May 3, 2021 - No. 34 In This Issue : Lufthansa To Equip Entire Boeing 777F Fleet With Sharkskin Technology : The Case For Hydrogen Powered Aircraft Gains Momentum : AKKA Announces Its Partnership With AURA AERO to Develop Two Electric Aircrafts : Kroger pilots drone grocery delivery : Astro Aerospace to Acquire Horizon Aircraft : NBAA's Advanced Air Mobility Roundtable Lifts Off : Pittsburgh-based AERAS sanitization drones powered by AER-Force make debut at Kentucky Derby : London City is the first major airport to control air traffic via a digital tower : Aviation, travel groups urge fully reopening U.S.-UK travel market : A Look At This Manual Lie Flat Airline Seat: No Need For Mechanisms : SpaceX’s upgraded Starship set for test flight despite sore NASA contract losers Lufthansa To Equip Entire Boeing 777F Fleet With Sharkskin Technology Lufthansa and its cargo division are both seeking to make flying as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible. The German flag carrier is now looking to nature to help achieve this goal, with the rollout of sharkskin technology targetted for the airline’s Boeing 777F fleet beginning next year. Nature has inspired the aviation industry in many ways. Typically the inspiration comes from flying creatures due to the common denominator between the two. It’s not just birds that have solutions for the industry, though. Some sea creatures are also being copied for their streamlined evolution. Now sharks are helping to make aviation even more efficient. Sharks improving efficiency? From next year, Lufthansa Cargo will be working with Lufthansa Technik to equip its entire fleet of Boeing 777F aircraft with sharkskin technology. But how can sharks help to make aircraft more efficient? AeroSHARK is a film applied to the surface of an aircraft. It resembles the fine structure of a shark’s skin. Lasers create a pattern of grooves in the top layer of the aircraft’s paint. These grooves are around 50 micrometers big and reduce the friction between the aircraft and the air while flying. In simple terms, due to the lower friction, the aircraft doesn’t need to work as hard to fly, leading to fuel savings. Interestingly, it seems as though these fuel savings won’t be insignificant. According to Lufthansa, the technology will reduce an aircraft’s drag by 1%. Across the fleet of ten Boeing 777F aircraft, the airline believes that it will save around 3,700 tons of jet fuel each year. This, in turn, will lead to a reduction of CO2 emissions by approximately 11,700 tonnes. This would be comparable to canceling 48 freight flights from Frankfurt to Shanghai. Commenting on the plan, Christina Foerster, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG with responsibility for sustainability, “We have always played a leading role in introducing environmentally friendly technologies. The new sharkskin technology for aircraft shows what strong and highly innovative partners can achieve collectively for the environment. This will help us to achieve our goal of climate neutrality by 2050.” Carbon neutral flights Sharkskin technology isn’t the only way that Lufthansa Cargo is working on its environmental impact. A month ago, the freight specialist revealed that it was operating weekly carbon neutral flights from Frankfurt to Shanghai using Sustainable Aviation Fuels. Throughout the summer schedule, the airline estimates a reduction in CO2 emissions of 20,250 tons thanks to the initiative. This will save around 174 tons of regular jet fuel each week. While SAFs don’t get rid of emissions, they rely on carbon already in the ecosystem rather than adding new carbon previously locked away under the ground. https://simpleflying.com/lufthansa-sharkskin-boeing-777fs/ The Case For Hydrogen Powered Aircraft Gains Momentum While much of the discussion about how to reduce aviation’s carbon footprint has focused on the availability of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and when and how electric aircraft may be unshackled from the limits of battery technology, hydrogen has been quietly moving up the future propulsion agenda. However, hydrogen has been gaining momentum for some time in other sectors of transportation, such as road, rail, and marine vehicles, and is increasingly being viewed as a viable longer-term alternative to fossil fuel. Some of the more bullish pioneers in the field are claiming they could have hydrogen-powered aircraft approved for service as soon as 2025 or 2026. As recently as early 2020, the use of hydrogen in aviation seemed like something of a fringe research activity. The broad consensus seemed to be that all-electric or hybrid-electric propulsion should be the primary focus for smaller aircraft, but that for anything with more than 20 or so seats the green priority should be making existing turbofans, turboprops, and piston engines less gas-guzzling and pressing for the widespread availability of sustainable aviation fuels to burn in existing powerplants. While it certainly doesn’t merit all the credit for changing this outlook, Airbus’s September 2020 announcement that it is actively pursuing plans to bring hydrogen-powered airliners into commercial service around 2035 undoubtedly raised the profile of the technology. The European aerospace group is considering three design options under a project designated ZeroE and intends to choose which technology platform to advance in 2024. The most novel of the three designs shows a blended-wing airframe that Airbus indicated would be able to carry up to 200 passengers on flights of around 2,000 nm. The exceptionally wide fuselage, in which the wing merges with the main section of the aircraft, would provide space for a cabin as well as for hydrogen storage and distribution. The design builds on the Maveric model that Airbus has been working on in stealth mode since June 2019. Airbus also presented a more conventional narrowbody model that would carry between 120 and 200 passengers on sectors of around 2,000 nm. The propulsion system would be based on a pair of modified gas turbine engines powered by liquid hydrogen that would be stored and distributed via tanks located behind the rear pressure bulkhead. The design features swept-back outer wing surfaces. The third design is a 100-seat twin turboprop. It too would feature modified gas turbines fueled by hydrogen and would fly to a range of up to around 1,000 nm. According to chief technology officer Grazia Vittadini, her engineering team expects to have a hydrogen ground demonstrator ready by 2021 to help it to address complex technology risks around the ecosystem for hydrogen power, such as the fuel’s volume and cryogenic (low temperature) characteristics. Addressing a March 30 webinar, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury reiterated the company’s commitment to hydrogen, while acknowledging the challenges in ensuring adequate supplies and infrastructure for the new fuel, which he said was akin to those already being faced by the industry for sustainable aviation fuel. In fact, Paul Eremenko, former Airbus chief technology officer and CEO of its ACubed innovation division, believes that he has a solution to the logistical challenges associated with hydrogen fueling of aircraft. He formed Universal Hydrogen in early 2020 with a concept of operations that involves delivering refillable hydrogen capsules directly from fuel production facilities to aircraft. The hydrogen capsules, which Eremenko has compared to Nespresso coffee pods, will be loaded into the rear of the aircraft and installed in a compartment that would replace the last two rows of passenger seats. Plumbing lines will run from the capsules through the aircraft’s dorsal fins into each of the two nacelles where fuel cells and electric motors would be installed to power the aircraft’s existing propellers. Initially, the California-based company is looking to convert existing 40- to 60-seat regional airliners such as the Bombardier Dash 8 or ATR 42 under a supplemental type certificate. It believes that its propulsion system would be able to support scheduled services for routes of up to 550 nm. Test flights are due to begin in 2023, with a target date for initial commercial operations in 2025. Universal Hydrogen is partnered with energy distribution group Plug Power, which is already providing hydrogen fuel cell stack technology for ground-based e-mobility applications, including fork-lift trucks and other vehicles. In March, the company made an initial $1 million investment in Universal Hydrogen and the partners expanded their alliance with a global supply agreement for Plug Power to distribute hydrogen supplies to aircraft. Initially, the agreement calls for the supply of around 500 tons of hydrogen each day from five distribution points across the U.S. by 2024. This volume is roughly equivalent to a million gallons of Jet-A fuel. Plug Power says that hydrogen will enter the aviation market on a more affordable basis than existing sustainable aviation fuels, which are still considered to be too costly and hard to source by many aircraft operators. “When you think about [the price of] renewable fuels at four cents per kilowatt-hour, it’s clear that green hydrogen can be produced at prices equivalent to or below fossil fuel in the near term,” Plug Power’s CEO Andy Marsh told AIN. “Universal Hydrogen’s approach is a pragmatic, near-term plan to bring green hydrogen to one of the hardest-to-decarbonize sectors¬—air travel.” ZeroAvia is another from the new breed of hydrogen pioneers and, based on the scale of development work already completed, it is arguably the front-runner. On March 31, the California-based start-up announced plans to develop a 50-seat airliner to be powered by hydrogen. Its work will be supported by a $24.3 million capital injection with new investors including British Airways, along with Horizons Ventures and existing backers Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Summa Equity, Shell Ventures, and Systemiq. British Airways has not made a specific commitment to including hydrogen-powered aircraft in its fleet, but ZeroAvia claims to already have letters of intent from 15 undisclosed airlines. According to ZeroAvia, which has now raised nearly $74 million, including $53 million in private investment and a UK government grant of around $16.3 million, it is aiming to get a 50-seat aircraft into commercial service by 2026, using its 2 MW powerplant to convert existing regional airliners, such as the ATR42 and Dash 8. It believes that by 2030, a 100-seat airliner could be run on a more powerful version of its technology. Currently, ZeroAvia is working on integrating a 600 kW hydrogen-electric powertrain with an aircraft seating up to 19 passengers, such as the Dornier Do228 twin-turboprop model that it is using as a testbed. The company is aiming to bring this to market by 2024 with a range of around 435 nm. Based on its grant from the UK government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), issued through the Aerospace Technology Institute and Innovate UK, ZeroAvia is basing its development work at Cranfield in England. Its efforts to date have been founded on converting smaller aircraft, such as the six-seat Piper M Series, which it has already flown. Now the company is preparing to conduct a flight of around 70 miles from Cranfield to Kemble airfield in southern England. Later this year, it aims to conduct a flight of around 250 miles from the Orkney Islands to the Scottish mainland. In the Orkney Islands, the European Marine Energy Centre has developed a process for making hydrogen fuel to support aviation applications. Working with its partner Fuel Cell Systems, it intends to distribute hydrogen with a mobile system consisting of a re-deployable modular electrolyzer, a trailer-mounted air compressor, and a 305-bar refueling truck. Meanwhile, another California-based start-up called HyPoint has built the first working prototype of its turbo air-cooled hydrogen fuel cell system for aircraft. The company says it will begin delivering full-scale versions of the technology to partners in 2022, supporting plans for both new eVTOL aircraft and the conversion of existing models to hydrogen power. According to HyPoint, its system’s performance will outstrip existing fuel cells by delivering 2,000 watts per kilogram of specific power and an energy density of 1,500 watt-hours per kilogram. The company says that its competitive edge over rival approaches is based on a decision to use compressed air for both cooling and oxygen supplies for a high-temperature fuel cell system that it says weighs just a third as much as comparable liquid-cooled systems. In January, GKN Aerospace announced that it is leading a collaboration between industry and academia to develop a hydrogen propulsion system for what it calls “sub-regional” aircraft. Initially, the H2GEAR system would power new and existing aircraft seating up to 19 passengers, but the company says it could subsequently be scaled up for use on larger airliners. The UK-based project is backed by a £54 million ($73 million) investment evenly shared between GKN, the government’s BEIS department, and partners including fuel cell specialist Intelligent Energy, electric motors and control systems group Aeristech, Newcastle University, the University of Manchester, and the University of Birmingham. The proposed system will convert liquid hydrogen to electricity in fuel cells. This will power electric motors that will drive either ducted fans or propellers. According to GKN, the first hydrogen-powered aircraft could be ready to enter service in 2026. The company, which is a tier-one supplier to several leading airframers, including Airbus, says it has had contact with several unnamed aircraft manufacturers, as well as start-ups and also airlines. In France, the government is also strongly backing a switch to hydrogen power and has established a new council as the basis for work with various industries. In February, Airbus, Air France-KLM, airports group ADP, and the Choose Paris Region development agency has called for expressions of interest to create so-called hydrogen hubs at Paris airports to fuel future hydrogen-powered aircraft. The partners say the initiative is a response to the European Commission's goal to create the conditions for hydrogen-powered airliners to enter commercial service from 2035. In February, the French government awarded a grant of almost $1 million to Avions Mauboussin, which is developing a new eSTOL aircraft. The start-up is developing what it calls its Zephyr hybrid hydrogen propulsion system to power a two-seat light aircraft called the Alerion M1h and the six-seater Alcyon M3c, which it aims to bring to the market by 2026 and 2028, respectively. It also intends to offer the technology to other aircraft developers. The new FutureFlight.aero resource from AIN covers all aspects of new aviation technologies and business models, including new propulsion methods. To learn more about this exclusive news and information platform, and to access our database, sign up for a trial subscription. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aerospace/2021-05-03/case-hydrogen-powered-aircraft-gains-momentum AKKA Announces Its Partnership With AURA AERO to Develop Two Electric Aircrafts AKKA Technologies (Paris:AKA) (BSE:AKA) (ISIN:FR0004180537), a European leader in engineering consulting and R&D services announces its partnership with the Toulouse-based aircraft manufacturer AURA AERO in the development of two electric aircrafts : ERA (Electrical Regional Aircraft), a 19-seat electric regional airliner supported by the Occitanie region and INTEGRAL-E , an electric aerobatic aircraft. AKKA will leverage its strong expertise in supporting worldwide industrial players across sectors, notably in aeronautics, to support AURA AERO in the development of both ERA and INTEGRAL-E projects. AKKA’s engineers will contribute to the development of several technological bricks that will constitute the foundation of the future ERA as well as to the development and the integration of the Battery Management System (BMS), a critical equipment in any electrical aircraft, on the INTEGRAL-E aircraft. These projects rely on AKKA’s expertise in mobility electrification and illustrate the Group’s ambition to participate to the reduction of the ecological footprint of vehicles and infrastructures through technology and innovation. During this two-year collaboration AKKA expects to mobilize an experienced team of 40 engineers with its two Toulouse-based Engineering and Aviation Centers of Expertise to provide R&D capabilities to AURA AERO on a comprehensive range of expertise, from engineering to Customer support. Jérémy Caussade, President and co-founder of AURA AERO, said "We are very pleased to be able to work with AKKA to develop the new AURA AERO program. The skills provided will strengthen our internal expertise and will contribute to the development of our new ERA aircraft, a 19-seat electrically powered regional aircraft that is eco-efficient and innovative. More than ever, we are aware that women and men are at the heart of our current and future success." Stéphanie Latieule, SVP Aerospace at AKKA France, commented: “We are extremely proud to be working alongside AURA AERO in these projects at the forefront of the next generation of aircraft development. This partnership illustrates AKKA’s agility in leveraging its deep domain expertise in the aeronautical sector out of Occitanie to contribute to the development of projects set to pave the way to the future of the aviation.” ABOUT AURA AERO AURA AERO, the first digital and eco-efficient aeronautical manufacturer, industrializes disruptive technologies for the aviation of tomorrow, by combining the best of the aeronautical industry and digital technologies. The company designs and manufactures aircraft with unrivalled efficiency, on the growing market of eco-efficient and low-carbon emission vehicles. Founded in 2018, AURA AERO is based in Toulouse-Francazal and employs some 60 people. More info at: www.aura-aero.com https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210503005556/en/AKKA-Announces-Its-Partnership-With-AURA-AERO-to-Develop-Two-Electric-Aircrafts Kroger pilots drone grocery delivery CINCINNATI and MONROE, Ohio, May 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Kroger Co. BB #:100073 and Drone Express, a division of TELEGRID Technologies, Inc., today announced a pilot to offer grocery delivery via autonomous drones, expanding the retailer’s seamless ecosystem and providing customers with anything, anytime, anywhere. “Kroger’s new drone delivery pilot is part of the evolution of our rapidly growing and innovative e-commerce business – which includes pickup, delivery, and ship and reached more than $10 billion in sales in 2020,” said Kroger’s Jody Kalmbach, group vice president of product experience. “The pilot reinforces the importance of flexibility and immediacy to customers, powered by modern, cost-effective, and efficient last-mile solutions. We’re excited to test drone delivery and gain insights that will inform expansion plans as well as future customer solutions.” How the Drone Grocery Delivery Pilot Works The pilot will offer customers unparalleled flexibility as Drone Express technology allows package delivery to the location of a customer’s smartphone not only to a street address, simply meaning a customer will be able to order delivery of picnic supplies to a park, sunscreen to the beach, or condiments to a backyard cookout, for instance. Kroger is designing bundled product offerings ideal for meeting customer needs within the current weight limits for drone delivery, which is about five pounds. As an illustration, Kroger will offer a baby care bundle with wipes and formula, a child wellness bundle with over-the-counter medications and fluids, and a S’mores bundle with graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate. Using Kroger.com/DroneDelivery, customers can place orders and have eligible orders delivered within as little as 15 minutes. “Autonomous drones have unlimited potential to improve everyday life, and our technology opens the way to safe, secure, environmentally friendly deliveries for Kroger customers,” said Beth Flippo, Chief Technology Officer, TELEGRID. “The possibilities for customers are endless – we can enable Kroger customers to send chicken soup to a sick friend or get fast delivery of olive oil if they run out while cooking dinner.” Drone Express will commence test flights this week near the Kroger Marketplace in Centerville, Ohio (1095 South Main Street). The flights will be managed by licensed Drone Express pilots from an on-site trailer with additional off-site monitoring. Customer deliveries are scheduled to begin later this spring, and a second pilot is scheduled to launch this summer at a Ralphs store in California. “The launch of the pilot in Centerville is the culmination of months of meticulous research and development by Kroger and Drone Express to better serve and meet the needs of our customers,” said Ethan Grob, Kroger’s director of last mile strategy and product. “We look forward to progressing from test flights to customer deliveries this spring, introducing one more way for our customers to experience Kroger.” “Kroger and Drone Express made a great choice in piloting this program in Centerville – a community with a robust business network focused on progress and stability near the birthplace of aviation,” said Centerville Mayor Brooks Compton. “Families here have the power to transform grocery delivery around the nation and the globe. We look forward to placing our first order.” About Kroger At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit™. We are nearly half a million associates who serve over nine million customers daily through a seamless digital shopping experience and 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site. About TELEGRID Headquartered in New Jersey, TELEGRID Technologies, Inc. is a woman-owned small business founded in 1984 with a focus on providing cutting-edge technologies, including communications and networking equipment and systems for U.S. military and government agencies. In 2018, the company founded Drone Express to integrate its state-of-the-art, military-grade wireless mesh network with advanced drone technologies. Drone Express, which uses only American-made parts in its drones, currently has operations in California, New Jersey, and Ohio. TELEGRID is currently one of only 10 companies pre-approved by the FAA to achieve airworthiness consideration for its DE-2020 unmanned aircraft. A division of TELEGRID Technologies, Drone Express is a logistics firm that works with companies to strategically integrate drone delivery into supply chains and service offerings. The company recently established a facility in the southwest Ohio community of Monroe as a hub for manufacturing, testing, and piloting of autonomous drones for commercial package delivery. Drone Express grew out TELEGRID’s extensive experience with the U. S. Department of Defense, which gave the company the proven success necessary to work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the certification process. TELEGRID is currently one of only 10 companies pre-approved by the FAA to achieve airworthiness consideration for its DE-2020 unmanned aircraft. The company is also exploring ways to expand the range of drone deliveries Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) as part of the FAA’s BEYOND program through lead participant the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. For more information, visit www.telegrid.com. For more information on Drone Express and its commercial drone delivery offering, visit https://droneexpress.ai/. https://www.producebluebook.com/2021/05/03/kroger-pilots-drone-grocery-delivery/# Astro Aerospace to Acquire Horizon Aircraft Astro Aerospace Ltd., a developer of eVTOL aerial vehicles and drones, and Horizon Aircraft Inc., a developer of advanced eVTOLs, have entered into an agreement under which Astro will acquire privately-held Horizon. The acquisition will be realized for five million common shares of Astro stock, the material terms of which are disclosed in the Company's related 8-K filing. The transaction was unanimously approved by the respective Boards of Directors. The acquisition will broaden Astro's capabilities, and become a leading eVTOL platform while continuing to invest and innovate. The Company's acquisition of Horizon is expected to close in approximately ten days, subject to customary closing conditions. Upon closing the transaction, the CEO and Co-Founder of Horizon, Brandon Robinson, will be appointed as President of Astro and will sit on the Board of Directors. Jason O'Neill, Horizon's Chief Operating Officer, will be appointed Executive Vice President of Astro. Astro's existing Alta and Elroy programs, combined with Horizon's highly accomplished team of engineering and design talent, is expected to better position the Company to pursue its goal of commercialization. This approach will emphasize existing technology and elegant design to become a leader in the eVTOL market. The new funding provided by Astro will enable Horizon to accelerate development of its Cavorite X5 eVTOL advanced prototype. The Company believes this new aerospace technology offers significant advantages over current conventional aircraft including lower operating costs, a reduced noise footprint, increased safety and lower carbon emissions. "Astro and Horizon, two organizations focused on developing innovative air mobility solutions, is a very exciting and promising combination. Our aligned business model, enhanced by the complementary expertise and capabilities of the founder-led Horizon team, creates significant opportunities for accelerated growth while simultaneously delivering value to our shareholders," said Astro CEO Bruce Bent. Horizon Co-Founder and CEO Brandon Robinson stated, "The Horizon family has found a great home in Astro and will continue operating with its distinct culture: excellence in product development and a deep passion for aviation. Horizon and Astro share in the mission of being at the forefront of eVTOL design and together we will be a more attractive and exciting company for our employees, our partners, and our investors." Horizon co-founders Brandon and Brian Robinson have applied their excellence in Mechanical Engineering to change the way we approach travel. Brandon Robinson is a Mechanical Engineer, a CF-18 Fighter Pilot Top Gun graduate, and holds an MBA with more than $400 million in project management experience. Horizon's Chief Engineer, Brian Robinson (Brandon's father) is also a Mechanical Engineer, beginning his innovation journey long before Horizon's existence. Building aircraft from the age of 14, Brian's previous aerospace engineering company achieved much success as it developed numerous first-of-its-kind innovations. This eventually led to designing a revolutionary new eVTOL prototype, making Horizon a pioneer in the market. The Horizon Cavorite X5 eVTOL Horizon has successfully completed more than 200 test flights of its sub-scale prototype Cavorite X5, a five-seat hybrid-electric eVTOL. The primary objective for the sub-scale eVTOL prototype's test flights is to verify aerodynamics, control systems and transitional flight. For vertical flight, the wing surfaces retract to open its ducted fans before closing again after it achieves a minimum forward speed, maximizing the craft's aerodynamic efficiency while lowering operational costs. The full-scale Cavorite X5, which is expected to travel up to an estimated 450 km/h with a 500-kilometre range, is designed for reduced hydrocarbon emissions, operation in poor weather, and ease of flying for low-time pilots. The aircraft targets Urban Air Mobility but also long-range Regional Air Mobility, currently an underserved portion of the market. The patented fan-in-wing technology allows the Cavorite X5 to be the world's first eVTOL that can fly the majority of its mission exactly like a normal aircraft. Strategic Benefits of the Transaction: Horizon CEO and management to remain in key leadership roles Greater access to capital and industry experience to accelerate innovation Provides path to production and commercialization https://ftnnews.com/aviation/41703-astro-aerospace-to-acquire-horizon-aircraft NBAA's Advanced Air Mobility Roundtable Lifts Off NBAA has formed a new Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Roundtable as a forum for high-level policy planning to chart a course for the integration of AAM technologies into U.S. airspace and infrastructure. According to NBAA, the roundtable will allow OEMs developing electric vertical takeoff and landing transport (eVTOL) vehicles and other systems to discuss topics such as airport access, airspace management, and local community engagement. “On-demand air mobility offers tremendous opportunities, especially for business aviation,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “We are uniquely suited to offer expertise in tackling the considerations associated with AAM integration, and we are pleased to partner with this group of AAM leaders in moving this technology forward.” Founding members of NBAA’s AAM Roundtable include Eve Air Mobility, Hillwood Aviation, Hyundai UAM, Joby Aviation, Lilium, and Wisk. The inaugural meeting of the forum took place in February, with additional meetings planned throughout the year. Companies interested in participating can contact NBAA senior v-p of government affairs Christa Lucas. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-05-03/nbaas-advanced-air-mobility-roundtable-lifts Pittsburgh-based AERAS sanitization drones powered by AER-Force make debut at Kentucky Derby LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The race was on – safely – for more than 50,000 spectators Saturday at the 147th Kentucky Derby in part thanks to Pittsburgh-based technology company AERAS. The company, which is the first and only recipient of the Federal Aviation Administration's 137 certification specifically for sanitization purposes, used its patented charged-electrostatic drone technology to sanitize Churchill Downs against COVID-19, returning fans to the oldest sporting event in the United States by using the latest and most innovative technology. "It's awesome having a hand in bringing back massive in-person sporting events after a year of uncertainty," said Eric Lloyd, CEO and co-founder of AERAS. "Seeing thousands of cheering fans enjoying the Kentucky Derby safely felt like a huge victory over COVID-19." The Environmental Protection Agency recognizes that electrostatic spray systems create the safest, and best, coverage when applying sanitization solutions. With its AER-Force technology, AERAS patented a way to integrate the EPA's preferred spraying system with high-efficiency drones, thereby creating the only truly charged-electrostatic drone in the world, and the only one specifically approved by the FAA to kill COVID-19 and other viral pathogens. Powered by its AER-Force technology, AERAS drones release a uniform output of small droplets to create an impenetrable disinfecting barrier along all grounded surfaces. In less than three hours, AERAS can provide massive venues with cost-effective, large-scale sanitization while eliminating all human error. "Like the rest of America, we're hungry for live concerts and sports," said Jim Abel, global director of business development. "It feels great to see our technology make this type of impact on live events and to be helping to return America back to normalcy." The 147th Kentucky Derby was one of the largest sporting events to be held since COVID-19 shut the world down in March 2020. With 51,838 fans cheering on the run for the roses in person this year, safety was at the forefront of everyone's minds. AERAS was ecstatic to work with the Pritchard Sports & Entertainment Group to help bring tens of thousands of ticket holders, staff and media to safely enjoy the Kentucky Derby. In less than 90 minutes, Churchill Downs seating areas were sanitized by AERAS' 107-certified drone operator and AERAS backpack sprayers. "If sports franchises want to increase the number of people in seats, AERAS is the path," said Jim Christiana, vice president of marketing and corporate communications for AERAS. "We're excited for the opportunity to work with any sports and entertainment facility that wants to provide that peace of mind to fans returning to live entertainment." Established in Pittsburgh in 2020, AERAS specializes in using a patented charged-electrostatic spraying technology to safely sanitize arenas, stadiums, fields and buildings by dispersing any approved disinfectant as science and best practices dictate to sanitize against COVID-19 and other viral pathogens. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pittsburgh-based-aeras-sanitization-drones-powered-by-aer-force-make-debut-at-kentucky-derby-301281642.html London City is the first major airport to control air traffic via a digital tower HAMPSHIRE, U.K., - Tech is firmly ingrained in air travel. From biometric boarding gates to parallel reality displays that beam custom messages, the process of catching a flight has changed dramatically in the past couple of decades. Now, a major technological breakthrough has been announced in the operation and management of air travel. London City Airport has hailed itself as the world's first major international airport to be able to fully control air traffic using a digital tower, Saqib Shah reports for Engaget. Continue reading original article. The Intelligent Aerospace take: May 3, 2021 - "We are immensely proud to become the first major international airport to adopt this pioneering technology," said Alison Fitzgerald, Chief Operating Officer at London City Airport. "This investment in smart infrastructure will help us meet future growth in passenger demand, improve air traffic management and give us enhanced capability as aviation bounces back from the pandemic. It is also a demonstration of the commitment to innovation in the UK aviation sector and to being at the forefront of defining the future of flight. Since going operational at the end of January, the technology has worked really well and is ready for the expected increase in demand for flights as Brits book their well-deserved summer getaways." Sixteen high-definition cameras and sensors mounted on the mast capture a 360-degree view of the City Airport airfield. This is relayed through super-fast fiber connections to a new control room in NATS’ air traffic control center in Swanwick. A dedicated team of controllers use the live footage, an audio feed from the airfield and radar information to instruct aircraft movements in and out of the airport. The live feed, transmitted through independent secure fiber networks, is displayed on 14 HD screens in the Swanwick control room to provide a panoramic moving image. This can be overlaid with digital data to provide an ‘enhanced reality’ view. Information such as call signs, altitude and speed of all aircraft approaching and leaving the airport, weather readings and the ability to track moving objects can all be included in this single visual display. Pan-tilt-zoom cameras can magnify images up to 30 times for close inspection. https://www.intelligent-aerospace.com/atc-atm/article/14202440/london-city-is-the-first-major-airport-to-control-air-traffic-via-a-digital-tower Aviation, travel groups urge fully reopening U.S.-UK travel market WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A coalition of U.S. and European travel, airline, union, business and airport groups on Monday called for fully reopening the U.S.-UK air travel market "as soon as safely possible." In a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the groups said the leaders' planned meeting in early June "would be an ideal opportunity for a joint announcement of the full reopening of the U.S.-UK air travel market for both U.S. and UK citizens." The United States since March 2020 has barred nearly all non-U.S. citizens who have recently been in the UK from the United States. "The return of Transatlantic flying would not only have a significantly positive impact on our respective economies but will also reunite those who have been separated from their loved ones for over a year," said the letter, signed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Airlines for America, Global Business Travel Association, Air Line Pilots Association, Virgin Atlantic, Association of UK Airlines, Aerospace Industries Association and others. "Safely reopening borders between the U.S. and UK is essential for both countries’ economic recovery from COVID-19." On Monday, the European Union's executive recommended easing COVID-19 travel restrictions next month to let foreign travelers from more countries enter the EU, hoping to boost the stricken tourism industry this summer. One question remains whether the U.S. government will participate in helping Americans establish to foreign governments that they have been fully vaccinated in order to travel. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki has said "there will be no federal vaccinations database and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential." India, Brazil, China, Iran, South Africa, Ireland and 26 other countries in Europe that allow travel across open borders are also covered by the severe travel restrictions that prevent most non-U.S. citizens from entering the United States if they have been within one of those countries within the last 14 days. In January, Biden reversed a decision made by President Donald Trump to rescind the entry bans on the UK and other European countries. Nearly all of Europe still bans most U.S. travelers from visiting, while Britain allows American visits but requires a 10-day quarantine upon arrival and two COVID-19 tests. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/aviation-travel-groups-urge-fully-134412986.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADOqYTEqavpQCkyhJUMpPSfFnzD2FQTO3c85ld50JNKFapuks5KwlZJSzzcLGFOc6HRr_46ZwPVVnJsLoiz194-TVRY0NQv5QwTTC3Ccgo-Z3Rbxqv41Dg_W6bFHxDFbQ__18tcWPf27XoZRNFb2R-DmarKuWPTCb0HDmsSxr9K0 A Look At This Manual Lie Flat Airline Seat: No Need For Mechanisms Business class seats are getting ever more luxurious, but are also getting ever more complex. Seats slide and fold, tilt and stretch, to give the passenger increasing options for flying comfortably. But all this complexity comes at a cost, both in terms of maintenance and the weight of the seat. A concept by Safran seeks to change all that, providing optimal comfort with lightweight simplicity. This concept is called ‘essential’. The heavy problems of business class cabins The modern business class cabin has so much more to it than those of yesteryear. Passengers now demand aisle access, a seat that turns into a bed, and, increasingly, all manner of screens, shields and doors to boost the level of privacy in the seat. With all these features comes additional weight. Some business class seats can weigh up to 220 lbs. When airlines are taking inflight magazines and duty free off the plane to save weight, and thereby cut carbon emissions, clearly reducing this burden will have a massive impact on the airline’s environmental footprint. But it’s not just the weight of modern airline business seats that has become an issue. All those moving parts means there is regular maintenance required on the units. Having a business class seat going out of service right before a flight can be a disaster in a fully sold-out premium cabin, and risks either delays to the flight while maintenance is performed, or a very disgruntled customer flying with a seat that doesn’t go flat. Both issues have a key impact on airlines – cost. Lower weight means less fuel burn, therefore a lower operational cost. Lower maintenance does the same. At a time when airlines are doing everything they can to save money, a solution that drives down costs is likely to become a priority in the future. Safran brought such a solution to the industry a couple of years ago with its ‘Essential’ concept. No mechanics, no maintenance, and a lighter seat Essential is a no-maintenance, lightweight seat that strips all the fancy functionalities of the premium cabin back to, well, just the bare essentials. The seat has no moving parts, which means no expensive maintenance and a significantly lighter construction. It works by simply adding a padded section to the upright seat position to allow the creation of a generously sized sleeping surface. Removing the seat’s complex mechanics also increases the available space for passengers. This means the bed becomes 15% larger than the typical equivalent business class seat. Safran says that, as well as reducing complexity, the bed will actually become more comfortable because there’s no need to leave gaps for its movement, and the resulting sleeping surface is sturdier. With no mechanics onboard, the seat is considerably lighter too. It would achieve a 25% weight reduction over a typical business class seat and that, when multiplied over a cabin of 30 or 40 seats, would lead to a weight saving of as much as two tonnes. While the Safran Essential seat is just a concept at the moment, with airlines looking to save both cost and carbon where possible, it’s an interesting solution that could provide significant benefits in multiple ways. It’s one that could well see airline interest in the coming years. https://simpleflying.com/manual-lie-flat-seat/ SpaceX’s upgraded Starship set for test flight despite sore NASA contract losers Within the last week, while SpaceX has been diligently working to ready an upgraded Starship prototype for its first launch, former competitors Blue Origin and Dynetics – both of which recently lost a historic NASA Moon lander contract to SpaceX – have filed “protests” and forced the space agency to freeze work (and funds). That means that NASA is now legally unable to use funds or resources related to its Human Lander System (HLS) program or the $2.9 billion contract it awarded SpaceX on April 16th to develop a variant of Starship to return humanity to the Moon. However, just like SpaceX has already spent a great deal of its own time and money on Starship development and – more recently – a rapid-fire series of launches, the company appears to have no intention of letting sore losers hamper its rocket factory or test campaign. Instead, on the same two days Blue Origin and Dynetics loudly filed official protests with the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), SpaceX performed two back-to-back static fire tests with a Starship prototype and Raptor engines outfitted with “hundreds of improvements.” Technical challenges and unsavory weather conditions forced SpaceX to call off a launch planned sometime last week but the company now appears to be on track to launch Starship prototype SN15 as early as Tuesday, May 4th. In principle, the ability for companies to protest US government contracting decisions is a necessity and (nominally) a net good but it can easily be misused – and often in damaging ways. In the case of Blue Origin and Dynetics, it’s difficult not to perceive both protests as examples of the latter. Blue Origin effectively disagrees with every single major point made and conclusion drawn by NASA’s Source Selection Authority (Kathy Lueders) and a separate panel of experts – often to the point that the company is strongly implying that it understands NASA’s contracting process better than the space agency itself. Blue Origin partners Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin are both partially or fully responsible for several of their own catastrophic acquisition boondoggles (F-35, Orion, SLS, James Webb Space Telescope, and are part of the military-industrial complex primarily responsible for turning US military and aerospace procurement into the quagmire of political interests, quasi-monopolies, and loopholes it is today. The primary argument is generally shared by both protestors. In essence, Dynetics [p. 23; PDF] and Blue Origin [PDF] believe that it was unfair or improper for NASA to select just a single provider from the three companies or groups that competed. They argue that downselecting to one provider in lieu of budget shortfalls changed the procurement process and competition so much that NASA should have effectively called it quits and restarted the entire five-month process. Blue Origin and Dynetics also both imply that they were somehow blindsided by NASA’s concerns about a Congressional funding shortfall. In reality, NASA could scarcely have been clearer that it was exceptionally sensitive about HLS funding and extremely motivated to attempt to return humans to the Moon by 2024 with or without the full support of Congress – albeit in fewer words. As Lueders herself noted in the HLS Option A award selection statement, the solicitation Blue, Dynetics, and SpaceX responded to states – word for word – that “the overall number of awards will be dependent upon funding availability and evaluation results.” Additionally, implications that NASA somehow blindsided offerors with its lack of funding are woefully ignorant at best and consciously disingenuous at worse. Anyone with even the slightest awareness of the history of large-scale NASA programs would know that the space agency’s budget is all but exclusively determined by Congress each year and liable to change just as frequently if political winds shift. Short of blackmailing members of Congress or wistfully hoping that other avenues of legal political influence and partnership actually lead to desired funding and priorities appearing in appropriations legislation, NASA knows the future of its budget about as well as anyone else with access to the internet and a rudimentary awareness of history and current events. It became clear that Congress was likely to drastically underfund NASA’s HLS program as early as November 2020 – weeks before HLS Option A proposals were due. The latest appropriations bill was passed on January 3rd, 2021, providing NASA $850 million of the ~$3.4 billion it requested for HLS. Historically, NASA’s experience with the Commercial Crew Program – public knowledge available to anyone – likely made it clear to the agency that it could not trust Congress to fund its priorities in good faith when half a decade of drastic underfunding ultimately delayed the critical program by several years. That damage was done by merely halving NASA Commercial Crew budget request from 2010 to 2013, whereas Congress had already set itself on a path to provide barely a quarter of the HLS funds NASA asked for in the weeks before Moon lander proposals were due. Ultimately, the protests filed by Blue Origin and Dynetics are packed to the brim with petty axe-grinding, attempts to paint SpaceX in a negative light, and a general lack of indication that either company is operating in good faith. Instead, their protests appear all but guaranteed to fail while simultaneously forcing NASA to freeze HLS work and delay related disbursements for up to 100 days. Given that SpaceX is now technically working to design, build, qualify, and fly an uncrewed Lunar Starship prototype by 2023 and a crewed demonstration landing by 2024, 100 days represents a full 7-10% of the time that’s available to complete that extraordinary task. Ironically, the protests made by Blue Origin and Dynetics have already helped demonstrate why NASA’s decision – especially in light of unambiguous budgetary restrictions – to sole-source its HLS Moon lander contract to SpaceX was an astute one. Had a victorious Blue Origin or Dynetics been in a similar position to SpaceX, it’s almost impossible to imagine either team continuing work to a significant degree in lieu of NASA funding or direction. SpaceX, on the other hand, hasn’t missed a beat and looks set to continue Starship development, production, and testing around the clock regardless of NASA’s capacity to help. In other words, with a little luck, the actual schedule impact of a maximum 100-day work and funding freeze should be a tiny fraction of what it could have been if NASA had selected an HLS provider more interested in profit margins and stock buybacks than creating a sustainable path for humanity’s expansion beyond Earth. https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starship-sn15-test-flight-blue-origin-dynetics-protests/ Curt Lewis