May 8, 2024 - No. 19 In This Issue : FAA Issues Warning On Potential Wing Cracks In Revo Inc. Amphibious Aircraft ; NASA inspector general finds Orion heat shield issues pose significant risks' to Artemis 2 crew safety : Beefier Batteries Add Electric Airplane Utility : Boeing pushes back on whistleblower’s allegations \and details how airframes are put together : What Is Sustainable Aviation Fuel, and Will It Really Make Flying Greener? : V-22 Office Looks At Long-Term Upgrades Amid Near-Term Fixes : NASA tests tiny 4.3-foot engine to develop new ultra-efficient airplanes : Reliable Robotics Delivers KC-135 Stratotanker Automation Roadmap to U.S. Air Force : Top 3 universities for Aeronautics and Astronautics engineering postgraduate programmes : 10 Years of Textron Aviation FAA Issues Warning On Potential Wing Cracks In Revo Inc. Amphibious Aircraft By Amelia Walsh Published: May 3, 2024 Updated: May 4, 2024 The Federal Aviation Administration issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) concerning potential cracks in the wing structures of certain aircraft manufactured by Revo Inc., including various Lake and Colonial amphibious models. The bulletin specifically addresses concerns regarding cracks in the “wing rear attach beam assembly and hole-quality issues identified in a significant number of aircraft.” The FAA said the issue does not pose an unsafe condition prompting an airworthiness directive but urges owners and operators to take precautions. The affected models include the Colonial C-1, Colonial C-2, Lake LA-4, Lake LA-4A, Lake LA-4P, Lake LA-4-200, Lake Model 250, and Lake 270 Turbo Renegade. In issuing the SAIB, the FAA gathered information from the Lake Amphibian Club (LAC), which, over the past 45 years, documented 27 reports of cracks in the wing rear spar web that were visible in the aft wheel well. The FAA recommended conducting inspections during routine preflight, annual or 100-hour inspections. Additionally, the agency recommended performing these inspections following specific events such as water loop incidents, accidents involving wing or landing gear impact, or any other scenarios where the wing may have experienced increased torsion stresses on the rear attachment area. 2024-02- NASA inspector general finds Orion heat shield issues 'pose significant risks' to Artemis 2 crew safety By Brett Tingley published May 2, 2024 Note: See photos and videos in the original article. Heat shield issues threaten the timeline of NASA's Artemis moon exploration program. NASA's Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 1 mission after it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11, 2022. (Image credit: NASA/James M. Blair) NASA's moon program still has some work to do before it can put human boots back on the lunar surface. The agency's Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report on Wednesday (May 1) titled "NASA's Readiness for the Artemis 2 Crewed Mission to Lunar Orbit," which aims to determine how ready NASA is to launch its Artemis 2 moon mission, currently scheduled for late 2025. The inspector general writes that the Artemis 1 test flight of the Orion spacecraft "revealed anomalies with the Orion heat shield, separation bolts, and power distribution that pose significant risks to the safety of the crew." Resolution of these anomalies is among the most significant factors impacting NASA's readiness for Artemis 2, the report adds. Related: NASA still investigating Orion heat shield issues from Artemis 1 moon mission The report says NASA found over 100 areas on Orion's heat shield — where thermal material protects the spacecraft from the heat of reentry — had worn away "differently than expected" during the spacecraft's reentry to Earth's atmosphere. A video released by the agency in December 2023, in fact, clearly showed charred heat-shield material flying off of the spacecraft as it reentered the atmosphere at the end of the Artemis 1 mission. Some of that material is also seen briefly clinging to Orion's windows as the capsule made its way from space to the Pacific Ocean, west of Baja California. Images from the NASA OIG report "NASA's Readiness for the Artemis 2 Crewed Mission to Lunar Orbit" that show damage to the Orion spacecraft's heat shield. (Image credit: NASA OIG)In a Jan. 9, 2024 teleconference announcing delays to the Artemis program timeline, Amit Kshatriya, deputy associate administrator for NASA's Moon to Mars program, directly addressed that particular heat shield issue. Advertisement "We did see the the off-nominal recession of some char that came off the heat shield, which we were not expecting," Kshatriya said during the briefing. "Now, this heat shield is an ablative material — it is supposed to char — but it's not what we were expecting, with some pieces of that char to be liberated from the vehicle." NASA is already making modifications to the heat shield to help mitigate the charring issue. In addition, the agency is altering how it bolts the spacecraft's crew capsule to its service module, hoping to mitigate unwanted melting around the bolts. The OIG report also cited anomalies in Orion's electrical system that affected how power is distributed throughout the spacecraft. NASA believes radiation caused these anomalies; as such, the agency is developing "operational workarounds," although the OIG report adds that, without a permanent change in the spacecraft's electrical hardware, there is an "increased risk that further power distribution anomalies could lead to a loss of redundancy, inadequate power, and potential loss of vehicle propulsion and pressurization." Advertisement Additional issues cited in the report include a 4.5-hour communication loss that occurred during an outage of one of NASA's Deep Space Network facilities, as well as unexpected damage to the Artemis 1 mobile launcher imparted during launch. The latter will cost NASA over 5 times more than expected, adding up to a total of $26 million. NASA still has well over a year to determine how to address the issues cited in the OIG's report. However, as the report explains, even though progress is being made, "verification and validation testing for some of these upgrades and modifications is taking longer than expected." Per the OIG's recommendation, the agency should carefully monitor Artemis 2 hardware as it gets developed and tested in order to avoid putting the mission's crew at risk. Artemis 2 is currently scheduled for September 2025, having been delayed from its original launch date of November 2024. The delay was made in order to provide more time to ensure all hardware is safe for the crew ahead of the planned mission around the moon and back. That new timeline means NASA astronauts likely won't return to lunar surface until September 2026 with Artemis 3. However, delays in developing and testing SpaceX's Human Landing System, which will ferry astronauts to and from the lunar surface, could delay that date even further. Beefier Batteries Add Electric Airplane Utility By Russ Niles Published: May 2, 2024 A Utah company says it’s packed more power into its aircraft batteries, allowing a practical leap in capability, particularly for the electric training fleet. Provo-based EP Systems says its new EPiC 2.0 storage system will give aircraft like the forthcoming eDA40 trainer up to 30 minutes more usable flight time, and that’s an important half-hour. The company’s earlier model, the 1.0, would allow for about 60 minutes of flight time, which is just a little less than the length of a typical flying lesson. That means students had to divide their time between the electric plane and a conventional trainer. “The additional range of these new batteries will allow us to do local flight training and cross-country flight training as well,” said Dan Sutliff, Assistant Professor at Utah Valley University. “Everything that needs to be completed for a private pilot certificate.” The company said the more energy-dense battery (265 watt hours per kilogram vs. 205 wh/kg) was a decade in the making. “This really unlocks electrification for so many different customers in so many different segments,” said EPS CEO Nathan Millecam. “This is the first time where we’ve seen the convergence of all the technologies that we’ve been developing for over a decade now.” It’s not just a matter of putting more power in the cells. New technologies were needed to make them safe and prevent thermal runaway. The new batteries are a drop-in replacement for its earlier model. Boeing pushes back on whistleblower’s allegations and details how airframes are put together A Senate subcommittee has opened an investigation into the safety of Boeing jetliners, intensifying safety concerns about the company’s aircraft. The panel has summoned Boeing’s CEO, Dave Calhoun, to a hearing next week where a company engineer, Sam Salehpour, is expected to detail safety concerns about the manufacture and assembly of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. Updated 5:56 PM CDT, April 15, 2024 Boeing is defending the integrity of the fuselages on two of its largest planes, which have come under criticism from a whistleblower who warns that panels on the outside of one of the planes could eventually break apart during flight. Two Boeing engineering executives went into detail Monday to describe how panels are fitted together, particularly on the 787 Dreamliner. They suggested the 787’s carbon-composite skin is nearly impervious to metal fatigue that weakens conventional aluminum fuselages. Their comments during a lengthy media briefing served as both a response to news reports last week about the whistleblower’s allegations and a preemptive strike before he testifies to a congressional panel on Wednesday. The whistleblower, Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour, said excessive force was applied to fit panels together on the 787 assembly line, raising the risk of fatigue, or microscopic cracking in the material that could cause it break apart. What Is Sustainable Aviation Fuel, and Will It Really Make Flying Greener? By Elissa Garay • April 29, 2024 The first commercial transatlantic flight powered by sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, took off in November. Going forward, what is the alternative fuel’s potential—and could it make flying more eco-friendly? The airline industry is betting big on sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF—a fuel alternative made from renewable biomass and waste products. Dozens of airlines around the globe are experimenting with it; in November, headlines buzzed following the first fully SAF-powered transatlantic flight on a commercial airline (British carrier Virgin Atlantic). But while the emissions-heavy airline sector is heralding SAF as a silver bullet to its decarbonization goals, experts say environmental pitfalls and other obstacles abound. What is sustainable aviation fuel, and what’s spurring its popularity? SAF is a liquid, energy-dense fuel sourced from nonpetroleum sources, known as feedstocks, including renewable plant- and waste-based products such as used cooking oil, municipal waste, and algae. Estimated to slash the carbon footprint of conventional kerosene-based jet fuel by as much as 80 percent, SAF is also attractive for the “drop-in” compatibility it offers with existing airplane technology (meaning that it’s capable of being used with existing aircraft engines and other supply infrastructure and is compatible to be safely mixed with conventional jet fuel). Currently, SAF is positioned as the sector’s leading means of meeting pressing U.N.-set climate targets and emerging government-imposed mandates that require airlines to partially employ SAF to operate within their borders (now instated in places like the European Union, United Kingdom, and Singapore). The International Air Transport Association (IATA), a global trade association representing some 300 airlines, has committed to meeting a net-zero emissions target by 2050—and SAF is tied to a substantial 65 percent of its calculations for reaching that goal. What are some of the challenges and barriers to entry for SAF? Currently, 0.2 percent of aviation fuel consumed worldwide each year is SAF. “SAF use is a drop in the bucket,” says fuel expert Nikita Pavlenko of the nonprofit International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) Why is that? Well, not only is SAF up to five times more expensive than standard jet fuel, but also, it’s scarce: While roughly 158 million gallons were produced in 2023, IATA says that 119 billion gallons of SAF is needed annually to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Costs and funding are a big part of the scalability issue. The ICCT website reports that supply is not currently where it needs to be because the funds that “airlines are throwing at SAF today are insufficient to increase supply and build true markets.” Organizations like the ICCT suggest that airlines are unlikely to voluntarily pay a premium on fuel costs since it would increase their operating costs, push airfares up, and potentially quell demand by pricing customers out of flying. Instead, these groups suggest that supply needs to be boosted via SAF government mandates as well as economic incentive programs like government subsidies and tax credits (e.g., the new credits now being offered to SAF producers in the United States via the Inflation Reduction Act). Additionally, SAF proponents say that more capital must be made accessible to encourage startup fuel producers. Some airlines are taking the investment strategy into their own hands: United Airlines, for instance, kicked off a $200 million venture capital fund to invest in SAF technology last year. Others, like Lufthansa and SAS, are passing on some of the cost to passengers with the option of “green fares,” typically priced at a premium, that bundle SAF usage (as well as other carbon reduction attempts like offsets) into the ticket price; other airlines, including Air France, British Airways, and JetBlue, let passengers opt in for a supplementary fee to support SAF usage and development. The nation of Singapore, meanwhile, won’t make it optional: All passengers departing on flights from Singapore will be subject to a mandatory SAF fare levy starting in 2026. (The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore shared that costs will vary according to factors such as distance and fare class but cited some sample economy-class fare hikes on a direct flight from Singapore to Bangkok, $2.20; Tokyo, $4.40; or London, $11.75.) For now, the gap between available SAF funding and the production needed remains wide. So are sustainable aviation fuels actually sustainable? Some say the term sustainable aviation fuel is an oxymoron. SAF may be a lower-carbon fuel alternative, but it’s not a no-carbon alternative. In fact, SAF emits comparable amounts of carbon dioxide to standard jet fuel when it’s burned, though it has lower life-cycle emissions overall, owed to its feedstocks (like biomass, which helps absorb similar amounts of carbon from the atmosphere as it grows). Each SAF product generates varying life-cycle CO2 emissions and comes with other environmental considerations (like deforestation and food crop competition to make way for SAF-ready crops), based on which feedstock types and production methods are employed. Finally, current ratio requirements adhered to by the IATA limit SAF to 10 to 50 percent of the permitted fuel blend for airplanes, meaning that the remainder of the blend must be powered with conventional—and more heavily carbon-emitting—jet fuel. Perhaps most critically, SAF remains extremely limited in supply, with doubts being increasingly cast on whether the large quantity of SAF required can be scaled quickly enough to meet the industry’s deadlines and targets. Ultimately, leading environmentalists and analysts caution that unconstrained growth for the aviation sector, using the promise of SAF as a panacea to the industry’s decarbonization challenges, means that the airlines won’t reach their climate goals. For now, one surefire way to ensure airline emissions reduction, Pavlenko says, is this: “The least polluting flight is one that doesn’t happen.” V-22 Office Looks At Long-Term Upgrades Amid Near-Term Fixes Brian Everstine April 30, 2024 U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 flies in Norway in April 2022. Credit: U.S. Marine Corps The V-22 Program Office is starting a new study looking at long-term modernization of the tiltrotor, overhauling almost all of the aircraft except for the fuselage while also installing changes to the gearbox to try to fix vexing ongoing issues. The long-term plan, which the office calls the Renewed V-22 Aircraft Modernization Program (ReVAMP), is in the early stages. It focuses on “if we had to do V-22 all over again, what would that look like,” says Col. Brian Taylor, program manager of the V-22 Program Office (PMA-275). For now, it appears the V-22’s fuselage has largely unlimited life, while many of the maintenance issues and problems that limit the aircraft’s longevity are on its wings, engines and gearboxes. “So if we put a new wing and nacelle on there, we’re probably good for another 40 years,” Taylor says. The study targets research, development, test and evaluation in about 2036, with developmental testing around 2040 and installations in 2042. Broadly speaking, study areas include an improved drive system, new engines or new cores for the existing engines, improved ice protection, and modernization to the aircraft’s maintenance process, according to Taylor’s presentation at the Modern Day Marine expo in Washington April 30. At the same time, the program office is also focusing on a nearer-term refresh to the V-22’s cockpit under an effort called the V-22 Cockpit Technology Replacement (VeCToR). This is largely to address obsolescence issues with cockpit displays, keyboards, weather radar and mission computers, among others. Much of the current burden is on the V-22’s tilting nacelles, which create about 60% of the overall maintenance work. The Air Force is undertaking a nacelle replacement program, with about 20 aircraft already through the process. The U.S. Navy is also expected to go through the process. The Marine Corps, however, with the largest fleet, will not go through the full nacelle replacement. Instead, Marine Corps V-22s will have the wiring inside the nacelle replaced—a much easier and cheaper job that is still expected to achieve about 70% of the maintenance and reliability improvements that would result from a nacelle replacement. The most urgent near-term fixes are inside the V-22’s gearbox, with proprotor gearbox problems linked to several high-profile crashes. The most notable problem has been with the input quill assembly (IQA), which has long had a problem causing the clutch to slip—known as a hard clutch engagement. Within the past two years, the military services have been replacing the IQA every 800 hr., an expensive and time-consuming burden as the fleet has returned to flight after multiple groundings. The program office is early in the process of an IQA replacement, with about 15 changes in a new prototype that will be delivered within the next month or so, Taylor says. While Taylor did not delineate specific changes, he did say it is informed by a prior effort to redesign the IQA. The Joint Program Office (JPO) started an IQA redesign in 2017 to try to fix the issue of hard clutch engagements that at the time had been known for about seven years, though the fix failed to be qualified in 2020, Aerospace DAILY has learned. Taylor says the V-22’s clutch is unique and is “on a very tight edge of engaging when it needs to and releasing when it needs to.” The previous redesign effort had “gotten a little bit too far one way on that, so this one is informed by that.” The Navy’s fiscal 2025 budget request outlines a plan to upgrade the input quill and purge the fleet of thin-dense chrome plating, which has long caused issues by becoming worn during use and chipping into the Osprey’s oil system. The service expects to begin fielding new kits in fiscal 2026. Taylor says the kit covers replacements of “key degraders” to the overall gearbox. The cause of thin-dense chrome chipping is on the clutch’s pinion bearing, and this will be replaced with another type of steel that Taylor says is “really going to help us” with one particular instance of chipping. The office is also looking at replacing other metals inside the gearbox. Chipping has been linked to mishaps, and usually results in a proprotor gearbox change when discovered. With the long-known issues of hard clutch engagements and chipping inside the gearbox, the JPO says it better understands the environment inside the clutch assembly—though no root cause to the problems have been announced. The V-22’s clutch is unique, and there has been a “decade-long study of this particular phenomenon,” Taylor says. With the V-22 having been in service for more than two decades, engineers at Naval Air Systems command have had a “running list of things that hey, if I had to do it all over again, these are the things I would do” when asked about addressing V-22 reliability issues, Taylor says. “I would say within about 10 min. of asking this question about 12 of the ideas were instantly brought to us because they had been kind of sitting out there for a while,” Taylor says. “But really all of this is data informed by what we have learned in the past and then really now it’s now about making sure that it’s actually going to be the solution that we need.” NASA tests tiny 4.3-foot [Jet] engine to develop new ultra-efficient airplanes This engine is small enough to sit on a tabletop, measuring just 4.3 feet (1.3 meters). Mrigakshi Dixit 8 days ago Note: See photos in the original article. The DGEN380 Aero-Propulsion Research Turbofan (DART) is a small-scale jet engine NASA uses to test new aviation technology. NASA/Bridget Caswell Developing a new airplane engine system takes extensive research and development. Nowadays, there is a strong drive to make aviation a more sustainable sector. NASA has been conducting experiments using a small-scale, fully-working jet engine to advance sustainable aviation technology. The engine, known as the DGEN380 Aero-Propulsion Research Turbofan (DART), is housed in the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. DART is not associated with NASA’s other same-name mission that redirected an asteroid’s trajectory. This tech is small enough to sit on a tabletop, measuring only 4.3 feet (1.3 meters). This makes it nearly half the size of engines seen in medium-sized aircraft. “DART’s small size makes it appealing. It’s a great way to explore new technology that hasn’t yet reached the level of a full-scale operation,” said Dan Sutliff, who coordinates research for the engine at NASA Glenn. Fully operational engine This engine enables researchers and engineers to test new engine components without needing a costly full-sized jet engine test rig. It was built by a French firm called Price Induction (now Akira) and purchased by NASA in 2017. It is compact yet powerful, capable of producing 570 pounds of thrust. The DGEN 380 engine consists of five primary turbo machinery parts: a high-pressure turbine, a high-speed shaft, a compressor, and a low-pressure turbine. The engine also boasts a high bypass ratio. This implies that DART’s design allows a large part of incoming air to bypass the engine core. A high bypass ratio is a common feature in bigger engines used in commercial airplanes. Interestingly, this design helps to higher fuel efficiency as well as emits less noise, bringing DART closer to bigger engines used in commercial aircraft. These high-tech features make DART ideal for testing next-gen propulsion techniques. DGEN AeroPropulsion Research Turbofan (DART). NASA NASA to design fuel-efficient jet engines by 2030 NASA engineers aim to use the engine in their efforts to develop a new small-core, fuel-efficient jet engine for commercial airliners by the 2030s. If the technology’s current testing proves successful, the next step would likely involve subjecting it to more thorough evaluations in larger and more advanced testing facilities, such as NASA’s wind tunnels. Reliable Robotics Delivers KC-135 Stratotanker Automation Roadmap to U.S. Air Force Provided by Business Wire May 2, 2024 8:00am Note: See photos in the original article. Reliable Robotics Delivers KC-135 Stratotanker Automation Roadmap to U.S. Air Force First phase of funded study provides key insights for full large aircraft and boom automation Reliable Robotics, a leader in safety-enhancing aircraft automation systems, today announced completion of a KC-135 Stratotanker Automation Study for the U.S. Air Force (USAF). The study was commissioned by the USAF as part of a Small Business Innovation Research Phase III contract to examine in detail how Reliable’s aircraft-agnostic autonomous flight system would be integrated into large multi-engine aircraft. Most significantly, findings from the KC-135 Automation Report further validated that Reliable’s commercially developed technology can be scaled to automate all phases of KC-135 operation including taxi, takeoff and landing, while continuing to mature automation of the refueling boom. The report was presented to senior Air Mobility Command (AMC) leadership earlier this year. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240502348568/en/ “The Air Force is continually innovating, and autonomy will be a key enabler for global missions and agile combat employment,” said Colonel Lisa A. Nemeth, Headquarters Air Mobility Command A5/8, Deputy Director Strategy, Plans, Requirements, and Programs. “Automating the KC-135 for refueling, cargo transport, and joint operations with coalition military forces will allow pilots and crew to focus on higher-complexity tasks.” With nearly 400 in operation, the KC-135 Stratotanker serves a crucial role in meeting the refueling and air mobility needs of the United States Air Force. Bringing remotely piloted operations to the KC-135 will enable increased operational tempo, innovative logistics capabilities, enhanced readiness and significantly lower operational costs. Automated aerial refueling enables air power to be projected farther downrange by sustaining the force in dynamic and contested environments. Leveraging Reliable’s aircraft automation technology will provide these transformational capabilities rapidly at reduced procurement costs for the Department of Defense. Reliable envisions that the KC-135 automation solution will: • Automate aircraft operations, including taxi, takeoff, cruise and landing • Enable operations with reduced crew workload, greater operational efficiencies and enhanced technological capabilities • Provide safe and efficient automated refueling of military fleets • “Deep integration with U.S. Air Force teams and in-depth evaluation of the aircraft informed our determination that the hardware and system architectures we’ve developed are capable of automating the KC-135,” explained Juerg Frefel, CTO and Co-founder of Reliable Robotics. “We are confident we can assist the Air Force in maturing large aircraft automation design configurations, and rapidly deliver a proof of concept for automated KC-135 operations.” Reliable Robotics has the most advanced FAA certification program for full aircraft automation with certification plan acceptance in 2023 and all requirements for the aircraft navigation and autopilot systems agreed upon in early 2024. Together with the FAA, agreement has been reached on the testing and analysis that will be performed to show that these highly automated systems satisfy safety and performance requirements. With FAA approval, Reliable Robotics has already successfully remotely operated uncrewed flights with two airframes, the Cessna 172 in 2019 and the Cessna 208B Caravan in 2023. Reliable’s success in USAF demonstrations and industry-leading FAA certification progress make the company uniquely positioned to rapidly deliver a transformational KC-135 automation capability to the Department of Defense. Top 3 universities for Aeronautics and Astronautics engineering postgraduate programmes STUDY INTERNATIONAL STAFF 03 MAY 2024 Source: Purdue University Aeronautics and Astronautics, the engineering fields that propel us through the air and into the cosmos, remain ever-relevant. From the commercial airliners that crisscross the globe, like Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, to the ingenuity behind SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets launching satellites, these disciplines are constantly pushing the boundaries of flight. Research-based graduate programmes in Aeronautics and Astronautics offer a chance to go deeper, equipping students with advanced knowledge in aerodynamics, propulsion, and spacecraft design. This specialised knowledge skillset is crucial for tackling challenges like improving fuel efficiency for aircraft or designing the next generation of deep space probes. Graduates with these qualifications are highly sought after by industry giants such as Airbus, NASA and private spaceflight companies like Blue Origin. They play a vital role in shaping the future of transportation, communication, and scientific exploration, ensuring humanity continues its ascent to new heights. If this is something that you aspire to achieve, here are three leading universities that you can consider: Carleton University: Changing the world, one engineering student at a time At Purdue University, students can conduct hands-on research into propulsion technologies at Zucrow Laboratories, the largest university propulsion lab in the world. Source: Purdue University Purdue University Founded in 1869, Purdue University, a top-ranked public university in West Lafayette, Indiana, is renowned for its rigorous and experiential programmes that prepare students for successful careers. The School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University is exemplary of this. It ranks sixth in US News and World Report’s list of top aerospace graduate programmes. Graduate programmes offered here include the MS non-thesis, Professional MS with Engineering Leadership focus, MS thesis, and PhD programmes. Whichever programme you choose, you’ll learn from world-renowned experts conducting cutting-edge research in Aerodynamics, Aerospace Systems, Astrodynamics and Space Applications, Autonomy and Control, Propulsion and Structures and Materials. Pair that with Purdue’s world-class research facilities, and you’ll have an enriching experience and education here. The Zucrow Laboratories complex is the largest university facility in the world for studying aviation and aerospace propulsion. The school is at the forefront of hypersonics research and is expanding its facilities with cutting-edge innovations. There are also exceptional resources in composite materials, including an industrial-scale manufacturing and testing facility. One of the largest, if not the largest, indoor Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) test facilities in the world, is here too. With such programmes and facilities, many graduates go on to make “giant leaps” in their careers. Purdue produces the most aerospace engineering graduates in the US — with many going on to succeed in the field. For example, Sirisha Bandla’s journey from a Purdue graduate to a commercial spaceflight pioneer is a testament to the career-making opportunities the school provides. Another graduate, Julie Kramer White, is now director of engineering for NASA’s Johnson Space Center and was chief engineer on the Orion capsule that will send humans back to the Moon and Mars. To follow in their footsteps, apply to the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics today. The graduate programme in the University of Tokyo’s aerospace engineering offers in-depth studies and advanced research across Fluid Dynamics, Structures and Materials, Flight Dynamics and Control, and Propulsion. Source: University of Tokyo University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics boasts a rich history. Established in 1918, it was briefly closed after World War II before being reorganised and expanded in 1954 to keep pace with the rapid advancements in aeronautics and space technology. Today, the department offers robust graduate programmes that reflect the growing sophistication of the field. Approximately 70% of graduates pursue further studies at the department’s esteemed graduate school. The remaining graduates succeed in national research labs and relevant industries, including aircraft and space, automobile, and heavy industries. Here, students can pursue a two-year Master’s degree or a three-year Doctorate programme, with an intake of around 15 doctoral students per year. The department focuses on the science and engineering behind aircraft and spacecraft, encompassing fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, V/STOL vehicles, rockets, and space vehicles. Recognising the field’s rapid evolution, the department offers up-to-date courses in aerodynamics, propulsion, flight dynamics, instrumentation and control, structural mechanics, materials science, and system design. To cater to individual interests, the department provides specialised courses in Aerospace Engineering and Aerospace Propulsion. The graduate programme goes beyond classroom learning, providing opportunities for in-depth research. Students actively participate in cutting-edge research projects. The programme is further structured into four research groups: Fluid Dynamics, Structures and Materials, Flight Dynamics and Control, and Propulsion. The department’s Center for Aviation Innovation Research takes a holistic approach, examining aviation advancements from technical, policy, and economic perspectives. The centre also hosts international seminars, workshops, and symposia. What’s more, students benefit from the department’s exceptional faculty and access to state-of-the-art facilities like shock tube, hypersonic wind tunnel, transonic cascade tunnel, aerospace environmental testing facilities and many more. The Aeronautical and Astronautical engineering programmes at the University of Southampton are accredited by the Royal Aeronautical Society. Source: University of Southampton/Facebook University of Southampton The University of Southampton has a rich history in aerospace engineering, offering programmes since the 1930s. This legacy extends to its graduates, some of whom made aviation history three decades later with the world’s first human-powered flight. Today, Southampton continues to produce highly sought-after graduates who significantly contribute to the space industry, aerospace, and defence sectors. The university’s four-year aerospace engineering programme equips students with a strong foundation for future endeavours. The first two years focus on theoretical knowledge, covering subjects like aircraft aerodynamics, propulsion, avionics, and structural design. As students progress, the programme transitions to a more practical approach. They gain hands-on experience through workshops, design studios, and industry visits. These opportunities provide valuable insights into potential career paths and the realities of the field. Programmes offered here include the MSc in Aerodynamics and Computation, MSc in Race Car Aerodynamics, and MSc in Space Systems Engineering. Take the MSc in Space Systems Engineering for an example. Developed by the university’s world-renowned Astronautics Research Group and endorsed by the UK Space Agency, this programme equips you with the expertise to design entire space systems. What’s more, you will gain in-depth knowledge of how various subsystems function and interact to create a cohesive whole. Academic rigour is just one facet of the Southampton experience. Students are actively encouraged to participate in individual and group design projects, as well as conduct their own research projects. The best part? You’ll do all these honing with the support of world-class facilities that include a spacecraft propulsion laboratory, wind tunnels, an autonomous systems test bed, and a shaker table. For Oliver Hitchens, a graduate of the Aeronautics and Astronautics / Spacecraft Engineering (MEng) course, however, the best thing about Southampton was “meeting a diverse range of people that I can now call my friends.” 10 Years of Textron Aviation 26 March 2024 Textron Aviation began its life as a rumour in late 2013; today it is general aviation's equivalent of a super power. In December that year, a tremor ran through the aviation industry when Textron–already the owner of Cessna, Bell Helicopter and Lycoming–announced that the company had bought iconic GA giant Beechcraft. The deal went through three months later, and a new Textron subsidiary, Textron Aviation, was born. It bought to an end the saga of Hawker Beechcraft, which had voluntarily plunged into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early 2012 as part of a deal with creditors. It was not long after that a Chinese suitor moved on the company. Chinese concerns were at the time seeking to buy going GA companies, with CAIGA acquiring Cirrus Aircraft, Sino-backed Soaring America sinking ill-fated funding into Mooney, and Cessna seeking assembly agreements in China. Another Chinese company, Superior Aviation Beijing, struck a deal to become the exclusive potential new owner of Hawker Beechcraft whilst due diligence was done. Importantly, the deal came with a $US50 million, non-refundable deposit. All other suitors were to be shunned. The deal unraveled in October 2012, with Superior backing away from their commitment, gifting Hawker Beechcraft the $US50 million that enabled them to bid farewell to Chapter 11 and begin thinking about a future as a stand-alone company once again. Such was the confidence that, whilst still technically in Chapter 11, Beechcraft announced a new model: a single-engined turbo-prop (SETP) based on the Hawker Premier jet airframe. It was an ambitious move into a market saturated by the Cessna Caravan, Pilatus PC-12 and Daher-Socata TBM 850. "We are focused on product development of the Beechcraft brand," Hawker Beechcraft Executive VP Shawn Vick said. "We have announced that we have intentions to go from the present six airplanes to as many as ten. "We have done a lot of engineering work and advanced design work on this airplane. It would be based on the Premier fuselage, so you can have eight passengers in a double club [layout] or high density, which is as many as 11." In March 2013, the yoke of Chapter 11 was officially lifted, with the emerging company to be known as Beechcraft Corporation. It was business as usual with Beechcraft turning out 35 Barons and Bonanzas every year, and with the King Air series in a market niche all of its own, things were back on track. But Textron was watching. Cessna themselves had plans for a low-wing SETP to battle for market share with the Pilatus PC-12. In early December, the wheels on the GA rumour mill reached max RPM as people began to talk about Cessna and Beechcraft in the one sentence. For once, the rumours were true. At the end of December 2013, Textron announced they had agreed to buy Beechcraft Corporation, creating a GA manufacturing colossus to be named Textron Aviation. The deal became official in March 2014, 10 years ago this month. Since then, the story of Textron Aviation has been one of new airframe designs, development of the jet range and a rocky road for the traditional prop-driven ranges. New jets in the Cessna Citation range have included the CJ2+, CJ3+, X+, Latitude and Longitude, and the King Air series gained the King Air 360 and 260. Cessna's high-wing single product list was bolstered with the offering of a diesel-powered C172 announced at Oshkosh in 2014, but a development project for the JT-A diesel Skylane was dumped in favour of resurrecting the classic C182S avgas Skylane. The diesel Skyhawk, although certified, failed to make a mark on the delivery figures over the years, and is now not featured on the Textron Aviation website. In the meantime, the C172SP marched on, but the Skylane has well and truly lagged a long way behind the all-conquering Cirrus SR22 series. An attempt to lure Cirrus customers back to Cessna played out in the form of the Cessna Corvalis TTx. A development of the acquired Columbia series of composite aircraft, the TTx became a flash-in-the-pan model, entering the market in 2013 and selling for four years, disappearing off the shipment sheets in 2018. Cirrus was proving a tough act to match. Seemingly surrendering the high-speed single market to Cirrus, Textron instead concentrated on turbines. In July 2015, a low-wing SETP project was made public. Rather than the Beechcraft idea of developing a jet airframe, this was a clean-sheet design. "Textron Aviation has been listening to the market and sees an opportunity to fulfill a gap in our broad product line, so we are moving forward with plans to enter the single engine turbo-prop segment," a Textron spokesperson said at the time. "We intend to outperform the competition with the introduction of this product – from cabin size and acquisition cost, to performance capability." Them's huge fighting words obviously spat in the direction of Swiss manufacturer Pilatus and their market-dominating PC-12. The new aircraft would first be called the Cessna Denali, then it became the Beechcraft Denali and the powerplant announced as a new, untried General Electric turbine that became the Catalyst engine. In November 2021, the prototype first flew, six years after the announcement. To date, it has not yet been certified. By contrast, Textron proudly announced in 2017 that it was developing a high-wing twin turbine utility to be called the C408 SkyCourier, with freight company FedEx as the launch customer. Three year later, the first prototype was airborne, and production roll-out and certification occurred in rapid succession in the northern Spring of 2022. The type is now in service. The major difference between the two projects is the engine. Textron gambled on a new powerplant as a point of difference between the Denali and the PC-12, whereas they stuck with the tried-and-much-trusted Pratt and Whitney PT6A for the SkyCourier. Most recently, in March 2022, Textron surprised the aviation world when they bought Slovenian LSA builder Pipistrel. Cessna's last foray into the market, the Chinese-built C162 SkyCatcher, deteriorated into the deletion of the model in 2013 and destruction of unsold airframes. But Textron bought Pipistrel not for its LSA business, but for the technology in sustainable aviation that the company had become known for. "Pipistrel puts Textron in a uniquely strong position to develop technologies for the sustainable aviation market and develop a variety of new aircraft to meet a wide range of customer missions,” said Textron Chairman and CEO Scott Donnelly at the time. “Today’s announcement supports Textron’s long-term strategy to offer a family of sustainable aircraft for urban air mobility, general aviation, cargo and special mission roles. “Pipistrel has been celebrated as one of the world’s most important and successful manufacturers of electric aircraft. Textron is committed to maintaining Pipistrel’s brand, headquarters, research and development, and manufacturing in Slovenia and Italy, while making additional investments in Pipistrel for the development and production of future products.” And it is the future that Textron remains focused on. They already have the No.1 four-seat trainer in the C172SP and the clear twin turbo-prop leader with the King Air range (admittedly competition in this category isn't strong), and now are looking to establish themselves in the SETP low-wing market to complement the category pioneer: the C208B Grand Caravan. "Bringing the best in the industry together helped make us even stronger," a company statement reads. "Throughout the past 10 years, Textron Aviation has announced 19 new products, expanded its advanced manufacturing capabilities, grown its global support network and continued its emphasis on providing the best customer experience in the industry. "While there has been much to celebrate, our focus remains on what’s next." Curt Lewis