July 31, 2024 - No. 31

 


In This Issue 

: GAP Analysis; Stretch Your Limits

: CFM Leap 1A Reverse Bleed System Retrofits Set To Begin 

: HAECO - Largest MRO Partners with ProSafeT

: Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport Goes Neo 

: Harbour Air Electric Beavers Draw Oshkosh Crowds 

: Bombardier Eyes Next Steps for Spirit Belfast Plant 

: America prepare for the engine of the future and it’s unimaginable: U.S. Air Force unveils its secret project

: Green Fuels Hamburg abandons SAF project

: 100LL Drop-In Replacement ‘Impossible’ Says PAFI Candidate 

: US scientists master control of hypersonic jet engine with light-based tech 

: Combining Hovercraft and Ground Effect Technology for Freight Transport

: New Height Announcer/Reminder Device Improves Water Airplane Safety

 

 


CFM Leap 1A Reverse Bleed System Retrofits Set To Begin
Sean Broderick Guy Norris July 26, 2024
CFM Leap-1A

Operators of CFM Leap 1A engines will soon have access to reverse bleed system (RBS) retrofit kits, the engine manufacturer announced, hitting its planned deadline of having the durability-improvement kits available around mid-year.

A service bulletin detailing the retrofit process is set for release in the coming days, CFM confirmed during the recent Farnborough Airshow. Kits have been pre-positioned to help keep up with expected demand for the solution to a nagging problem.

CFM developed the RBS to prevent coking, or temperature-induced evaporation of unburned fuel around nozzles that inject fuel into the combustor. The condition results from residual heat in the engine core hardware “soaking back” after shutdown.

If the fuel nozzle temperature exceeds the coke formation threshold, solid carbon forms. Eventually, the deposits can affect fuel flow and cause uneven internal combustor temperatures, which leads to reduced on-wing life and in the most extreme cases, in-service issues such as in-flight shutdowns.

The coking has led to high rates of fuel-nozzle replacements. Some operators have been replacing up to 10 fuel nozzles during performance restorations, GE Aerospace says. The company’s goal is to cut this to one. The Leap 1A has 19 fuel nozzles, while the Leap 1B has 18.

New Leap 1As began shipping with line-fit RBSs earlier in 2024. At the time, CFM said a retrofit kit would be available by “mid-summer.”

Operator feedback on the line-fit RBSs has been positive, CFM president and CEO Gaël Méheust says, adding, “We’re seeing good results from more than 100 RBS-equipped engines already in service with 24 customers.”

CFM said some of its CFM-branded service agreement (CBSA) and other licensed third-party shops are expected to offer the retrofits. CFM’s overhaul network comprises five CBSA facilities and 11 other approved shops alongside 19 OEM-owned repair stations.

A similar system is being developed for the Leap 1B and is slated to be available in 2025. Early testing on the GE9X, which powers the Boeing 777-9, revealed signs of coking conditions, so GE added an RBS to its newest widebody turbofan. GE and Safran are 50/50 partners in CFM.


 


 

 


Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport Goes Neo
Airbus has launched a new version of the MRTT+ tanker/transport, based on the A330-800neo airliner

Earlier this month Airbus announced a follow-on order for four MRTTs from Saudi Arabia, which will increase its fleet to 10.

By David Donald • Contributor - UK
July 24, 2024

After several years of studying the idea, Airbus unveiled a version of its popular A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) based on the new-generation A330-800neo airliner on Tuesday at Farnborough. Officially known as the A330 MRTT+, the aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines.
The powerplant and an all-new wing offer an 8 percent improvement in fuel efficiency compared with the current MRTT, which Airbus based on the A330-200. The fuel load, held in wing tanks, remains the same at 111 tonnes, but the extra efficiency equates to increased fuel offload capacity and/or improved range. Airbus claims that the MRTT+ will have a 41 percent range advantage over the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus.

Parts commonality between MRTT and MRTT+ is around 95 percent, and Airbus does not envision the need for a dedicated trials aircraft. Computer modeling has predicted that the new wing will permit the wing-mounted refueling pods to maintain their performance. Airbus will perform flight trials using a customer aircraft. When that first MRTT+ flies relies on the market, and the full launch of the program will coincide with the first order.

The MRTT+ will be delivered with Airbus’s A3R autonomous air refueling as standard, expandable to an A4R configuration that permits full control of the boom refueling operation.

Airbus reports considerable interest in the MRTT+ as it continues to add to its overall MRTT order book, which now stands at 82 from 15 customers. The latest announcement is a repeat order from the Royal Saudi Air Force, which wants to add four more MRTTs. Canada is also introducing the A330 MRTT into service with a fleet of nine, including some second-hand airliners modified to MRTT standard.

 


 

 


Harbour Air Electric Beavers Draw Oshkosh Crowds
Electric power turns the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver into a sleek, modern-looking airplane

© Matt Thurber/AIN

By Matt Thurber • Editor-in-Chief
July 26, 2024

Among the few electric aircraft this week at EAA AirVenture 2024 were two Harbour Air electric de Havilland DHC-2 Beavers, one of which was supposed to be the afternoon flying display on Tuesday, but a rapidly developing rain shower prevented the flight. But with one eBeaver parked at the seaplane base and another on the show grounds, there were plenty of opportunities to see these unique machines at AirVenture. They were both disassembled and shipped to the Oshkosh, Wisconsin venue in containers and then reassembled onsite.

Harbour Air has been working with electric propulsion developer MagniX for many years and first flew the eBeaver in December 2019 from Fraser River in Vancouver, Canada, for an eight-minute flight. The original version was powered by a 500-kilowatt magni500 motor derated to 338 kilowatts to match the Beaver’s 450-hp piston engine. The eBeavers on display at AirVenture have a magni650 capable of 650 kilowatts but are still derated so pilots don’t have to get used to a different power output.

For Harbour Air, an electric airplane capable of short flights while carrying its normal load of one pilot and five passengers makes a lot of sense. “We were very unsure at the time that this was going to be able to be commercialized,” said Erika Holtz, Harbour Air’s lead engineer for the electrification program. “Our predictions originally were that we would only be able to have an eight-minute flight, which is not really [commercially viable] for flying passenger aircraft.”

Further research and a ground simulator that enabled extensive testing of the eBeaver in a variety of conditions and configurations showed that a commercially viable electric airplane should be achievable.

“We performed almost 90 flights with this exploring the performance of the aircraft,” she said. It turned out that the original Beaver at 5,600 pounds needs 62% of its maximum power to fly level. The eBeaver needs only 41%, thanks to significant reduction in drag with the sleeker cowling, less cooling drag, and a more efficient propeller. The result of all this research showed that the eBeaver could achieve a 33-minute flight, which is long enough for many of the short-range routes that Harbour Air offers.

“Anybody who's flown a Beaver knows that it does not really like to climb,” Holtz said. “Our climb performance is spectacular. And, of course, noise. Most of it comes from the propeller; we can't change that but we are spinning it slower. And [the propeller] is a little bit shorter. So the tip speed is less. We did some company testing and on average we're about 20 decibels, less noise in every phase of flight, which is quite significant.”
The electric installation in the eBeaver makes an older design look much more modern. Batteries are installed in front of the firewall, under the floor, and behind the passengers. Firewall forward, everything is clean and new and the cowl shape is pointy instead of round. The instrument panel is nearly original but with instruments suited to electric power.

The radial flux magni650 motor is a direct-drive unit so no reduction gearbox is required. Shaft rpm is 1,900 to 2,300. Cooling is required for the power electronics and the motor itself, and MagniX came up with a clever way to provide liquid cooling without using any exotic, hard-to-source chemicals. The Hartzell propeller requires a governor, which needs oil to operate. So MagniX added a Crane Aerospace mechanical pump to the front of the motor housing, driven by a shaft off the motor’s main shaft. The pump circulates ordinary turbine engine oil to cool and lubricate the motor bearings and the power electronics, and to run the prop governor.

MagniX is planning to certify the electric propulsion system as an engine under Part 33 regulations, for which the regulator has set 19 special conditions. So far, MagniX has submitted 20 white papers covering the means of compliance. “We’re developing test plans and running them to see if they work,” said Riona Armesmith, MagniX's chief technical officer. The next step is to build conforming hardware in preparation for engine certification in 2027 and completion of the supplemental type certification for the eBeaver.
“We're finishing our experimental development vehicle,” Harbour Air’s Holtz said. “We're continuing to change architectures on that and learn things. For example, the first version of the battery system was a bus. This one we're working on now is a single string per inverter. We're trying to explore the architectures and see what that means from a system-safety analysis and from a use case. We're taking the lessons learned from the experimental ones so we can apply it to the cert builds. Once we get these certified and have the path, we want to continue to design and certify modifications to the existing aircraft fleet to decarbonize as much as possible. We're going to do that through building a sustainable aviation hub in Vancouver, BC [British Columbia].”

While the cost of electricity for flying the eBeaver is tiny—a 34-minute flight consumed only $6 worth, according to Armesmith—the direct operating costs of flying an original Beaver and the eBeaver are similar.

“We've been evaluating that,” said Holtz, “and it's very sensitive to the cost of the batteries and the cycle life of the batteries. It's going to depend on how you operate the aircraft and how often you want to fast charge. But we found the direct operating costs relatively similar, and that's because [of fuel costs]. Over the next couple of years, we fully expect [that] in BC, we'll be seeing $3 a liter for fuel so the direct operating costs are going to even out pretty good, and as we scale up to our larger aircraft, the direct operating costs actually get significantly better.”


 


Bombardier Eyes Next Steps for Spirit Belfast Plant
Reacquisition could be on the table

Among other things, Spirit Aerosystems' facility in Belfast, Ireland, produces center fuselages for the Challenger 650. © Bombardier

By Kerry Lynch • Editor, AIN monthly magazine
July 25, 2024

As Bombardier weighs the mergers and acquisitions space, the reacquisition of the Spirit AeroSystems facility in Belfast could be one of its next moves. Earlier this month, Spirit AeroSystems reached agreements with Boeing and Airbus to sell off the majority of its operations as it pertained to the OEM giants, but it also planned to seek buyers for certain facilities, including the Belfast plant that it had acquired from Bombardier in 2020.

The facility is critical for the Canadian airframer, producing center fuselages for the Challenger programs, forward fuselages for the Global 5500 and 6500, and horizontal stabilizers for all of the Globals (including the Global 7500), along with other key components such as engine nacelles.

Bombardier president and CEO Éric Martel noted that the facility used to be part of Bombardier for more than three decades. It was sold along with other assets as the company pared down to a pure-play business jet producer.

“Our priority right now is clearly to make sure that the existing contracts [for the Belfast work] will be upheld at the higher standard,” Martel told analysts during the release of its quarterly earnings on Thursday morning. “And that's why we have, on a regular basis, people in Belfast working on this priority to make sure that the material keeps flowing.”

Bombardier is monitoring the situation closely, he said. “As a customer, we're willing to provide the appropriate operational or structural or legal input to that,” Martel said, adding, “There'll be potential buyers at some point. We could also consider to be one of them. 
We'll see what the market says, but I think what is important to us will be that whoever the buyer is, we need to be comfortable with these guys to be there for the long run. If there's nobody, we could again be considering that as an option.”

Martel did not have a timeline, deferring to Airbus’ and Boeing’s plans for closing on their respective deals in mid-2025. Bombardier has not developed a team on this yet but is watching how the situation unfolds. However, Martel said he could be equally comfortable with another buyer or with Bombardier ownership.

This comes as Bombardier looks at the reserve cash it has begun to accrue. During its Investor Day in May, Bombardier opened the door to possible merger and acquisition activity down the road as it accumulates free cash and continues to deleverage.

Both Martel and Bart Demosky, executive v-p and CFO, stressed that the company’s first objective remains paying off debt. “With our upcoming expected large amounts of free cash flow that we'll be delivering as a business, we have lots of flexibility when it comes to how we want to deploy that capital,” Demosky said.

The company has not yet provided guidance on which direction it will take, he said, adding that guidance may come early next year after the board meets later this year. While he said all options are open, “Certainly debt repayment remains the number-one priority for excess free cash flow that we have at the moment. We are not going to take our eyes off of that.”

Martel agreed and cautioned not to expect any substantial acquisition “until this is done,” referring to continued debt repayment. In the interim, acquisitions could occur to shore up its supply chain, he noted.


 


America prepare for the engine of the future and it’s unimaginable: U.S. Air Force unveils its secret project
by Edwin O.  07/30/2024 in Mobility 


The U.S. Air Force, together with G.E. Aerospace, has always displayed high-end technology in designing and developing engines and systems for aviation. These discoveries, which were unveiled at the Farnborough Air Show 2024, are expected to transform both military and commercial flights.

It ranges from improving initial platforms to creating new propulsion systems that will pave the way for a different generation of aerospace control. Rather than just focusing on improving the performance value and productivity, this ‘systematic’ approach also takes into consideration the future requirements of warfare and the effects on the environment.

Revamping existing aircraft: How the SAOC platform enhances performance and efficiency
One of the perfect products of this concept of modernizing current aircraft with the most advanced technology is the SAOC of the U.S. Air Force. The overhaul and upgrade of the GEnx-2B engines produced by G.E. Aerospace for the Boeing 747-8 aircraft, which is to become the new SAOC platform, has been carried out through cooperation with Sierra Nevada Corp (SNC). Ultimately, this $13 billion Pentagon contract is intended to provide a younger model of the E-4B Nightwatch aircraft.

New developments include the GEnx engines, which are expected to provide better efficiency by as much as 15% compared to the current CF6 turbofans. Also, these engines will work at 30 percent lower noise and will emit lesser nitrogen oxides and other gases, which reflect concerns both in functionality and environmental characteristics. This upgrade shows a typical approach from the Air Force in terms of evolution, focusing on developing the existing aircraft to meet the future requirements while using the tried and tested airframes.

Cutting-edge computing systems: The role of advanced platforms in aircraft integration
The new computing platform was launched by G.E. Aerospace company as a sensitive Networking Digital Backbone for aircraft systems integration. It is an open architecture platform that is going to control several systems and avionics as well for civil and military aircraft, where flexibility and up-gradability are unparalleled.
Currently used in Boeing 787 airliner and selected by the U.S. Army for the V-280 Valor future military tilt-rotor, such a system permits new capabilities, including the electronic warfare systems, to be incorporated by creating the network nodes or constructing the new circuit cards. The Laviation results in aircraft that are highly adaptable to new threats and mission systems without requiring complex redesigns in the platform, which means that its design guarantees future readiness in meeting future military needs.

Innovative propulsion technologies: How G.E. Aerospace is leading the charge in hypersonic flight
Going slightly further down the road is G.E. Aerospace, which is already spending significant amounts on other radical propulsion innovations that could fundamentally alter the potential of military planes. The company is advancing in the technique of Rotating Detonation Combustion which is used to power the future hypersonic aircraft of speed Mach 5. With the demonstration of the sub-scale dual-mode ramjet test rig and looking forward to building a facsimile in the coming years in the latter part of this year.

G.E. is one of the major contenders in the race of hypersonic propulsion. Also, there are plans to adopt an adaptive cycle engine, or an engine with a more efficient, better control system, which will improve the performance of an airliner coupled with a fighter jet. This new type of engine offers the third airflow for cooling purposes; it could be a solution to one of the main problems of high-performance military aviation engines.

Aviation’s future transformed: The revolutionary impact of new technologies on military and civil aviation
Last but not least, the concerted approach with industrial giants like G.E. Aerospace of the U.S. Air Force is changing the face of aviation technologies. From the changes of new generation and improved engines that can enhance the capabilities of the old platforms to the enhancements of new computing systems and coming generation propulsion systems, these projects are on the verge of revolutionizing military and civil aviation.

Stressing the growth and flexibility, effectiveness, and advanced professional capacities guarantee that the Air Force will be prepared for future tasks. Once these technologies start being integrated into actual aircraft and become programs of record, they will not only increase the capabilities of military operations but also affect a wide range of economy aviation applications. The recent vision of “the engine of the future” is a concept and not just a single engine technology but a system approach to aeronautical engineering, thus placing the United States for the future of aerospace technologies for several decades.


 


Green Fuels Hamburg abandons SAF project
news by Fayaz Hussain July 29, 2024  


Green Fuels Hamburg project scheduled to start producing 10,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from 2026 has been scrapped, the project sponsors informed the Hamburg Senate.

“The consortium has announced that it will not be pursuing the project any further,” the Senate responded to a question from the Left Wing parliamentary group seeking clarification on the project status.

Energy supplier Uniper, energy technology firm Siemens Energy and aircraft manufacturer Airbus teamed up with Sasol EcoFT to develop a commercial SAF production plant in 2022. The consortium planned to produce SAF in the city;’s industrial region of Billbrook and Rothenburgsort.

The project was also supported by TUHH Technical University, the city’s senate as well as Hamburg Airport.

In addition, Emirates had also indicated its interest in acting as a customer for the PtL-SAF to be produced by the consortium.

The consortium has not shared any details on the reasons behind scrapping the project.
However, senate members warned that the city-state will not have enough SAF to meet demand in the wake of EU Refuel regulations kicking in from January 1 next year.
The government estimates that Hamburg Airport will need around 7,000 tons of SAF in 2025. Suppliers for the 7,000 tons of SAF required from 2025 are nowhere in sight, said environmental policy spokesperson Stephan Jersch.

Green Fuels Hamburg abandons SAF project
 

100LL Drop-In Replacement ‘Impossible’ Says PAFI Candidate
By Russ Niles 
Published: July 30, 2024

The company behind the only candidate left in the FAA-driven Piston Aviation Fuel Initiative process to create a high-octane unleaded replacement for 100LL says it’s impossible, according to Aviation Week. “There is no such thing as a drop-in unleaded fuel to replace 100 [LL],” Dan Pourreau, business development manager with LyondellBasel Industries, told the publication “We thought initially we were going to be able to do that, but we discovered we can’t do that either.” Pourreau said paper and technical modifications will be required on some engines to allow them to run safely on unleaded fuel. The LyondellBasell fuel UL100E is being evaluated through the congressionally mandated PAFI process at the FAA’s test facility in New Jersey.

Pourreau did not discuss General Aviation Modifications Inc.’s (GAMI’s) G100UL, which has an FAA supplemental type certificate to run in every spark ignition gasoline-powered engine used in airplanes on the FAA registry. STCs for helicopter engines are in process and were expected in the past few months but have not been released by the FAA. GAMI says the fuel works well in all engines and its lead-free formulation will extend engine life and maintenance intervals. To demonstrate its wide range of applications, the fuel was used to power the 2,000-horsepower radial engines in an A-26 that was flown to AirVenture.

Pourreau told Aviation Week the issue is achieving the 104 Motor Octane Number (MON) of 100LL. His team hasn’t been able to do that without adding octane boosters that leave unacceptable deposits in the engines. “If you take lead out or you don’t use manganese or other octane boosters, the best you can probably do is roughly 100 MON or above,” he told Aviation Week. “It is just virtually impossible to do that without changing other properties [of the fuel] so much, it’s no longer practical and effective.”


 


US scientists master control of hypersonic jet engine with light-based tech 
The earlier approach relied on using a pressure sensor to monitor airflow through a supersonic combusting jet engine.

Updated: Jul 29, 2024 07:56 AM EST

Abhishek Bhardwaj

This computational fluid dynamics image from the original Hyper-X tests shows the engine operating at Mach 7. NASA/UVA

Anew NASA-funded study has revealed for the first time that the airflow in supersonic combusting jet engines can be controlled by an optical sensor.

The finding can lead to more efficient stabilization of hypersonic jet aircraft, according to the study carried out by the researchers at the University of Virginia, School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The research allows operators to control airflow at the speed of light when a ‘shock train’ occurs. A shock train is a condition that precedes engine failure within a scramjet engine.

The earlier approach relied on monitoring airflow through a supersonic combusting jet engine using a pressure sensor, while the new breakthrough allows doing the same using an optical sensor.

NASA-funded research
NASA’s hypersonic jet plane ‘Hyper-X set a record for flying faster than any other aircraft in 2004.

The final X-43A unmanned prototype had set the record in the last test held in November 2004, by clocking a world-record speed of Mach 10, which is 10 times the speed of sound. This type of speed had only been achieved by a rocket previously.

This breakthrough had led to a major shift in jet development – by allowing the leap from ramjets to more efficient scramjets. Although the hypersonic proof of concept was successful, the main challenge was achieving engine control, because the tech relied on old sensor approaches.

However, this new breakthrough by UVA brings some hope for the future X-plane series which can travel at hypersonic speeds.

Apart from showing that airflow in supersonic combusting jet engines can be controlled by an optical sensor, the NASA-funded study also achieved adaptive control of a scramjet engine.

According to the researchers, adaptive engine control systems respond to changes in dynamics to keep the system’s overall performance optimal.

Professor Christopher Goyne, director of the UVA Aerospace Research Laboratory, said that the country’s aerospace priorities since the 1960s has been to build single-stage-to-orbit aircraft that fly into space from horizontal takeoff like a traditional aircraft and land on the ground like a traditional aircraft.

“Currently, the most state-of-the-art craft is the SpaceX Starship. It has two stages, with vertical launch and landing. But to optimize safety, convenience and reusability, the aerospace community would like to build something more like a 737,” Goyne said.

Optical sensors could be crucial for hypersonic aircraft
“It seemed logical to us that if an aircraft operates at hypersonic speeds of Mach 5 and higher, that it might be preferable to embed sensors that work closer to the speed of light than the speed of sound,” Goyne said.

UVA has several supersonic wind tunnels that can simulate engine conditions for a hypersonic vehicle traveling at five times the speed of sound.  

Goyne explained that “scramjets,” short for supersonic combustion ramjets, build on ramjet technology that has been in common use for years.

Currently, like ramjets, scramjet engines need a step-up to get them to a speed where they can intake enough oxygen to operate.

The latest innovation is a dual-mode scramjet combustor, which was the type of engine the UVA-led project tested. The dual engine starts in ramjet mode at lower Mach numbers, then shifts into receiving full supersonic airflow in the combustion chamber at speeds exceeding Mach 5.  

No longer limited to information obtained at the engine’s walls, as pressure sensors are, the optical sensor can identify subtle changes both inside the engine and within the flow path.

The tool analyzes the amount of light emitted by a source — in this case, the reacting gases within the scramjet combustor — as well as other factors, such as the flame’s location and spectral content.

First proof of adaptive control
According to a release by the UVA, the wind tunnel demonstration showed that the engine control can be both predictive and adaptive, smoothly transitioning between scramjet and ramjet functioning.  

The wind tunnel test, in fact, was the world’s first proof that adaptive control in these types of dual-function engines can be achieved with optical sensors, the release stated.
The team believes optical sensors may be a component of the future plane-like travel to space and back.

This could help in making an all-in-one aircraft that could glide back to Earth like the space shuttles once did.

“I think it’s possible, yeah,” Goyne said. “While the commercial space industry has been able to lower costs through some reusability, they haven’t yet captured the aircraft-like operations. Our findings could potentially build on the storied history of Hyper-X and make its space access safer than current rocket-based technology.” 


 


Combining Hovercraft and Ground Effect Technology for Freight Transport

The Soviet-built Ekranoplan, an example of a large ground effect craft
Published Jul 29, 2024 8:56 PM
by Harry Valentine
 
 
Both hovercraft and ground effect technology can be developed to carry weight of several of the largest cargo airplanes. Combining the technologies into a single vehicle allows for more efficient travel at higher speed over extended distances with the ability to come ashore on to land to load and unload the vehicle.
Introduction

Hovercraft technology and wing-in-ground effect technology developed independently of each other over a period of decades, with each technology suited to its own unique niche in the transportation market and for military applications. In the UK, hovercraft vehicles were assigned to comparatively short-distance transportation across water, with the ability to come ashore on to a beach to load and discharge both passengers and freight. By comparison, wing-in-ground effect technology included boat hulls that allowed each vehicle to remain on a water surface when at a terminal, when in service or when moored out-of-service at a terminal.

Both hovercraft and ground effect vehicles use aeronautical propellers for propulsion and aeronautical rudders to change direction. That commonality invites exploration of methods by which to combine the 2-technologies into a single vehicle that can both travel efficiently at high speed across water while also being able to transfer from water to land to load and unload freight at coastal terminals. Developers of both technologies have explored possible mega-scale development of each technology that would theoretically have been capable of a laden weight of several thousand tons and equivalent to several of the largest cargo planes.

Mega-Scale ‘Aircraft’
Boeing designed the theoretical ‘airplane’ dubbed “Pelican” with a wingspan of 500 feet, a wind chord of almost 100 feet, and intended to carry a payload of 1.5 million pounds with a maximum take-off weight of 5,000,000 pounds. It was intended to save fuel by traveling in ‘ground effect’ mode at 20 feet to 100 feet above ocean, climbing to 10,000 feet elevation when approaching land so as to touch down at a commercial airport. The fuselage of ‘Pelican’ was intended to exceed 400 feet in length, with each square foot of its wing carrying around 125 pounds of weight.

The Antonov AN-225 represents largest commercial cargo airplane built, with a take-off weight just over 1,300,000 pounds. Prior to the conflict in Ukraine, the AN 225 was used to carry unique types of freight. However, companies that specialize in carrying air freight showed little interest in the 6-engine AN-225, opting instead for the 4-engine Boeing 747 airplane and large 2-engine airplanes built by Boeing and by Airbus adapted to carry freight. Ongoing development in a turbine engine and aeronautical reduction gear technology offers the future prospect of mega-size turbofan and turboprop engines delivering over 250,000 lb of thrust each.

Combining Two Technologies
A mega-scale hovercraft with a momentum curtain measuring 50-feet by 500-feet and air pumped in at three PSI would produce a ‘lift’ of 5,400 tons. Expanding on the ground-effect tandem wing concept from Germany would result in two columns of multiple wings in a row, with successive air intakes at progressively higher elevation. This would yield a capacity of 5,000 tons for a hovercraft with ground effect wings.

In service, the vehicle would operate between land-based coastal locations and travel across water carry such priority freight inside containers. Upon departure, it would use onboard air turbo-compressors during acceleration as a hovercraft before making the transition to ground effect flight so as to travel efficiently at high speed. A total chord length of 500 feet across multiple rows of overlapping and closely spaced wings should allow for a maximum travel height of 25% of the wing chord or 100 to 125 feet above water, with peak economical cruising occurring at a flight elevation of 15 feet to 25 feet above water.

Basic Operation
A heavy vehicle that combines hovercraft capability with ground-effect wings would operate between land-based coastal terminals and travel efficiently at elevated speed above a water surface. Hovercraft air pumps would function at low vehicle speed during departure from and during approach to a terminal. At higher speed when ground-effect wings carry the vehicle, hovercraft air pumps would be shut off. To save fuel, acceleration would occur on a solid land surface to reach a sufficiently high speed for ground-effect wings to carry the vehicle as it transitions to travel above water.

Fuel consumption accounts for up to 80% of the operating cost of a cargo plane that travels at over 500-miles per hour. Ground effect flight at speeds of 150 to 200-miles per hour would consume far less fuel than high-elevation flight, including for a vehicle that incurs 4 to 5-times the laden weight of a large cargo plane. The market segment for a mega-size ground-effect freight plane would be to offer much faster delivery time within 3 to 4-days compared to ships that require 3 to 4-weeks, at a fraction of the transportation cost of air freight.

Research Focus
The development of combination hovercraft – tandem wing ground effect technology will depend on innovative problem-solving thinking from people who have research experience with both technologies. Tandem-Wing of Germany has built ground effect vehicles that travel above a water surface while combining a large forward wing with a large trailing wing installed behind it. Future research would need to focus on developing a series of wings installed one behind the other, with successive air intakes arranged at progressively higher elevation and designed in a way to assure ground effect dynamics along the entire chord length of the wing assembly.

People with research expertise in hovercraft technology would need to focus on the maximum possible width and length of fuselage that a cushion of air could carry as the vehicles makes the transition between liquid and solid surface. A large-scale hovercraft might need to use multiple momentum curtains under the fuselage, perhaps with multiple skirts to minimize loss of air at low vehicle speed while assuring vehicle levitation. Researchers will need to establish a transition speed where the vehicles transfer between hovercraft mode and ground effect wing operation to ensure energy-efficient operation while carrying freight over extended distances.

Rough Seas
Extreme wave conditions that occur in the shallow waters of the North Sea and northern region of the Bering Sea require that ground-effect craft travel at a sustained elevation of at least 100 feet above water. Experience from Australia involving a small ground-effect craft revealed that it could travel smoothly at speed at an elevation of 4 feet above waves of 13 feet. Airline pilots advised that gusting winds at airports caused stability issues with commercial aircraft during touch down, when the ground-effect dynamics had its greatest effect on aircraft stability. However, airplanes wings are very different to ground-effect wings.

Commercial aircraft wings are built with large wingspan greatly exceeding the comparatively short chord measurement. Ground effect wings can be built with front to rear chord measurement greatly exceeding wingspan, allowing vehicles built with long-chord wings to sustain smooth ‘flight’ when traveling at elevated speed above choppy water. Further research involving small scale vehicles could establish the wingspan, wing chord and travel speed of ground effect craft that maintain smooth ‘flight’ above severe sea swells as occur in the Bering Sea, as well as waves of up to 80-feet height that occur in both the Bering and North Seas.

International Market
The commercial airline industry operates cargo planes on long-haul international flights that cross oceans. A large-scale combination hovercraft – ground effect vehicle could operate several direct trans-ocean routes between major coastal cities located on opposite sides of the same ocean. While slower than airplanes, these vehicles would be much faster than container ships. There is likely a market for a fuel-efficient vehicle that carries 4 to 5 times the payload of freight of a cargo plane at lower transportation costs and competitive delivery schedules. Such a vehicle might even operate via the Arctic.
One trans-Arctic route could connect west coast American terminals located near Los Angeles and San Francisco or Asian terminals located near Tokyo, Busan or Shanghai to European terminals located near Edinburgh, Rotterdam or Hamburg, potentially traveling via the Russian side of the Arctic. There might also be potential to locate some Asian terminals to terminals located along the American east coast, via the Canadian side of Arctic. It might be possible for a large ground effect plane to travel directly across the North Pole between the Bering Sea and Norwegian Sea.

Domestic Service
There would likely be a market for the services of smaller-scale combination hovercraft–ground effect vehicles within countries such as Russia and Canada, where such vehicles could travel along wide rivers and across (frozen) lakes. During summer, ships can serve several coastal communities located around Hudson Bay, Canada where winter ice conditions prevent ship navigation. There is potential for hovercraft vehicles built with ground-effect wings to travel above the ice surface of Hudson Bay and stop on ice surface terminals at coastal communities to deliver essential supplies such as food.

During the northern winter, hovercraft built with ground-effect wings could provide winter time fast ferry service across North America’s ice-covered Great Lakes. There would likely be potential for service across Lake Michigan between Milwaukee and Muskegon, also across western Lake Ontario between Toronto and Niagara/St. Catharines region.

Hovercraft with ground-effect wings would be able to travel at speed above ice covered rivers in northern Canada such as the Mackenzie, ice covered rivers in northern Russia as well as across frozen level tundra land between large bodies of water turned to winter ice cover, in northern Canada and northern Russia.

Conclusions
The combination of earlier research by developers of hovercraft and ground effect vehicles, along with later developments, suggests the possibility of a combination hovercraft built with ground effect wings being able to incur a total laden weight of 5,000 tons.

A vehicle of such capacity could occupy a market niche carrying medium-priority freight at a faster delivery time along international routes than ships and lower transportation tariffs than air freight. There would be potential for smaller-size hovercraft built with ground effect wings to provide wintertime freight transportation service in Canada’s Arctic region after regulatory issues are resolved.

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.


 


New Height Announcer/Reminder Device Improves Water Airplane Safety
NEWS PROVIDED BY
Marketplace
July 19, 2024, 17:59 GMT

     
GGHMR400 Radar Mounted on Cessna Plate
Holy Micro! LLC releases SkyVoice Glassy Guide 400 following success of SkyVoice Alert 500.

SYRACUSE, NY, USA, July 19, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- With floatplanes and seaplanes, takeoff and landings involving glassy water can be especially dangerous due to the lack of visual surface features and observation points.

This calm water provides a challenging environment even for experienced pilots to estimate the height from plane to water.

When confusion occurs regarding height above the water, pilots often experience spatial disorientation with sensory conflicts, illusions, confusion, and a lack of balance. Humans are designed to maintain spatial orientation on the ground.

According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, 5 to 10% of all general aviation accidents can be attributed to spatial disorientation, 90% of which are fatal.

Holy Micro!

The SkyVoice Glassy Guide 400 and SkyVoice Alert 500 are inventions by Frank Kunnumpurath. Ten years ago, he was a student pilot, who struggled to determine the height to flare, which occurs between the final landing approach and touchdown of a fixed-wing aircraft.

"It took over 95 hours and many hundreds of landings before I could solo", stated Frank. Frank is currently a private pilot with his instrument rating and more than 600 hours of flight time. He sees the SkyVoice products as digital co-pilots to improve safety in the 400 to 500 feet range of airspace near land or water where most aircraft accidents happen.

These struggles led to the development of SkyVoice Alert 500, a takeoff and landing height announcer with gear warning approved to install in all general aviation aircraft under the FAA’s Non-Required Safety Enhancing Equipment (NORSEE) program.

Frank and his company, Holy Micro! have now introduced a new product named the SkyVoice Glassy Guide 400 (FAA Approved), which uses Radar instead of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The company's HMR400 Radar is designed for both water and ground. This technology is also suited for rain, snow, fog, dust and other harsh environments.

The SkyVoice Glassy Guide 400 provides height announcements and reminders from 1 ft. to 400 ft. The four reminders from 400 ft. to 100 ft. can be used for specific checks at varying height intervals.

These intervals can include: 400 gear check, 300 checklist, 200 flaps, and 100 speed as well as many other options. Following the 100 ft. announcement, the pilot will hear height announcements at 70, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1 to help ensure an efficient, smooth and safe water landing. The tool helps prevent the pilot from accidently descending, turning, or contacting the water. Pilots often stall the plane from too high or slam into the water too fast.

When taking off, the height announcements come in the reverse order as described in landing. As these announcements occur up to 400 ft., the pilot can ensure a positive and consistent rate of climb. During takeoff from the glassy water, the water is difficult to reference after becoming airborne. Also, water pilots often worry about the retracting gear after takeoff from land and can use the reminders from 100 ft. to 400 ft. to check gear.

Technology

The SkyVoice Glassy Guide 400 brings an advanced technology solution to water takeoffs/landings and removes reliance on an historical tool. One common technique for seaplane pilots is to determine the height with sticks and stones.

Stones are thrown into the water to create small ripples, which translate to estimated heights above the water. This tool removes the height guessing and brings 21st Century precision to an important issue when flying an aircraft near water.

David Laverty
Marketplace
+1 720-492-3680
email us here



Curt Lewis