put a real emphasis on understanding where the sector needs to get to by 2030, 2040, 2050, but to get there we need innovation, we need the real new technologies that can cut carbon out of the sector. Many other sectors that are trying to decarbonize have the technologies already it's about delivering but that's not the case here. We need to collaborate and accelerate innovation if we're going to deliver so we can achieve where we need to get to.” Abelscroft said achieving net zero emissions by 2050 will be a prize not only for the environment but also for the economies of countries who lead the way with these technologies. https://www.aviationtoday.com/2020/12/08/aviation-industry-moving-towards-net-zero-emissions-goals/ Solace Technology Helps the Federal Aviation Administration Streamline Data Flow for NextGen Weather Systems OTTAWA, Ontario, Dec. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is using Solace's market-leading event streaming and management platform to efficiently collect and distribute the real-time information required to power their NextGen Weather Systems, which are comprised of Common Support Services – Weather (CSS-Wx) and NextGen Weather Processor (NWP). The NextGen Weather System's processing platform supports the identification of traffic flow constraints and en-route safety hazards, and provides translated weather information needed to predict route blockage and airspace capacity constraints up to eight hours in advance. As stated on the FAA website, "NWP combines information from weather radars, environmental satellites, lightning, meteorological observations (from surface stations and aircraft), and NOAA numerical forecast model output to generate improved products for all FAA users and National Airspace System (NAS) stakeholders." The application of Solace technology to NextGen Weather Systems is an example of FAA's NAS Enterprise Message Service (NEMS), an implementation of message-oriented middleware commonly called System Wide Information Management (SWIM) in the aviation space. NEMS is a NAS-wide system that provides the digital data sharing backbone for their many and varied NextGen initiatives and is based on Solace technology. According to the FAA website, "SWIM enables increased common situational awareness and improved NAS agility to deliver the right information to the right people at the right time. SWIM is the infrastructure that offers a single point of access for aviation data, with producers of data publishing it once and users accessing the information they need through a single connection." For NextGen Weather Systems specifically, PubSub+ will handle the process of dealing with diverse data formats and ensuring the real-time delivery of weather data via the NWP Aviation Weather Display (AWD), and to systems like Time-Based Flow Management (TBFM) and Traffic Flow Management System. These systems, which also interact with Common Support Services-Weather (CSS-Wx), process massive amounts of weather data and produce decision support information to the Air Traffic decision-makers directly responsible for ensuring both safety and the optimal use of air space at all times, especially during inclement weather. Advantages of NextGen Weather Systems State-of-the-art translation products allow air traffic managers to collaboratively achieve more efficient strategic and tactical use of the airspace and significantly reduce weather-related air traffic delay. Provides a consistent weather picture tailored to specific aviation requirements Translates weather picture into reliable airspace constraints for air traffic decision-making Enables safe, timely, and efficient operation of the National Airspace System (NAS) in all kinds of weather Consolidates multiple FAA weather programs with overlapping capabilities "We're excited to be working with the FAA to make the skies safer for travelers while optimizing available airspace and helping airlines operate more efficiently," said Denis King, CEO, Solace. "It's particularly gratifying to see NextGen Weather Program tap into the solid SWIM foundation of NAS Enterprise Messaging Service that FAA has built with our PubSub+ event streaming and management platform, and we look forward to working closely with them as they leverage that solid base for other NextGen applications." https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/business-general-aviation/press-release/21165660/solace-solace-technology-helps-the-federal-aviation-administration-streamline-data-flow-for-nextgen-weather-systems Volocopter To Launch eVTOL Taxi Services in Singapore Volocopter is preparing to launch air taxi services with its Volocity eVTOL aircraft in Singapore by the end of 2023. In a December 9 announcement, the German company said it will work with the Economic Development Board of Singapore and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). Over the next three years, Volocopter will recruit a team of 50 pilots, engineers, operations specialists, and business managers. By 2026, it expects to have grown its team to 200 people and at that point will be operating a network of routes across the Southeast Asian city-state. The first services in Singapore are expected to be sightseeing flights along the southern coast, giving views of the Marina Bay skyline. Further services might include cross-border flights into neighboring Malaysia. However, the two-seat, all-electric aircraft will only have an initial range of around 22 miles. Volocopter said it is not certain whether Singapore will be the first place in the world where it launches its air taxi services. It is certainly the first announced location, but the company continues to speak with other cities and is known to have focused cooperation efforts on places including Dubai, Paris, and London. Before launching operations, Volocopter will need to complete regulatory approvals. The company hopes this process will be facilitated by last week’s agreement between the CAAS and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency to allow validation of type certification for eVTOL aircraft to be done concurrently and in close cooperation. In September 2019, Volocopter paved the way for this process when it conducted a public flight demonstration of its prototype aircraft in Singapore. This was done with the approval of CAAS and Singapore’s Ministry of Transport and include the installation of a temporary Voloport passenger terminal in the Marina Bay district. The latter was built by Volocopter’s partner Skyport. Volocopter has started research and development projects with local technology centers, starting with the Fraunhofer Singapore facility at the Nanyang Technological University. CEO Florian Reuter said that the city’s research capabilities were a significant factor in its choice of launch location. “Topics like route validation for autonomous operations, material science, and research regarding battery technology are very important in our long-term business success,” he commented. “Singapore is an important regional testbed for autonomous cars, electric vehicles, and urban air mobility, including the successful first test flight by Volocopter in 2019,” said EDB executive vice president Tan Kong Hwee. “We are glad Volocopter has chosen Singapore to anchor its commercial and R&D activities. This will help build new capabilities for our mobility ecosystem and create many exciting opportunities.” Volocopter has formed a local company called Volocopter Asia Holding. It has recruited Hon Lung Chu as its head of Asia Pacific in Singapore and he joins the group from unmanned traffic management group AirMap, where he was head of business operations in the Asia Pacific region. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-12-09/volocopter-launch-evtol-taxi-services-singapore Southeast Partners with US Aviation Group and Cape Girardeau Regional Airport for Professional Pilot Program Southeast Missouri State University announces it is partnering with US Aviation Group (USAG) and the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport for its Professional Pilot program. Starting in fall 2021, students will have the ability to earn a Bachelor of Science in Professional Pilot. USAG, a world-class professional flight training provider since 2006, will provide management services for the new program. Classroom training for students will take place at the Southeast campus. Flight training, simulator and other related training will take place at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport where USAG will have aircraft, training devices and personnel. “Conversations about this program began in 2015, shortly after I arrived,” said Dr. Carlos Vargas, president of Southeast Missouri State University. “So, I am excited about this great education and career opportunity now being available to our students. I am proud to announce our partnership with US Aviation and the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. They helped turn our conversations into reality.” Katrina Amos, airport manager of the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport has also been involved with planning the new program. “We are thrilled that Southeast will now offer the Professional Pilot Program and excited that the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport is a part of this historical moment. We have no doubt this will be a successful program for many years to come and look forward to a long-lasting relationship with Southeast Missouri State University and US Aviation,” she said. Flight training will begin in the first semester of courses. Students enrolled in the program will get the training needed to attain FAA certifications and obtain their private pilots, commercial pilots and flight instructor certifications. According to aviation technology company CAE’s 2020-2029 Pilot Demand Outlook, starting in late 2021 there will be a short-term need for approximately 27,000 new professional pilots. This demand will continue through the decade as the industry is expected to require more than 260,000 new pilots. The new Professional Pilot program complements the University’s Bachelor of Science in unmanned aircraft systems, also known as drones. That program launched in fall 2017. https://www.aviationpros.com/education-training/schools-colleges/press-release/21165597/southeast-missouri-state-university-southeast-partners-with-us-aviation-group-and-cape-girardeau-regional-airport-for-professional-pilot-program Ampaire Conducts Airline Route Flight Trials With Hybrid-Electric Aircraft In partnership with Hawaii-based Mokulele Airlines, Ampaire has completed the first demonstration flight using its hybrid-electric Electric EEL on an established airline route. For the demonstration, the aircraft made a round-trip flight from Hawaii’s Kahului Airport (OGG) to Hana (HNM) and back on a single charge. Ampaire intends to fly the route regularly as part of a one-month demonstration program designed to evaluate the company’s technology and showcase “electric aviation’s potential.” “We’re following the successful path of hybrid-electric automobiles in transforming ground transportation by taking that model to the sky,” said Ampaire CEO Kevin Noertker. “By upgrading current aircraft with hybrid-electric propulsion we can enter the market quickly and take advantage of existing infrastructure for fixed-wing aviation.” A converted Cessna 337 Skymaster, Ampaire’s Electric EEL is powered by rear-mounted 310-horsepower Continental IO-550 engine and a 160 kW electric power unit up front. As previously reported by AVweb, the Electric EEL completed a 341-statute-mile test flight last October. Ampaire’s Hawaii flight trials are also supported by climate change solutions company Elemental Excelerator. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/ampaire-conducts-airline-route-flight-trials-with-hybrid-electric-aircraft/ UK airport capacity must be limited for net zero: CCC The UK government must implement airport capacity restrictions in order to achieve net zero by 2050, the UK's Climate Change Committee (CCC) said today in its advice on the country's sixth carbon budget. Current planned additional airport capacity would require capacity restrictions on other airports, unless faster progress is made on aircraft technology and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) development, the CCC said. The CCC said UK policy should support the development of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) in the near term. But the report also warned that "ongoing uncertainty until 2025 about a new UK SAF mandate, and withdrawal of SAF from the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO)" could delay first commercial SAF projects in the UK. The CCC said that the existing UK RTFO will not be suitable for delivering mass commercial roll-out of SAF, because of the upcoming decrease in liquid road fuel use. Should sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) fail to develop as expected, aviation demand must be further managed and the CCC urges "taxes to increase as people fly more and fly further". The CCC also suggests CO2 labelling on all flights for prospective passengers. Demand can only grow by 25pc in the next thirty years if the UK is to reach net zero emissions, CCC said. Targets for aviation emissions net of greenhouse gas removals could be 31mn tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) per year in 2030, 21mn t CO2e/yr in 2035 and 14mn CO2e/yr in 2040, if 40pc of greenhouse gas removals are dedicated to the aviation sector, according to the CCC. "The government should commit to UK international aviation reaching net zero GHG emissions by 2050 at the latest," the CCC report said. Ahead of the UN Climate Ambition Summit on 12 December, the UK government set out new climate targets that did not include any policy on aviation, although it published intentions to invest in zero-emission aircraft and SAF research in a ten point plan, published last month. https://www.argusmedia.com/news/2167517-uk-airport-capacity-must-be-limited-for-net-zero-ccc Canadore College: An experiential education that creates experts in aviation How could we ever imagine a world without regular commercial flying? Earlier this year, the aviation industry went into a tailspin following an outbreak of COVID-19, with airspaces and borders shut, and fleets grounded. Throughout the pandemic, approximately 1.2 billion passengers have travelled via plane. A recent report by the International Air Transport Association concludes only 44 cases of flight related infections. The aviation industry has shown resilience throughout global challenges for decades and it is more than ready to come back stronger, bolder and smarter, ensuring aviation experts all over the world will continue to soar at newer and higher altitudes in a post-pandemic world. The industry’s resilience in times of uncertainty is one of the many reasons why students like Aslam Mohamed Adnan Taqie are determined to gain professional qualification in the field of aviation. Planes have been a lifelong passion of Taqie’s, going back to his childhood years and seeing his cousin excel as an aircraft maintenance engineer. After completing grade 12 in his hometown of Chennai, India, Taqie was eager to research how he could study aviation abroad, which is how he came across Canadore College’s Aircraft Maintenance programme. “Even my agent suggested this college as it is well known for aviation,” he shares. “Before I applied, I asked a few senior guys from India who studied at Canadore and I got nice reviews which made me apply right after.” It was a decision he is happy he made. Located just north of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, Canadore College is a leader in aviation training. It’s home to a top-of-the-line, industry-standard 90,000 square foot aviation campus that comes fully equipped with training tools, multiple aircraft and dedicated faculty and staff — everything an aviation student would need and more. Offerings like these make hands-on, experiential learning easy to facilitate. Taqie credits these experiences as having been formative to his confidence. His Canadore College degree has allowed him to follow in the footsteps of the school’s esteemed alumni who have landed successful jobs in the aviation industry across Canada and around the world. “I have gone through lockwiring, riveting, tools handling, fire handling procedures, working on aircrafts and engines where I got most of the hands-on skills I needed, as well as several inspections like NDI, eddy current, FP, etc,” he enthuses. “So far, Canadore College has helped me easily go through some of the challenges I’m set to face by teaching me many of these hand-on skills.” Agile learning, adaptable skills Even in the midst of COVID-19, a blended learning model has successfully kept students engaged: “Theory classes are held in an online classroom where the professor and students can still interact together,” shares professor and Avionics and Structures programme coordinator, Brian Boettger. “Practical classes are still held in person at the Aviation Campus so hand and problem skills can be developed.” Boettger graduated from the Avionics Maintenance programme in 1991, which helped him launch a successful career across Ontario. Seven years ago, he returned to Canadore to share his knowledge with aspiring aviation professionals, many of whom will graduate to begin their own journeys across a range of paths.“Some stay working on aircraft their entire career. Others progress to inspection or training departments, management positions such as director of maintenance or even start an approved maintenance organisation”, he says. It’s clear the opportunities are endless for those who arrive in the picturesque city of North Bay for a comprehensive education in aviation. Brett Chadwick also graduated from Canadore — and like Boettger — later returned to share the twenty years of knowledge he gained from working in the field as a professor and programme coordinator. All coordinators are experts, Chadwick’s experience includes working on a variety of aircrafts and small single engine Cessnas and Pipers to twin engine turboprops and business jets. “My most exciting adventure includes repairing a plane that had a hard landing on a small island near China then flying it back to Canada”, he shares. For a career as robust as his, look to one of these programmes offered by Canadore College: Aviation Fundamentals, Aircraft Structural Repair Technician, Aviation Technician – Aircraft Maintenance or Avionics Maintenance, or both, Aviation Technology – Aircraft Maintenance and Structures, Helicopter Flight Training and First Peoples’ Aviation Technology – Flight. These aviation programmes are conducted by Canadore’s School of Aviation and Aerospace Technology at the Aviation Campus. Located in North Bay, Ontario, the campus is just a three-hour drive away from downtown Toronto and right around the corner from the North Bay airport. It’s the perfect destination for a well-rounded education in aviation, its location allows the school to boast of having the industry right at its doorsteps, because they actually do. To virtually visit Canadore College’s Aviation Campus, click here. https://www.studyinternational.com/news/canadore-college-an-experiential-education-that-creates-experts-in-aviation/ SpaceX Starship explodes spectacularly after successful high-altitude test flight Elon Musk's Starship SN8 prototype, reminiscent of something Buck Rogers might have piloted, fell serenely and silently through the Texas sky for almost two minutes on Wednesday. Then its Raptor engines roared to life, righting the rocket into a vertical orientation in preparation for landing, but it was too little or too late -- or maybe some of both. A few seconds and one spectacular explosion later, SpaceX's latest next-generation rocket prototype followed its first successful high-altitude flight with a hard landing that's sure to be an instant member of the GIF and meme halls of fame. SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who had long warned that such a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" was possible, was among the delighted masses, but for more technical than primal reasons. "Successful ascent, switchover to header tanks & precise flap control to landing point!" he wrote on Twitter. "Fuel header tank pressure was low during landing burn, causing touchdown velocity to be high & RUD, but we got all the data we needed. Congrats SpaceX team hell yeah!" SpaceX's latest Starship iteration finally lifted off its launch pad at around 2:45 p.m. PT Wednesday. An earlier attempt on Tuesday was aborted with just one second left due to an issue with the Raptor engines. A few minutes into Wednesday's flight, one of the three Raptor engines stopped firing. According to Musk, each shutdown was intentional and the "engines did great." The rocket continued to climb toward a planned apex of eight miles (12.5 kilometers) as part of its first high-altitude test flight. About four minutes into the flight, a second engine shut down and the craft seemed to hover for a while until the final Raptor shut down and SN8 began its free fall back to Earth. As it approached the ground, the Raptors and thrusters situated around the rocket were used to perform a flip maneuver and orient it vertically in preparation for a landing burn like we've become used to seeing with the company's smaller Falcon 9 rockets. That burn didn't appear to slow down SN8 soon enough or quickly enough as it came in for a rough and explosive landing. Notably, the wreckage showed that it did hit the middle of the landing pad. You can watch the full spectacular explosion below on CNET Highlights, our YouTube channel with all the best tech, space and science clips from live events around the globe. Whack that subscribe button! The test flight brings Starship much closer to a trip to Mars than it's ever been, but there's obviously still a long way to go. "This suborbital flight is designed to test a number of objectives, from how the vehicle's three Raptor engines perform, and the overall aerodynamic entry capabilities of the vehicle, including its body flaps, to how the vehicle manages propellant transition," SpaceX wrote earlier this week. Musk and SpaceX have continued to improve the company's next-generation rocket intended to eventually transport thousands of Earthlings to Mars, the moon and other destinations. Over the past 18 months, a handful of short test flights, or "hops," have seen a few prototypes lift off a pad in Boca Chica, Texas, rise to an elevation of about 500 feet (150 meters) and then come back down for a soft landing. The hops have been remarkable successes so far, interspersed with some dramatic ground test failures along the way. Next up, SpaceX plans to fly another prototype, SN9, and work up toward the first orbital flight. https://www.cnet.com/news/spacex-starship-explodes-spectacularly-after-successful-high-altitude-test-flight/ Curt Lewis