May 17, 2021 - No. 38 In This Issue : Ex-BA boss warns that outdated technology is drag on airlines : GAO: Better Assessing Employees’ Skill Gaps Could Help FAA Prepare for Changes in Technology : BRISBANE TECH COMPANY LAUNCHES DAILY OPERATIONS SOLUTION FOR MID-SIZED AVIATION OPERATORS : Boeing secures FAA approval for fix on 737 Max electrical problem : TVA, MSU flight research lab collaborate on inspections : CBP Launches Simplified Arrival at Charlotte Douglas International Airport : The long death of Frigate Ecojet, Russia’s revolutionary wide-body : Aviation authorities reject five airport construction proposals : EDC of Florida’s Space Coast, Embraer Collaborated to Re-Energize Space Coast Economy at Critical Time : These Girl Scouts used drones to deliver their cookies : Proposed base for Elon Musk’s SpaceX project threatens lands and livelihoods in Biak, Papua Ex-BA boss warns that outdated technology is drag on airlines Former British Airways chief executive Alex Cruz, who suffered a serious data breach while running the carrier, has warned that airlines are being left behind by more nimble digital rivals because of their outdated technology. “If you look at the underlying systems that all big airlines . . . rely on, it is 20, 30, 40, 50-year-old technology, it is truly amazing to see,” he said in his first interview since he stood down as BA boss last October. Cruz, who has joined the board of Israeli digital start-up Fetcherr, was in charge of BA during a 2018 data breach that exposed personal and financial data of more than 400,000 customers. The airline said it had made considerable improvements to security since the breach, which led to a £20m fine from the UK’s data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office. Cruz also warned that the rise of companies with user-friendly technology such as Uber had left consumers demanding a better experience. This is putting pressure on airlines to raise their game, particularly after widespread complaints over the processing of refunds from cancelled flights during the pandemic. “We are being educated as consumers, to have super-high expectations on what digital relationships should be like with brands, [and] guess what, there are no travel brands today that can deliver that type of experience,” Cruz said. He was ousted as BA boss in a management shake-up by parent company IAG, but stayed as the airline’s non-executive chair until this March. Cruz has since become an adviser and board member at Fetcherr, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to forecast prices in the travel industry. While the aviation industry has traditionally used pricing models based on demand over previous years, the pandemic has led to passenger demand becoming fast-shifting and hard to predict — which Fetcherr hopes to capitalise on. Cruz also defended his sometimes stormy stewardship of the British national flag carrier, arguing that companies that took tough decisions during the pandemic would emerge strengthened. “There are some airlines that worked really, really hard at understanding what life is going to be after the pandemic . . . and there’s been others that haven’t, and those will take significantly longer to recover,” he said. Cruz was often a lightning rod for criticism at BA, such as the airline’s treatment of staff when it cut about a third of its workforce as the coronavirus crisis ripped through Aviation. But he said he had left the carrier in a position to recover quickly from the crisis, and spoke of “a great sense of pride” over how the airline and its staff reacted to the Pandemic. Before the crisis, Cruz had already faced questions over service cuts such as the removal of free meals in economy, which has since been reversed. In an unusual intervention, IAG’s largest shareholder Qatar Airways told the FT last month that the former BA boss had misstepped as he gained a reputation for costcutting. But some industry executives suspect that Willie Walsh, the former boss of IAG, had a hand in the cuts as he gave Cruz the task of making BA more cost-efficient to help it compete with budget rivals. Cruz also received little credit for masterminding more than £6bn of investment in new cabins and products — the benefits of which will be enjoyed by his successor Sean Doyle as the industry recovers. https://www.ft.com/content/5ffa512a-afd2-4d21-b3b3-866e32a7615d GAO: Better Assessing Employees’ Skill Gaps Could Help FAA Prepare for Changes in Technology The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) relies on a workforce of nearly 45,000 to operate the national airspace system. Changes in the aviation industry—including emerging technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence—will require FAA to increase oversight and seek additional critical skills for its workforce. FAA has identified critical skills needed for its workforce to respond to technology changes. However, the Government Accountability Office says FAA’s assessment of the skills of its current workforce was insufficient to show how many employees have needed skills and where the skills gaps are. In 2018, FAA’s Office of Human Resource Management began an agency-wide Strategic Workforce Planning Initiative to assess the skills FAA’s workforce needs today and will increasingly need in the future. These skills include data analytics, project management, and cybersecurity skills. Individual FAA offices also conduct workforce-planning activities. Selected offices have taken steps to identify critical future skills, such as specific technical skills for the engineers in the Office of Commercial Space Transportation. FAA also has taken steps to determine whether its workforce has the skills needed to respond to technology changes, but GAO has found these efforts have not been quantitative nor have they included all mission-critical occupations. In 2019, FAA conducted interviews with managers and staff to collect officials’ perspectives on what skill gaps exist. While the qualitative interviews yielded useful information on the skills needed, GAO determined that they did not provide measurable data showing how many employees have the skills needed and where gaps exist. FAA also obtained some information on skill gaps in its workforce from a 2020 Department of Transportation workforce assessment, but GAO says FAA’s response rate to that assessment was low, ranging from 12 to 25 percent. As a result, the information FAA has collected may not provide a complete assessment of whether its workforce has the critical skills needed to respond to technology changes including unmanned aerial systems, commercial space transportation, artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing. FAA regulates and oversees unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operations’ compliance, which includes prohibiting small UAS operators from operating in a careless or reckless manner that endangers the life or property of another, among other things. According to agency documents, the most significant example of a technology change that is affecting the national airspace system today is the introduction, adoption, development, and increasing use of small UAS. FAA estimates there were about 1.5 million small UAS in the United States in 2018, and the agency forecasts that there could be up to 3 million in the United States by 2023. This increase will inevitably impact FAA’s air traffic management, regulations, aircraft certification, and direct and indirect functions to keep the national airspace safe. The commercial space transportation industry provides launch services that enable national-security and commercial satellites, among other things, to be sent into orbit for government and private customers. The FAA plays a critical role in commercial space transportation by ensuring the protection of public safety during launch and re-entry operations. FAA’s regulatory oversight responsibilities for commercial space transportation include licensing and permitting commercial launch and reentry vehicle operations (with a launch or reentry license) and nonfederal launch sites (through a site operator’s license), as well as conducting safety inspections of licensed launch providers and site operators. In 2020, the FAA licensed 41 commercial space operations (launches and reentries), the most in the agency’s history. Those operations included 39 FAA-licensed launches, including the first ever NASA-crewed mission to be licensed. For 2021, the FAA is forecasting the number of licensed operations could reach 50 or more. In its Strategic Workforce Planning Gap Analysis Report FAA identified commercial space expansion and certification as one of several future state scenarios that will affect its workforce needs in the coming 1-3 years. According to FAA, it will need to assess the readiness of its workforce to meet the rising need for certification and regulation-related activities within the next 1 to 3 years. In addition, in September 2020, FAA issued a rule that amended its commercial space-launch and reentry regulations to streamline the launch and reentry licensing requirements. The rule incorporates performance-based requirements that provide applicants flexibility in how they achieve required safety outcomes. The Office of Commercial Space Transportation will need to ensure that it has the right number of staff with the appropriate expertise to conduct the analyses that will be required under the amended regulations. Emerging technological developments related to automation and artificial intelligence will increasingly be incorporated into new aviation products and will affect FAA’s aviation workforce. For example, industry representatives told GAO that as aircraft become equipped with automated self-diagnostic capabilities, maintenance technicians will need to adjust to skills needed to evaluate the faults and take corrective action. In addition, labor representatives stated that technological developments related to automation will increase the agency’s need for more engineers with in-depth knowledge of software engineering, systems engineering, cybersecurity, and related fields. Additive manufacturing (i.e., 3D printing) of aircraft parts is increasing as it is a cheaper alternative to traditional titanium manufacturing and allows for the production of more complex aircraft parts compared to more traditional manufacturing processes. The production and processing of this type of manufacturing requires FAA approval, and according to FAA, to ensure the safety of aircraft, the agency will need to conduct research on the suitability of new materials. According to FAA’s Aviation Safety Office officials, their office has been working to develop its expertise and capabilities in additive manufacturing through targeted hiring and training to ensure that their workforce has the ability to certify that products meet required safety standards. FAA is also developing an additive-manufacturing road map, which will include training and education, development of regulation documents, and a research and development plan. Recognizing the limitations set out in GAO’s May 13 report, FAA officials intend to conduct additional skill gap assessments. However, officials told GAO that because FAA is a large and dynamic agency, the process of completing agency-wide skill gap assessments will require better coordination with individual FAA offices. Thus, FAA has shifted its focus to developing a strategic workforce- planning policy and community of practice to facilitate agency-wide coordination on workforce-planning activities. GAO says these efforts represent positive steps and could help FAA conduct more comprehensive skill gap assessments in the future. GAO has recommended that FAA ensure that planned skill gap assessments, conducted in coordination with FAA offices, are quantitative and include all mission-critical occupations. FAA concurred. Read the full report at GAO https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/airport-aviation-security/gao-better-assessing-employees-skill-gaps-could-help-faa-prepare-for-changes-in-technology/ BRISBANE TECH COMPANY LAUNCHES DAILY OPERATIONS SOLUTION FOR MID-SIZED AVIATION OPERATORS Brisbane-based aviation technology company SkyNet Aviation has announced the launch of its latest flight operational software and analytics interface for mid-size fleet aviation operators, REACH Aero. REACH Aero technology is a multi-purpose interface that works to organise and monitor daily operations, including flight monitoring, scheduling, shift rostering, flight dispatch, critical weather management, fleet management, on-time performance and turnaround reporting, flight information display system, and engineering planning support. According to SkyNet, its latest technology platform hopes to change the way Operational Control Centres (OCC) function for mid-sized operators, particularly as the industry emerges from the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The company said its REACH Aero platform works to address key issues faced by mid-tier fleets, “providing them with the operational tools and capabilities normally only available to major airlines”. SkyNet said its latest technology solution can provide users with real-time data coherence “across every aircraft, all locations and any system within their company”. SkyNet also said its solution offers “significant cost reduction potential” and accessible data analytics, “enabling CEOs and CFOs to make effective, real-time business decisions and plan for profitable growth”. The company has partnered with global aviation organisations whose products are integrated directly within its platform, including Air Maestro, DTN, ForeFlight and Uplift Logistics. “Effective and efficient aircraft fleet management boils down to making the right decisions, at the right time, using the right information,” said SkyNet Aviation CEO Jon Davis. “We’ve been evolving REACH Aero for some time and the product we are launching today is the world’s only holistic, enterprise-grade operations solution that integrates an air fleet’s entire data, tracking and business intelligence posture onto a single ‘pane-of-glass’ display.” Davis said that mid-tier aviation companies, such as charter, aeromedical, or regional operators, usually depend on a “unique mix of software, systems and admin routines”. “They’ve typically been adopted reactively, over time, and the end result is a mix-and-match of systems and processes,” he said. “This assemblage of systems may be working well enough, but the conflicts and compromises involved will prevent a company in stepping up on safety, capacity or scale, or adapting to changing market conditions. “There’s been no way to overcome this without scrapping existing systems and spending considerable amounts on software that solves individual parts of the operational puzzle in isolation. “Until now, the all-encompassing flight ops solutions available only make economic sense for fleets that are 10 or 100 times the size of a mid-tier outfit.” “As mid-tier fleet specialists we’ve developed Reach Aero to not only work with an OCC’s existing software platforms but to also increase the functionality of their current software.” https://australianaviation.com.au/2021/05/brisbane-tech-company-launches-daily-operations-solution-for-mid-sized-aviation-operators/ Boeing secures FAA approval for fix on 737 Max electrical problem Boeing has secured approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a fix of an electrical issue affecting several 737 MAX aircraft. Last month, Boeing warned that some of its 737 MAX aircraft could have a possible electrical problem. This problem led to 109 jet’s temporary grounding by several US airlines. Boeing was quoted by Reuters as saying: “After gaining final approvals from the FAA, we have issued service bulletins for the affected fleet. We are also completing the work as we prepare to resume deliveries.” Last week, a Boeing spokeswoman reportedly said that it would work with the affected airlines to complete the repairs while it prepares to resume deliveries. The electrical issue comes several months after the FAA cleared to resume operation of the aircraft for passenger service in November 2020. The Boeing 737 Max was grounded for nearly two months following two fatal crashes that killed a total of 346 people. However, the manufacturer clarified that the electrical problem is not related to the issues that caused the two crashes. Both United Airlines and American Airlines expect their affected 737 Max jets to return to service in the coming days. Earlier this year, Boeing announced that it restarted delivery of its 787 Dreamliner following a five-month suspension amid ongoing inspection on the aircraft’s deck windows. https://www.aerospace-technology.com/news/boeing-faa-737max-approval/ TVA, MSU flight research lab collaborate on inspections The Tennessee Valley Authority and a Mississippi State flight research laboratory have agreed to collaborate on expanding the company’s use of unmanned aircraft systems for inspections in order to improve safety and lower costs. The partnership between TVA, which supplies electricity to nearly 10 million people across seven Southeastern states, and Mississippi State’s Raspet Flight Research Laboratory draws from the flight lab’s expertise in evaluating unmanned aircraft systems, known as UAS, and its associated technologies. “TVA is building the energy system of the future, and we need to use the latest technology to do it,” said David Hill, general manager TVA Aviation Services. “We currently utilize small UAS at generation sites and across our transmission system. This partnership will facilitate the next evolution of this technology, allowing TVA to continue providing low-cost, clean, reliable power.” MSU’s Raspet Flight Lab was designated in 2020 as the Federal Aviation Administration’s UAS Safety Research Facility, placing the lab at the helm of studying and developing safety and certification standards as UAS become increasingly integrated in the U.S. national airspace system. Central to the new joint effort is the utilization of larger UAS, categorized as Group 3 unmanned aircraft, to scale the power provider’s existing UAS operations. Group 3 aircraft can weigh up to 1,320 pounds and fly at altitudes not exceeding 18,000 feet. With more than 16,300 miles of line, more than 100,000 transmission structures, and hundreds of communication towers and properties located throughout an 80,000-square-mile region, TVA has the second largest transmission system in North America. Inspecting its resources regularly, including after weather events, is key in TVA sustaining its 99.999% service reliability since 2000. Finding new ways to safely increase inspection efficiency helps reduce operating costs, keeping TVA power rates some of the lowest in the nation. UAS are not presently permitted to operate unless they can be seen visually by the pilot or a trained observer working with the pilot. The FAA and UAS industry leaders worldwide, including Raspet, are researching and evaluating methods to expand UAS operations safely past this present limitation. For example, Raspet researchers are among those investigating various technologies which enable UAS to reliably detect and avoid other aircraft in surrounding airspace. “Future FAA-approved implementation of detect–and–avoid systems will allow UAS to operate safely beyond visual line of site — a necessary step for these systems to reach their full potential,” said Tom Brooks, director of the Raspet Flight Lab. “We’re eager to work alongside TVA in evaluating UAS technologies and determining how they align with TVA’s present and future operational needs.” https://www.djournal.com/ap/business/tva-msu-flight-research-lab-collaborate-on-inspections/article_b3e3f14c-0aaa-50db-8f9c-8b415fe80c80.html CBP Launches Simplified Arrival at Charlotte Douglas International Airport U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced the implementation of biometric facial comparison technology at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) as part of CBP’s efforts to secure and streamline international travel. “CBP is expanding the use of facial biometrics at Charlotte Douglas International Airport to provide travelers a safe, touchless international arrival process that further secures and modernizes air travel,” said Barry Chastain, CBP Area Port Director Charlotte. “Our valuable partnership with CLT continues to enhance the travel experience. In addition, CBP looks forward to partnering with stakeholders at other international ports of entry across N.C. to implement Simplified Arrival.” Simplified Arrival is an enhanced international arrival process that uses facial biometrics to automate the manual document checks that are already required for admission into the United States. This process provides travelers with a secure, touchless travel experience while fulfilling a longstanding Congressional mandate to biometrically record the entry and exit of non-U.S. citizens. “We are excited to partner with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to offer Simplified Arrival at CLT,” said Acting Aviation Director Haley Gentry. “As one of the busiest airports in the world, this innovative technology will provide our millions of passengers each year an enhanced customer experience upon their return to the U.S.” The biometric facial comparison process occurs only at a time and place where travelers are already required by law to verify their identity by presenting a travel document. When a traveler arrives at CLT, he or she will pause for a photo at the primary inspection point. A CBP officer will review and query the travel document, which will retrieve the traveler’s passport or visa photo from government holdings and compare it to the new photo. This enhanced process using facial biometrics only takes a few seconds and is more than 98 percent accurate. In addition, foreign travelers who have traveled to the United States previously may no longer need to provide fingerprints, as their identity will be confirmed through the touchless facial biometric process. https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/airport-aviation-security/cbp-launches-simplified-arrival-at-charlotte-douglas-international-airport/ The long death of Frigate Ecojet, Russia’s revolutionary wide-body Frigate Ecojet was a Russian project of a wide-body, four-aisle airliner with an oval fuselage cross-section. The team aimed to develop an airplane for a market long-occupied by Airbus and Boeing, and do it with the energy and resources of a startup. They drew from the roots of the whole Russian aviation industry but tried to uphold the standards and operations of a modern company. They even kept adapting to circumstances and enacting massive changes in the project to stay relevant through the two-decades-long development. But that was not enough. In November 2020, AeroTime asked Alexandr Klimov, the head of the project, about the state of the development of the aircraft. Klimov responded that a decision to freeze all work has been reached, and starting December, the Ecojet was going to officially be on hold. “We are going to announce that in two weeks,” Klimov added. Half a year has passed, and there was no official announcement. The company’s management did not respond to further emails, and the website of the team still displays the last press release from 2018. So, the most ambitious aircraft development program in Russia’s recent history went out not with a bang, not with a whimper, but without any sound at all. Since then, numerous pieces of media were published – articles, educational videos, and so on – with claims that the development is ongoing, and we will probably see the Ecojet soon. Unfortunately, such a possibility is very unlikely. Of course, officially the project is not dead. Even if the fact that it has been put on hold was officially announced, there would always be a chance of it being resumed: numerous Soviet and Russian projects spent years on ice before being resurrected. But for every project with such a fate, dozens, if not hundreds have remained on paper forever. One of them is the Tupolev Tu-304, the project from which the Ecojet evolved. Officially, that project is still on hold too, status-wise putting both planes on the same shelf. But how did everything start, and most importantly, why did the development run for so long? The 304 There is some conflicting information about the Tu-304, also sometimes referred to simply as “the 304”. Its development was most likely initiated either in 1990 or 1991, although the preliminary work may have started a bit earlier. It was supposed to be the second aircraft in Tupolev’s new line of next-generation airliners, a step above the middle-of-the-market Tu-204. Tu-304 would have been a twinjet, powered by a newly developed, highly efficient Kuznetsov NK-44 turbofan. With the range of 10,000 kilometers, it could compete with the upcoming Boeing 777, and easily take out a chunk of both Airbus A330 and A340. It could have been the first plane the newly established Russian Federation offered to the Western market. The time was turbulent: the collapse of the Soviet Union ushered in a financial collapse but opened new opportunities for Russia’s aircraft manufacturers. Some engineers emigrated, others got involved in mutual projects with Western companies, but many tried to realign the legacy of the centralized Soviet industry with the emerging market economy. Aircraft like the Tu-204 and the Tu-304 may have been conceived when nobody could even imagine a prospect of selling them to European or American airlines, but now this was a real possibility. Moreover, Western companies saw quite a bit of potential in the exotic nature of the post-Soviet technology; and on top of all, it was incredibly cheap. And the Tu-304 seemed like it could offer some things neither Boeing nor Airbus had. It was supposed to have laminar flow wing, up to 15% of composite materials in its structure (the 777 had 12%), and could come with a wide variety of both western- and Russian-made avionics and engines. But most importantly, it would have been bigger. With an intention to replace new, but already outdated four-engine Il-96 (an upgraded Il-86, Soviet Union’s answer to the Boeing 747) it could feature 500 seats in all-economy configuration. Later plans reduced the size, with 400 seats in all-economy and 312 seats in three-class configuration, which was in between various contemporary models of the 777. But the developers assured that there is plenty of potential for a stretch. The most striking feature of the Tu-304 was, of course, the oval cross-section of the fuselage. Not a new idea in itself (pre-jet era airliners had all kinds of cross sections) it has never been implemented on near-sonic, high-flying passenger jet. It is difficult to pressurize such a fuselage, and it required much more structural weight. But engineers at Tupolev felt that they could pull it off. It would allow to have a ten-abreast, 2-3-3-2 seating in the economy class, and the 2-2-2-2 seating in the business class, three aisles providing much more comfort and flexibility than two aisles of regular wide-body airliners. The project was officially announced in 1995. Some sources claim that a mockup of the aircraft was built, but there are no photos, and that fact might be just a myth. Some other of Tupolev’s odd-looking projects – such as the Tu-404 flying wing or the natural gas-powered Tu-206 – had been presented at various airshows, complete with models and other promotional material. But, for some reason, the Tu-304 never reached that stage. The idea of Western airlines buying Russian jets never materialized too: by the late 90s the interest disappeared. Although cheap an exotic, the produce of post-Soviet aviation industry was not seen as high-quality, well designed or even safe. Russian airlines had no intention in buying Russian-made jets too – flying Airbus and Boeing was seen as more prestigious, western aircraft were oftentimes more luxurious, widely available and in many cases not that expensive. Not only Tupolev, but all the other post-Soviet manufacturers survived the early 90s on enthusiasm alone. By the end of the decade, with widespread corruption, no government support and no orders in sight, companies started falling apart. Tupolev’s conversion from a party-controlled design bureau to a company did not go smooth too. In 1995 it became a part of Rosaviaconsortium – the first attempt to consolidate the disorganized mess that was the post-Soviet aviation industry, and that meant a lot of optimization. By 1998, the transition was not yet complete, and between hearings at the Russian parliament and production moving to a standstill due to the lack of funds, there was a need to get rid of all but essential projects. In 1997, Valentin Klimov, the chief engineer of Tupolev and the head of the Tu-304 program, became the general director of Rosaviaconsortium. Besides the inability to continue hands-on work on the jet, he made a lot of difficult, yet necessary decisions. One of them was to concentrate on the production and further development of the Tu-204, the only somewhat successful Russian airliner of the time. By 1998, the development of the 304 was completely abandoned. It became just another “project of the 90s” – a description nowadays indicating ambition, naivety, and failure. The Ecojet It is somewhat difficult to pinpoint not only what spurred the resurrection of the Tu-304, but when it happened too. According to some less-than-reliable sources, Valentin Klimov dusted off the abandoned program in 2004. But there is no mention of it anywhere up until the official announcement in 2010, although that announcement contained a surprisingly developed, thought-out, and well-prepared idea. The Tu-304 was rebranded as Frigate Ecojet, a result of then-fashionable westernization in Russia, and even clearer indication of orientation towards western markets. The overall appearance of the jet was retained, save for two vertical fins being replaced by just one. But concept-wise, pretty much everything was changed. The aircraft would no longer be developed by a major corporation – it had to be a startup, headed by Klimov’s young and energetic son, Alexandr Klimov. The process would be rife with larger than life promises of ecology and efficiency. “Aviation industry is in crisis,” Klimov said in a contemporary interview to press agency Interfax. “Aircraft prices remained stagnant since the 70s. It is impossible to solve this problem in the framework of the old technological state. We have to not only develop a new aircraft but to enter a new level of technological development.” The argument was to significantly reduce the price of the production by any means possible. Bloated supply systems, complicated chains of contractors, high entry barriers, difficult legacy of long-gone processes – pretty much everything about the existing aviation industry was identified as a culprit. The way out of that contained a whole methodology of high-tech solutions and fashionable business buzzwords. The team aimed to develop “a new ecosystem” of aircraft development and manufacturing. The aircraft itself was a bit unconventional too. Dropped was a pretense of competing with western manufacturers; in the early days, Klimov constantly presented the Airbus A300 as the main role model: a wide-body with comparatively short range, something that filled the need not seen by major manufacturers at the time. So, the Ecojet – while retaining the capacity of 300 to 350 passengers – would have a maximum range of just 3.500 kilometers (2.175 miles), being, essentially, a super-sized mainline jet. Half a decade later the company started advertising it as a middle-of-the-market one, an idea that rose in popularity as both Boeing and Airbus raced to make their 737 and A320 bigger and bigger. The initial stage of the development was the most active one: by 2013 the company completed wind tunnel testing of a model, organized a series of discussions with various low-cost airlines, and amassed support from an impressive number of foreign research institutions. Officially, the program was international, which would have helped with eventual certification. By 2015, it began stalling. International ties got severed with rising geopolitical tensions, as collaboration with foreigners became a curse word in Russia. As indicated on the Ecojet website, the program was still stuck in the “formulating of a business model” phase, whatever that phrase actually meant. In reality, a myriad of reality-related problems was encountered. It turns out, just talking about “a new ecosystem” does not create an actual aircraft. Especially if that ecosystem inherits all the flaws of a previous one, and makes them worse. According to Klimov, the actual design and manufacturing of the jet were to be completely relegated to third parties: outsourcing detailed design work, production of the prototype, and other important steps. It is difficult to say how that was better than the traditional development with bloated supply chains and a myriad of contractors. The newly invented way to solve existing problems, in reality, just made them worse. Since 2017, the program entered a state of extreme turbulence. It got rebranded again, mostly due to the change in concept: with foreign engine manufacturers out of reach, domestic alternatives had to be developed; the only sufficiently efficient engine was the PD-14, developed for the MC-21, but it was way too weak. The twinjet turned into a quadjet, an anachronism that, probably, would have been scolded by Klimov had he encountered the idea in the early 2010s. The rest of the characteristics remained the same, meaning that the change had little to do with anything else. The aircraft was renamed into Freeejet, although nobody bothered changing the name of the company. The rebranding brought in a new wave of attention, and the head of the development used that to assure the press: the Ecojet is going to be a purely Russian program now, utilizing Russian talent. But Russia already had a medium-range jet that it invested a lot of money into – the MC-21. There also were no factories to outsource the manufacturing to. The entire idea was hanging in the air without firm support, like a Wile E. Coyote that has just run off a cliff. The company started repeating motions time and time again seen in stories of failing ambitious projects: the change in focus (in 2018 Klimov claimed that the prime objective of the company now is to create a “digital aviation development platform”, and an aircraft will follow); the sudden contraction of workforce, masked as “optimisation”; the incoming lawsuits. In 2019 the company got sued for not tax evasion. By that time, according to financial reports, 5 people were working at Frigate Ecojet company. Its website described Alexander Klimov as “program leader”, not a CEO. Financial reports indicate that the real CEO is Mariya Zhuganova: an accountant of Rosaviaconsortium. As of writing of this article, nothing changed. There were no formal announcements, and the company froze at its smallest. It has not received investments in recent years. The information, obtained from Klimov in late 2020, indicates that the Rosaviaconsortium does not have much faith in it too. On the one hand, it would be easy to describe Frigate Ecojet as just another victim of the COVID-19 crisis: after all, the pandemic struck the wide-body market the most. And there is no doubt that with the whole industry contracting, investments in new and unproven ideas would be few and far between. On the other hand, the Ecojet was not a long range aircraft, and in its late stage it was almost exclusively aimed at Russian low-cost airlines - a market that did not suffer from the pandemic that much, but even despite that would have not warranted developing a whole new aircraft. So, in some way, the ambitious project was doomed for quite some time now. It was only a question of time before it got abandoned. https://www.aerotime.aero/27937-The-long-death-of-Frigate-Ecojet Aviation authorities reject five airport construction proposals The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has rejected proposals from five localities to build their own airports. In the report on the evaluation of airport planning submitted to the Ministry of Transport in early May, the CAAV suggested keeping the current number of airports, both planned for construction and fully operational, of 28 by 2030 and adding just one more airport in the northern province of Cao Bang by 2050. The proposals for building five airports in the northern provinces of Bac Giang, Ha Giang, Ninh Binh, central Ha Tĩnh Province and southern Bình Phước Province were rejected. Nguyen Anh Dung, deputy head of the Transport Ministry’s Department of Planning and Investment told local media that there were six main criteria for airport construction. They included the future forecast demand for passenger volume, evaluating its role in promoting socio-economic development, ensuring national defence and security, emergency relief, natural conditions and access to a city centre. Of these, the demand for passenger volume and natural conditions were the most important criteria. Dũng said that all airports with annual traffic of fewer than 2 million passengers are facing losses. In addition, according to international experience, the distance between two airports should be more than 100 kilometres, or it would likely be ineffective, he said. PhD Nguyen Bach Tung, an aviation expert, said the locations of airports were not suitable to the topography. Tùng cited Ha Giang and Ninh Binh as examples. Ha Giang, with its hilly and mountainous terrain, was not suitable to build an airport while Ninh Binh had large rice fields, which would cause impacts on local people’s livelihood in the land acquisition process. Tùng also said the majority of domestic airports currently did not reach designed capacity. Some airports often had few passengers in the early stages such as Van Don and Can Tho. Therefore, the efficiency of airport investment should be carefully considered. Pham Van Toi, vice chairman of Vietnam Association of Aviation Science and Technology, said many proposals for airport construction have not been fully surveyed and considered. For example, Ha Giang proposed an airport for both military and civil purposes, but its land and airspace was limited. In the report, the CAAV has asked the ministry to keep the planning for Hai Phong international airport in Tiên Lang District to be a subsitute for Noi Bai and Cat Bi airports by 2050. Tới said Tien Lang District had a land fund of 4,000 to 6,000 hectares, ensuring the construction of an airport with a capacity of more than 100 million passengers per year. Most of the land was alluvial ground between the Thai Binh and Van Uc rivers, so it was convenient for site clearance as it would not affect locals’ livelihood. However, foundation construction would be complicated and costly. He said Tien Lang was a good location as the highways connected it to Hanoi, making travel more convenient. He also added that the existing Cat Bi Airport could not be expanded as it was located near a river. In the report on airport planning, the CAAV proposed the country would have 29 airports by 2050, including 14 international and 15 domestic airports. Currently, Vietnam has 22 airports operating nationwide. https://vietnamnet.vn/en/travel/aviation-authorities-reject-five-airport-construction-proposals-737222.html EDC of Florida’s Space Coast, Embraer Collaborated to Re-Energize Space Coast Economy at Critical Time BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – At 11:29 a.m. on July 8, 2011, Space Shuttle Atlantis rose from the launch pad one last time, marking the end of the program. A few months later, “60 Minutes” prophesied the Space Coast’s upcoming “crash landing.” Boy, were they wrong. The Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast, led by president and CEO Lynda Weatherman, would not accept the doomsday scenario, redoubling efforts to re-energize the area with corporate newcomers. Literally flying to the rescue was Embraer, a conglomerate that is third-largest aircraft manufacturer of commercial aircraft in the world, while also producing military, executive and agricultural aircraft. Over the last five decades, Embraer has designed, developed and certified close to 50 aircraft models, delivering over 8,000 aircraft to 100 countries. When Embraer selected Brevard after closely examining a host of other possible locations for its North American manufacturing facility, the company set the stage for the Space Coast’s rebirth. “The timing could not have been better,” said Weatherman. “It was our own economic stimulus at a time when we really needed it.” Not only did the $53 million commitment and 200 jobs Embraer promised materialized, but its presence in Brevard has since bloomed to approximately 1,000 jobs, a 236,000-square-foot facility and a robust and exciting product line and spinoffs. “The Space Coast is an area enveloped in aerospace innovation, engineering and technology, which is why Embraer decided to build our Melbourne campus, the home of the executive aviation business unit,” said Michael Amalfitano, President & CEO of Embraer Executive Jets. “We are inspired by the vibrant environment around us and since 2011, we have produced the industry’s most technologically advanced and disruptive aircraft from right here in Brevard.” Embraer’s commitment to the area also paved the way for others to follow. Corporate giants Northrop Grumman, Lockheed and Boeing have since also significantly expanded their footprint in Brevard. In December of last year, Aerion, the leader in supersonic technology, joined the group by breaking ground in Melbourne for Aerion Park, a $300 million capital investment on state-of-the-art global headquarters that will add at least 675 new jobs to the area. “Embraer helped to create the wave,” said Weatherman. “These are major business decision for these companies.” When aeronautical businesses establish major presences on the Space Coast, they also create a circle of support jobs that stretch beyond engineering and manufacturing jobs. A major reason companies such as Embraer selected the Space Coast for expansion is its skilled workforce, together with the manufacturing talent pool being nurtured through programs such as the Certified Production Technician Program, the 10-week training program that the EDC sponsors at Eastern Florida State College. Embraer has embraced the CPT workforce development program, opening its facilities to students and hiring its graduates. The partnership is expected to continue in the months ahead as Embraer continues growing in Brevard. The company’s Brevard assembly line produces the Phenom 100EV entry level jet, and the Phenom 300E light jet, the fastest and longest-ranged single-pilot business jet which has been the most delivered aircraft in its segment for 9 consecutive years, as well as final assembly of the best-in-class Praetor 500 mid-size jet and Praetor 600 super mid-size jet. The workforce that assembles these state-of-the-art aircraft includes graduates of another manufacturing training initiative, Eau Gallie High School’s Aviation Fabrication Program. “While the industry faced some headwinds this past year, business aviation fared particularly well as we experienced more first-time buyers entering the market, a quick recovery of fractional and fleet operators, as well as corporations rethinking the benefits of the use of private aircraft,” said Amalfitano. “Our product segments are continuing to grow, which means many more aircraft produced in Melbourne for our customers to travel the world.” Growth continued when Embraer unveiled EmbraerX, a Brevard-based market accelerator subsidiary that collaborates with global innovation communities to develop solutions that transform life experiences. “Our presence here inspires us in numerous ways, and we envision many more exciting opportunities ahead,” explained Amalfitano. “For instance, the future of advanced air mobility is rapidly progressing and will continue to play an important role in our dynamically growing business. We are always looking forward to what’s coming next in our industry and how we can help reshape the future air travel ecosystem.” In October 2020, EmbraerX announced Eve Urban Air Mobility Systems, Inc., or Eve, a new, independent company dedicated to accelerating the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) ecosystem. Eve is developing a full portfolio of mobility reimagined solutions to enable the UAM market and ultimately benefit people’s lives, including the progression and certification of the company’s electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL), the associated comprehensive services and support network and the creation of urban air traffic management solutions. “Eve stands primed to create a new frontier in transportation with intelligent, environmentally friendly, autonomous-ready aircraft and the associated ubiquitous support and urban air traffic management solutions,” said Francisco Gomes Neto, President and CEO of Embraer. “We value the vast potential of the UAM market, as it represents a new business segment in which we foresee significant opportunities for Embraer,” With innovative entities such as Embraer, EmbraerX and Eve firmly positioned in Brevard, the vast sky above remains the limit for the Space Coast. https://spacecoastdaily.com/2021/05/edc-of-floridas-space-coast-embraer-collaborated-to-re-energize-space-coast-economy-at-critical-time/ These Girl Scouts used drones to deliver their cookies Missing out on Thin Mints in the pandemic? A Google affiliate is using drones to deliver Girl Scout cookies to people’s doorsteps in a Virginia community. The town of Christiansburg has been a testing ground for commercial delivery drones operated by Wing, a subsidiary of Google’s corporate parent Alphabet. Now, the company has added the iconic boxed cookies to the drugstore offerings, FedEx packages, and locally-made pastries, tacos, and cold brew coffees it has been hauling to a thinly populated area of residential subdivisions since 2019. Wing said it began talking to local Girl Scout troops because they’ve been having a harder time selling cookies during the pandemic, when fewer people are out and about. The Scouts jumped on the new twist to its skills-building mission. “I’m excited that I get to be a part of history,” said 11-year-old Gracie Walker, of the Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Troop 224. “People are going to realize and be, like, ‘Hey, this is better for the environment and I can just walk outside in my pajamas and get cookies.’” It’s the latest step toward building public enthusiasm for drone delivery as Wing competes against Amazon, Walmart, UPS, and others to overcome the technical and regulatory challenges of flying packages over neighborhoods. Federal officials started rolling out new rules in mid-April that will allow operators to fly small drones over people and at night, potentially giving a boost to commercial use of the machines. Most drones will need to be equipped so they can be identified remotely by law enforcement officials. The 10-pound Wing drone that made the first deliveries in Christiansburg in fall 2019 is already an artifact held at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Whether it will go down in history as a revolutionary innovation or a utopian flop remains to be seen. Amazon has also been working on drone delivery for years. In 2013, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said in a TV interview that drones would be flying to customers’ homes within five years, but that deadline has long since passed. The company did win government approval to deliver packages by drones last August, but Amazon said it was still testing them and hasn’t started delivering goods to shoppers yet. David Vos, an aerospace engineer who led Google’s Wing project until 2016, said he has been surprised that drone delivery ventures haven’t taken off more quickly. “I thought it was completely doable to be up and going by 2021,” Vos said. While he still thinks drone technology is getting closer to delivering the size, weight, and power needed to transport goods safely in populated places, Vos said the tech industry also needs a cultural shift. In particular, he said, it needs to bring on people from the traditional aviation industry who have experience building “safety-critical systems” that meet strict performance standards. Wing’s drones are able to navigate autonomously — without a human pilot controlling them remotely — and are powered by two forward propellers and 12 smaller vertical propellers. When a drone reaches its destination, it hovers above the front lawn as a tether releases to drop the package. “It was so smooth and it didn’t shake,” said Walker, who, before her troop added drones to its sales strategy, would wear a mask and set up a cookie booth outside a home improvement store. “They look like a helicopter but also a plane.” There’s not much evidence that consumers have been clamoring for drone delivery, and many have expressed privacy, safety, or nuisance concerns when asked to imagine the noisy machines over their homes. Wing has objected to some of the FAA’s new drone rules on privacy grounds, saying the remote ID requirement could allow observers to snoop on delivery routes online. But in a small survey of Christiansburg residents by researchers at nearby Virginia Tech that Wing helped fund, most townspeople appeared to be content with the drones. “One of the reasons is because Virginia Tech is here and there’s an engineering culture of trying new things,” said Lee Vinsel, an assistant professor of science, technology, and society who conducted the Virginia Tech survey. “And the suburban setup is easiest for drone delivery.” That might not be the case for much denser places, he added. “Manhattan would be tough.” https://www.inquirer.com/life/wingllc-girl-scout-cookies-drone-20210515.html Proposed base for Elon Musk’s SpaceX project threatens lands and livelihoods in Biak, Papua In December 2020, the Indonesian government had offered the Papuan island of Biak, home to some 100,000 inhabitants, to the centibillionare Elon Musk as a potential launch site for the SpaceX Mars-bound expedition. SpaceX, an aerospace corporation founded in 2002 by Musk, is arguably the world’s most leading-edge technological project. It aims to enable humans to travel to and live on Mars and potentially other planets sustainably and at scale. This way, human civilisation can continue in the event of a planetary disaster – for instance, an asteroid strike or nuclear war – that would make life on Earth impossible. At a local level, government officials say the project will help enhance the economic development of the residents of Biak, a rural island where urban infrastructure is lacking. Most recently, local news reported on March 11 that the Indonesian government has denied making the offer to Elon Musk, although a report published in late March by JUBI, a news website based in the capital city of Papua, Jayapura, claims the SpaceX project in Biak is still ongoing. It is still unclear whether Musk has confirmed his acceptance of the government’s offer. However, many Biak residents have voiced strong opposition to the project. They fear it may damage their natural environment, have negative impacts on their cultures and livelihoods, and displace communities from their homes and villages. Economic and strategic factors Biak island is an attractive location for the Mars expedition for economic and strategic reasons. The island sits within a region rich in natural resources, including copper and nickel. These metals are essential for the production of rockets and long-range batteries for electric vehicles, like Tesla (another Elon Musk venture). Biak is also located one degree south of the equator, meaning less fuel will be required for a spacecraft to reach orbit. SpaceX expects to generate revenue of US$36 billion by 2025, although the accuracy of such projections is disputed. As a social anthropologist, I have spent many years researching how Indigenous Papuan peoples interact with their natural environments. In particular, I have been exploring how Papuan cultural values and traditions shape how they engage with and understand the value and meaning of the natural environment – the forests, oceans, rivers and land. Between March and April 2021, I interviewed 10 Biak inhabitants to understand their perspectives on the SpaceX project. The overwhelming majority of these individuals believe they have the right to decide what developments happen on their lands and what kind of livelihoods they want to pursue. One of the elders explained that local communities in Biak have been fishing, gathering, hunting and engaging in small-scale horticulture and animal husbandry for many generations. The idea of achieving sustainability in outer space, especially Mars, was strange for many of the interviewees. They firmly believe that the way they use forests and oceans is already sustainable. Land and livelihoods The SpaceX project could also threaten the lands and livelihoods of Biak residents. They continue to rely primarily on fishing, hunting and horticulture for their daily subsistence. As with other Indigenous Papuan communities, the land and environment represent an integral part of the richness of their local cultures. As several interviewees explained, clans and tribes in the Biak area share ancestry with different plants, species and locations in the landscape, which are responsible for their health and well-being. For instance, the crocodile is said to represent the power of the sea and Biak clans consider it a sacred totem animal. To Biak and other Papuan dwellers, the environment is also a source of precious traditional knowledge, stories passed down through generations, and animist belief systems. Biak myths often feature forest plants like the coconut palm, animals including snakes and birds, and natural phenomena like the Moon and Sun. For Biak inhabitants, damaging the environment means damaging local people’s sense of cultural identity, belonging and pride. Another risk is that the Biak project might displace populations. One of the Biak elders I interviewed noted that relocating tribes to other territories could cause problems with the tribes already inhabiting and owning these territories. This in turn risks leading to land disputes, social conflict and more violence. Deep-rooted trauma Many Biak dwellers whom I interviewed also argue that the project will obscure the history of violence and suffering, and the dreams of justice and freedom for West Papuans, in favor of rockets and space exploration. In particular, the transformation of their island into a launchpad for extra-planetary discovery risks further obscuring the trauma that haunts the relatives and descendants of those who died in the Biak Massacre of July 1998. The Biak Massacre Citizens Tribunal – an expert witness and judicial inquiry event held at the University of Sydney in December 2013 – concluded that Indonesian military and security forces had tortured, raped, killed and dumped hundreds of Biak civilians at sea. Some of the victims had attempted to raise the West Papua Morning Star flag – a crime punishable by up to 15 years’ jail under Indonesian law. To date, no charges have been laid against the perpetrators of the violence. The government denies responsibility for this event, described by human rights organisations as one of the worst massacres in Indonesia’s post-Suharto history. Unhealed trauma plays a big part in shaping Biak residents’ reactions to the SpaceX project. For many inhabitants, looking into the future demands first and foremost a recognition by the national and international community of the violence that has characterised West Papua’s modern past and the denied freedoms that continue to characterise its present. From my long years working with and learning from Indigenous Papuans, I have come to understand that they, too, have their own dreams, including dreams of justice, healthy environments and cultural continuity. Indigenous Papuan peoples are among the last standing guardians and custodians of rich Indigenous civilisations in Indonesia. These are grounded in relations of respect and nurture with the land and environment. Papuan peoples envision hopeful futures for their children and grandchildren to come – not on Mars or the Moon, but right here on their own customary lands, forests and seas. The problem arises when some dreams are prioritised at the cost of others. Extra-planetary exploration may promise revolutionary futures for humans to come. But it should not undermine the well-being and justice of humans today. Humanity’s shared future can only be great if all visions of the future are respectfully taken into account – those of entrepreneurs and government, but also those of local communities and their increasingly vulnerable environments. https://theconversation.com/proposed-base-for-elon-musks-spacex-project-threatens-lands-and-livelihoods-in-biak-papua-160110 Curt Lewis