September 18, 2024 - No. 38


In This Issue 

: FAA Advisory Circular Addresses Unwanted Reverse Thrust 

: Pratt’s New Software Aims to Extend Life, Enhance Performance of F-22 Engines 

: Why are Osprey aircraft so dangerous? 

: 'We found some things...': Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore reveal why Boeing Starliner returned to Earth without them 

: False start? DoD IG ‘terminated’ NGAD next-gen fighter review, but may revisit down the road

: Pratt Studies F119 Sustainment Upgrades Amid NGAD Uncertainty 

: Drag Reducing Riblets To Be Applied To A330 

: “Hyper focus on reliability and durability out of the gates”

: Why Alaska Airlines is investing in a jet that’s like nothing you’ve seen before 

: Airlines are investing heavily in sustainable fuels—but critics say they’re just greenwashing

: GE Aerospace celebrates 50 years of apprenticeship program


 

 


FAA Advisory Circular Addresses Unwanted Reverse Thrust
The FAA's recent amendments to Part 25 airworthiness regulations require system safety assessments for key systems

Aircelle is delivering thrust reversers for the Passport engine shipset to equip the first Bombardier Global 7000 business jet to fly. Aircelle builds the reversers as part of its role in Nexcelle–the joint venture with GE Aviation’s Middle River Aircraft Systems.

By Gordon Gilbert • Contributor - Accidents and Regulations
September 13, 2024

Recently published FAA Advisory Circular AC 25.933-1 provides guidelines for large aircraft manufacturers to comply with updated safety regulations aimed at preventing dangerous thrust reversals during flight. The document stems from recent amendments to FAA Part 25 airworthiness regulations that take effect September 24 and require system safety assessments for key systems such as flight controls and powerplants.

It also highlights the increased risk of unwanted reverser deployments in modern aircraft. “As the predominant configuration of large transport-category airplanes has developed into a high-bypass-ratio twin-engine-powered models, recovery from an unwanted in-flight thrust reversal have decreased,” the circular says.

New regulations require reversers and other systems to be designed so that “the occurrence of any failure condition that would prevent the continued safe flight and landing of the airplane is extremely improbable.” Other failure conditions also could not reduce the capability of the airplane or the ability of the crew to cope with them.
While the Part 25 amendments seek to limit the effect or likelihood of an unwanted thrust reversal during flight, “service experience has shown the need to further amend requirements. The currently amended rule, and this related advisory material, are intended to allow manufacturers to provide assurance in a manner that recognizes there may be limitations in the airplane design, thereby maximizing both the design flexibility and safety provided by compliance with the rule.”

FAA Advisory Circular Addresses Unwanted Reverse Thrust

 


 

 


Pratt’s New Software Aims to Extend Life, Enhance Performance of F-22 Engines
Sept. 15, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

Pratt & Whitey is looking at ways to extend the life and improve the performance of the F-22’s F119 engines, as the Air Force takes a “pause” on the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter conceive to succeed the Raptor, according to executives at RTX, Pratt’s parent company. 

With NGAD on hold, it’s now “even more critical that we continue to partner with the Air Force to keep the [jets’ F119] engines ready, affordable and relevant,” said Caroline Cooper, Pratt’s director of the F119 program, told reporters on an RTX call to discuss F-22 upgrades. 

“If we think about what we’ve done in the past to keep the F119 ready and affordable, it really starts with how we leverage our performance-based logistics contract and what we’re doing to drive efficiencies and really integrate modernization into what we’re doing,” she said.

F-22 upgrades are largely classified, but Cooper offered insights on two areas Pratt is exploring to keep enhancing F119 performance.

A new “trade study” will capture more detailed data about how the F-22 is actually flown, better identifying strain on engine components and providing a new “single source of truth” for insight on the health of the fleet, Cooper said. The aim: “To derive learnings much quicker and help us to evaluate and optimize needed changes to the engine or aircraft in a more timely manner,” Cooper said.

“There was a major difference in the way that engine part life assumptions were calculated and how the operators were actually flying the engine,” Cooper said. “And what we were able to do is a very significant software update to really extract greater kinetic performance out of the engine.”

The software update “was incredibly valuable from a warfighter readiness perspective, because we were able to deliver this update in less than a year,” she said. “And from a taxpayer perspective, [the enhancement came] at no additional cost.” She said Pratt hopes to apply this same approach to the F135 engine, which powers the F-35 fighter, to better align maintenance with actual usage.

On the F-22, “We were able to digitally combine real engine flight data with our state-of-the-art engineering maintenance algorithms to basically determine exactly when the engine is going to need maintenance,” she said.

“Again, this is really a great example of achieving a high degree of readiness, because we didn’t…assume that maintenance would be needed earlier or later than need…We’re looking at $800 million in life cycle cost savings over the life of the program” as a result.
Second, she said Pratt is partnering with the Air Force “to think about what new technologies we can bring to bear and leverage what we’re doing across Pratt & Whitney in the additive space,” she said, referring to the emerging manufacturing technology commonly known as “3-D printing.”

“How can we redesign critical mission parts additively?” she said. “This will be significant, I think, if you if you look across…the defense aerospace industry, and you take a look at what we’re experiencing from a supply chain perspective, this will help immeasurably to streamline those efforts.”
Additive parts production will also “help to cut down on production times and, significantly, cost,” she said.

The F119, which is unique to the F-22 and which Cooper described as “the first fifth-generation engine,” has amassed more than 900,000 engine flight miles, she said. Among its attributes is the ability to “supercruise,” or to fly faster than the speed of sound without engaging an afterburner. The Raptor’s F119 has a two-dimensional pitch vectoring nozzle exhaust system, giving the jet unmatched maneuverability, “without compromising critical mission range.”

The F119 is “a really easy engine to maintain,” she asserted, adding “it only takes a handful of parts.”

Asked if there are other major initiatives to keep the F119 healthy beyond 2030—which, as recently as the past few years was seen as its likely retirement date—a decision that now seems unlikely—Cooper said “where we’re focused is honestly just continuing to meet or exceed our customer commitments today.”

“We’re again leaning in and being as proactive as we can to complement what they’re doing on the aircraft side with what we can do on the propulsion side,” Cooper said. “We are cognizant of what the Air Force is saying in the public and what the Air Force is saying to us, and we’re trying to make sure that we plan accordingly.”

Pratt’s New Software Aims to Extend Life, Enhance Performance of F-22 Engines


 

 


Why are Osprey aircraft so dangerous?

Tom Farrier

Wow. Where can I start?

Its prototype was the XV-15, built using mostly off-the-shelf components, existing engines, conventional fuselage materials, and fairly straightforward flight controls. The V-22 tried to leap forward a generation in all of those areas, while scaling up considerably in size.
It's not a very good helicopter (can't autorotate in an emergency, can't fly particularly fast in vertical flight mode, hugely excessive downwash in a hover), and it's a slow, fairly gas-hungry turboprop.

Most important (to me), it has all kinds of holes in the understanding of its flight envelope. It can't take off or land like an airplane (the proprotors would hit the ground in a horizontal position), It usually takes off in a kind of hybrid configuration… nacelles tilted mostly upright, but a bit forward to get moving forward as well as upward. Some of its lift comes from the proprotors, and some fraction from its wings. This changes from moment to moments based on airspeed, pressure altitude and the angle at which the nacelles are tilted.

Even if given the opportunity, I wouldn't want to fly one. Over time, enough experience has been built through operations to know a safe way to execute basic maneuvers, but predictability depends on the flying environment as much as strict adherence to procedures.

Honestly, I don't trust the beast.

Why are Osprey aircraft so dangerous?
 

'We found some things...': Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore reveal why Boeing Starliner returned to Earth without them

Wilmore and Williams, who were initially slated for a brief eight-day mission, had to adjust to a much longer stay after the Starliner’s technical issues forced it to return empty.

Business Today Desk

Wilmore also emphasized that Boeing is ready to implement changes following the challenges faced by the Starliner program. 

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore remain confident they could have returned to Earth aboard Boeing's Starliner, despite the spacecraft's issues. 

“We could have gotten to the point, I believe, where we could have returned on Starliner, but we just simply ran out of time,” Wilmore stated, acknowledging the complexities that led to their extended stay on the International Space Station (ISS). 

They now plan to return in 2025 aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle.
Wilmore and Williams, who were initially slated for a brief eight-day mission, had to adjust to a much longer stay after the Starliner’s technical issues forced it to return empty. 
Wilmore pointed out the advantage of having the Crew Dragon as a backup, “There’s many cases in the past where there have not been other options,” he noted.

NASA made the decision to return Starliner empty in early September to free up the docking port for other spacecraft. While the Starliner encountered helium leaks and propulsion issues, it landed without major problems, prompting Williams to express relief, saying, “I was so happy it got home with no problems.”

Wilmore also emphasized that Boeing is ready to implement changes following the challenges faced by the Starliner program. 

“Obviously, when you have issues like we’ve had, there’s some changes that need to be made. Boeing’s on board with that. We’re all on board with that,” Wilmore said. He acknowledged the risks inherent in testing new spacecraft: “When you do things with spacecraft that have never been done before, just like Starliner, you’re going to find some things. In this case, we found some things that we just could not get comfortable with putting us back in the Starliner.”

Williams, while missing her family, remains enthusiastic about her extended stay in space. “This is my happy place. I love being up here in space. It’s just fun,” she said. Both astronauts continue to engage with NASA and Boeing on discussions about what needs to be improved to get Starliner back on track.

'We found some things...': Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore reveal why Boeing Starliner returned to Earth without them

 


False start? DoD IG ‘terminated’ NGAD next-gen fighter review, but may revisit down the road
The review was to examine whether the Air Force was moving too fast in pushing the plane into the EMD phase, but there was no EMD phase after all.

By  Michael Marrow
on September 13, 2024 at 3:21 PM

A Boeing rendering of a next-gen fighter. (Boeing photo)

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department’s Inspector General has quietly shelved a review of the Air Force’s high-profile Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter program after it emerged that the service wasn’t actually as far along in development as Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall had suggested in public remarks.

The odd saga started in June 2022 when Kendall made headlines in announcing that the NGAD program had already entered the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase, kicking off intense speculation about which defense prime pulled in the lucrative contract. But on Sept. 19 that year Kendall reversed himself, saying he was only speaking in a “colloquial sense” to indicate the plane was in the design process.

“I’ve been around doing this stuff for a long time, and I still think of engineering and manufacturing development as a phase in which you are working on the new design,” he reportedly said at a Defense News conference earlier in September.

Despite the walkback, later that month the DoD IG announced it was reviewing the program “to determine the extent to which the Air Force demonstrated that the critical technologies used in the [NGAD] fighter aircraft were mature enough” to enter into the EMD phase. The review was to involve “site visits as necessary.”

But then a few months after that, sometime in 2023, the IG “terminated” the review “because of other priorities at the time,” IG office spokesperson Mollie Halpern told Breaking Defense this week. She added that “[t]he project will be reconsidered in the future.” An Air Force spokesperson referred questions about the review to the IG’s office.
Whatever work was done during the review, it evidently didn’t get very far. Kendall and service acquisition chief Andrew Hunter both told Breaking Defense at the RIAT air show in July that they were unaware of the IG’s review, adding that it had no impact on the recent decision to pause work on NGAD.

“They’re doing a very quiet review,” Kendall quipped at the time.

With NGAD Reevaluation, Northrop Sees Potential Window

Like the review of the plane, the fate of the NGAD fighter itself has been thrown into doubt in more recent months as the Air Force has paused the program to reconsider its options. Kendall has maintained the Air Force will field a sixth-gen fighter, and possibly make it optionally manned. Budgetary constraints combined with fundamental questions about the fighter’s design — meant to perform across the vast stretches of the Indo-Pacific against sophisticated Chinese air defenses — have driven the service’s hesitancy, Kendall has said.

Delays with the NGAD decision have now cast considerable doubt on the prospect of awarding an EMD contract this year, a goal the Air Force established in May 2023. The contest is thought to be between Lockheed Martin and Boeing after Northrop Grumman publicly pulled out.

RELATED: As Air Force deliberates sixth-gen fighter plans, much is at stake for Boeing
Still, the reevaluation of NGAD could present new opportunities, at least according to Northrop CEO Kathy Warden. At the Morgan Stanley Laguna conference on Thursday, Warden suggested that, based on what the Air Force does, Northrop may rejoin the fray. (Boeing, Lockheed and Northrop are all separately vying for a next-gen Navy fighter, with engine primes GE Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney actively competing in both Air Force and Navy efforts as well.)

“The Air Force has taken a strategic pause on that program and are revalidating requirements and the path forward for it. If they determine that there will be a material change to the program, we would go back and reevaluate, just as we would any new opportunity, whether we think that it is a program that we’re well differentiated to perform, whether we view the business case as one that makes sense for a company and our investors, and we would look at new alternatives,” she said.
“So we’re monitoring that one.” 

False start? DoD IG ‘terminated’ NGAD next-gen fighter review, but may revisit down the road

 


Pratt Studies F119 Sustainment Upgrades Amid NGAD Uncertainty
Brian Everstine 
September 10, 2024

USAF airmen begin changing F119 engines from an F-22.
Credit: U.S. Air Force

As the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation fighter plan faces uncertainty, Pratt & Whitney is looking at new ways to improve the sustainability and longevity of its F119 engine that powers the service’s current top air superiority fighter.

Service officials have said the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) platform is on pause as it reviews requirements, meaning plans to retire the Lockheed Martin F-22 are likely to change. The service had said it would retire the Raptor in 2030 to bring on the NGAD platform.

As the review is underway, Pratt & Whitney has begun a new trade study looking at model-based system engineering designed to find a “single source of truth” for how to sustain the F119, says Caroline Cooper, executive director for the F119 program within the company’s fighter and mobility portfolio.

“The ultimate goal of this is to derive learnings much quicker and help us to evaluate and optimize needed changes to the engine or aircraft in a more timely manner,” she says.
Pratt is also looking at ways to bring technologies from other programs to the F119—particularly in additive manufacturing for key parts. The effort is aimed at addressing supply chain issues for the engine, which is based on a design that was first selected more than 30 years ago. Additive manufacturing could “help cut down on production costs and, significantly, cost.”

These new programs follow other steps such as one begun in 2022 called “Usage Based Lifing,” a digital-twin type software effort that used extensive data from the F119’s real-world use to determine how the engine was actually being used compared to original designs. Using this, Pratt was able to make better calculations for when parts would need to be replaced. The company says this could lead to about $800 million in savings over the aircraft’s lifetime.

Pratt Studies F119 Sustainment Upgrades Amid NGAD Uncertainty

 


Drag Reducing Riblets To Be Applied To A330
Guy Norris 
September 10, 2024
Credit: ANA

FLORENCE, Italy—Lufthansa Technik confirms it is developing a drag-reducing riblet film retrofit plan for the Airbus A330 amid growing interest in its AeroShark surface film technology co-developed with European chemical conglomerate BASF.

The maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company has already developed the modification under a supplemental type certificate (STC) for the Boeing 777, the application on which typically involves covering up to 950 m2 (10,200 ft.2) with the film, which incorporates small ridge-like ribs, or riblets, measuring approximately 50 micrometers (0.002 in.) high.

Now in service on almost 20 aircraft, Lufthansa Technik meanwhile continues to see more orders for 777 retrofits than it can handle, says Jens-Uwe Müller, product sales lead for AeroShark. Speaking at the 2024 Congress of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, he adds that “we can’t fulfill demand with our own capabilities and so are training others to do it.”

Müller’s comments come as All Nippon Airways (ANA) becomes the latest carrier to begin equipping its 777 fleet with riblets, and the first to modify both passenger and freighter versions. The first of two retrofitted 777s, a freighter variant, began scheduled cargo flights earlier in September. ANA says it “will validate the effectiveness of this technology in ANA’s daily operation, with plans to expand its use across other aircraft of the same type.”

ANA’s use of the technology follows the recent news that Taipei-based EVA Air is modifying its nine 777Fs with the riblet film. In that case the modification was performed by EVA Air’s affiliate, Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corporation. EVA Air’s entire 777F cargo fleet is expected to be equipped until 2027.

Other operators that have announced plans to modify their aircraft with the AeroShark treatment include Austrian Airlines which is equipping four 777-200ERs, and the Lufthansa Group, which is flying the film on a 747-400, 12 Swiss 777-300ERs and five Lufthansa Cargo 777Fs.

The surface treatment reduces fuel burn by around 1%, Müller says. In the case of ANA, this is expected to result in annual savings of approximately 250 metric tons of fuel and 800 metric tons of CO2 for each aircraft. The current 777 STC involves coverage of around 40% of the wetted area, and around 80% of the surface of the fuselage. Müller says the fuel burn reduction could potentially be extended to up to 3% if the coverage area includes the crown of the fuselage as well as the wings.

Originally expected to have a service lifetime of around four years, the riblets have also proved to be more durable since they first entered service in 2019. “It looks like it can operate for a full aircraft paint cycle,” he says, adding that the film is removed by polishing it off. 

Drag Reducing Riblets To Be Applied To A330
 

Hyper focus on reliability and durability out of the gates”
Download
By Scott Hamilton

THE CFM Open Fan engine could be at least 20% more fuel efficient than today’s CFM LEAP and P&W GTF, CFM partners say. Credit: CFM.

Sept. 11, 2024, © Leeham News: GE Aerospace and Safran advance on the CFM RISE Open Fan engine with an overriding goal: “Our customers really want us to be hyper-focused on reliability and durability out of the gates.”

GE and Safran are developing a potentially game-changing engine and marketing it via the 50-50 joint venture, CFM International. The entry-into-service goal is 2035.
Customer demand for reliability and durability “out of the gates” is understandable. Engines produced by CFM, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce disappointed Airbus and Boeing customers operating the Airbus A320neo family, the Boeing 737 MAX and 787 and now the Airbus A350. Durability and/or technical issues plagued the CFM LEAP, Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbo Fan (GTF), Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 and now the RR Trent XWB-97. The giant GE9X engines on the Boeing 777X also suffered technical problems during the long, extended flight testing.

Operators protested as on-wing time fell short of promises. 787s, A220s, A320neos, and to a lesser extent Embraer E195-E2s were grounded as engines components failed, MRO shops backed up (displacing routine overhaul requirements on older engines) and new-production engines were diverted to replace those on grounded aircraft.

The CFM LEAP, GE and Safran promise, will provide a 20% reduction in fuel consumption and emissions. But the radical technology of an Open Fan gives airlines, lessors and even Boeing pause.

GE and Safran say they are progressing through development of the 35,000+ lb thrust engine but there is a lot of work to do to make it ready for service and give customers confidence.

Decarbonization was the driver
“In 2021, we decided jointly to go on the same path…,” said Safran CEO Olivier Andries. “We thought that having been in a leader position in this marketplace, we had to be disruptive. We had to be disruptive, because we thought it was our duty to be at the leading edge of the decarbonization.”

Andries said GE and Safran wanted to be in a position to offer a propulsion solution that could bring up to 20% fuel burn improvement vs the latest generation of engine that is currently flying, and that is currently produced, referring to the CFM LEAP engine.

To get 20% fuel burn improvement, “you have to be disruptive to get there. We were convinced that should we go on a conventional pathway, with what we call a ducted engine, the best we could achieve is 10%.”

The solution was the Open Fan engine, an evolution of the Open Rotor concept developed and tested 40 years ago.

“With the Open Fan, basically we break the wall. We can increase significantly the diameter of the fan,” Andries said. “That’s what brings the propulsive efficiency to basically a level that has never been reached today.”
Hyper focus on durability and reliability

“We have learned through successive generations of product launches that in addition to that efficiency step function improvement, our customers really want us to be hyper- focused on reliability and durability out of the gates. These engines fly for decades. The CFM56 today is the industry benchmark. They want that level of reliability and durability day one.”

Culp said successful ground tests and ultimately flight tests of the engine will be how to achieve these desires. Airbus is slated to install an Open Fan demonstrator on an A380 flying test bed.

“We’re talking about an engine that we probably won’t see in service for another decade,” Culp said. “There’s still a lot of work to do.”
Neither CEO addressed the obvious: without a qualifying engine, neither Airbus nor Boeing can launch a new airplane product.

RSS Leeham News and Analysis Embraer versus Boeing JV arbitration decision results in $150m cash payment September 16, 2024 Why the IAM 751 rejected the Boeing contract and what is needed for approval September 16, 2024 Boeing CFO: we want to negotiate; taking steps to preserve cash September 13, 2024 Bjorn’s Corner: New engine development. Part 23. New versus old, GTF versus V2500 September 13, 2024 IAM files Unfair Labor Practice against Boeing in thumping rejection of contract September 13, 2024 “Hyper focus on reliability and durability out of the gates”

 


Why Alaska Airlines is investing in a jet that’s like nothing you’ve seen before
JetZero designed an aircraft that can accommodate more passengers while using less fuel. It’s just one of the next-gen ideas the airline is backing.
[Image: JetZero]

BY PATRICK SISSON

Alaska Airlines was the first domestic carrier to sell tickets online, in 1995, and the first to use GPS to guide its airplanes in 1996. Now it wants to be the first to implement a new vision for a passenger jet in a bid to slash emissions. 

Alaska’s just-announced investment in JetZero, a Long Beach, California-based company seeking to pioneer the blended-wing-body airliner, is part of the company’s long-term innovation strategy. The undisclosed amount of funding fits into a larger vision to help the carrier meet its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. 
“We do not want to be the cigarette industry in 20 years, where we’re regulated out of existence because people say it’s so bad to fly in an airplane,” said Pasha Saleh, head of corporate development at Alaska Airlines. “We want to make sure we’re developing multiple solutions but actually driving each of them forward.”
[Image: JetZero]

JetZero’s innovation, the blended-wing-body (BWB) aircraft, offers a more sweeping shape and aesthetic compared to the traditional tube-and-wing airliner that currently dominates commercial flight. The BWB concept boasts a more triangular, stretch design—where the cabin and wing blend together—creating more aerodynamic efficiency and lift. This allows the plane to fly higher, at around 45,000 feet, which further cuts wind resistance. Factor in the change in materials and construction, with bolted metal and composites swapped out for lighter, stitched carbon fiber, and a BWB jet can carry hundreds of passengers with half the fuel, a huge cost savings and environmental benefit. 

“JetZero is one of these rare situations where everything gets better,” Saleh said. “It’s so rare in engineering where you come across a solution where there are so few trade-offs, if any, to be made.” 

JetZero’s CTO, Mark Page, has worked on and refined the BWB idea for decades, even creating prototypes for NASA in the 1990s and designing drones that utilized the body shape in the 2000s. Despite decades of research from industry players, including NASA and major aircraft makers, the BWB hasn’t been built for commercial use, in part because carriers and manufacturers haven’t had a financial motivation. According to JetZero CEO Tom O’Leary, the industry’s take for decades has essentially been, why innovate when there’s a backup of jet orders and fuel costs are low?
[Image: JetZero]

What’s moved the concept closer to reality is both new and improved technology—namely better computer modeling for testing and advances in carbon fiber materials—and the pressing business case for cutting emissions. The Air Force has even invested in JetZero to help develop a BWB cargo plane; roughly 60% of the branch’s annual jet fuel spend comes from cargo planes.

The technology comes with serious safety, privacy, ethical, and regulatory concerns, but the upsides add real value to the bottom line

Airlines like Alaska face a compounding set of challenges around emissions and flight technology. Airplanes account for 2.5% of global emissions, a figure set to only increase in coming years, which is leading to more scrutiny and regulations. Carriers, meanwhile, face the rising cost of jet fuel, which accounts for about 20% of the cost of flying (fuel prices are up 8% since 2019 alone). At the same time, the clock is running out to create a truly net-zero aviation alternative; the International Council on Clean Climate says that for the industry to meet its global ambition of net-zero flying by 2050, new planes entering service need to be net zero starting in 2035.

The benefits of the JetZero model go beyond helping passengers cut their carbon footprint; in industry speak, the increased efficiency lowers the fuel burn per seat mile. JetZero’s headquarters sit inside a large hangar across from the Long Beach Airport. Within the hangar, a mock-up of the cabin has been laid out with working bins, foam-mat seats, and cutouts of walls, ceilings, and windows. Bathrooms are all clustered in the back, reducing wait times in aisles, and a triangular service area toward the front of the aircraft can be modified to create space for serving and preparing more elaborate meals, and even setting up an in-flight bar.

Just strolling through the mock interior it’s immediately apparent how different this layout could be if carriers utilize the fuel and energy savings and resist the urge to value-engineer this new kind of airplane. Due to the wider fuselage, rows can fit more than 15 seats across, with high ceilings and seating broken up into different sections that feather out from the front cockpit. JetZero designers have even experimented with layouts that include an individual baggage bin for every seat.

Glen Noda, JetZero’s head of product design and an industry veteran who has helped create aircraft interiors for years, said there’s just nowhere left to go in terms of innovating the traditional commercial jet. The larger body of JetZero planes allows for less pressure to squeeze profits, and in doing so, passengers.

“The knee-jerk response for airlines is wanting to densify everything because that’s what you’ve done for 50 years, but that’s not what we need to do on this airline to be profitable,” Noda said.
[Image: JetZero]

Saleh said that Alaska is interested in the possibility for technological change and efficiency, as well as all the other benefits such a plane could bring, like making air travel more comfortable, affordable, and accessible. 

The investment and partnership with JetZero fits into the carrier’s larger vision for innovation through Alaska Star Ventures, the company’s VC arm. Founded in 2021, this venture wing has already invested in a number of next-generation ideas for flight, including a hydrogen-powered plane and a glider system for short-haul flights between Hawaiian islands. In addition, Alaska has partnered with sustainable aviation fuel startup Gevo, though some critics argue the fuels are a “false solution” that amounts to greenwashing.

According to Saleh, airlines don’t have the skills and capabilities to gestate these kinds of research projects, so it makes more sense to invest in and collaborate with startups. The best of these potential ideas will get to market and scale more quickly if they’re developed with an industry partner, like Alaska, which can help incubate a new plane or technology so it immediately works within real-world constraints. Other airlines, namely JetBlue, have had venture arms, but Alaska wants to make sustainability the focus of its startup ambitions. 

“We’re doing this because to get to a sustainable future for aviation, it’ll take ideas that either don’t exist today or currently only exist in a lab,” he said. “We want to be very active investors. We don’t want to place bets the way you would in a Las Vegas casino and hope one of them hits. We realize it’s going to take all of these things.”

The pathway for this partnership to truly take flight will require years of work, innovation, and regulatory approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as clear communication and due diligence around safety; Alaska became embroiled in the current wave of aviation safety concerns when the door of a Boeing-made jet blew off mid-flight in early January. JetZero’s existing road map includes certification in 2027 and entering commercial flight in 2030. In April, the FAA cleared a smaller 1:8 scale JetZero demonstrator plane to begin test flights, which are taking place at an undisclosed site in the California desert.

The company is currently working on a full-scale model while scouting out potential manufacturing sites. By working with Alaska, the startup can help get its vision into commercial rotation.

“We want to deploy these theories into practice,” JetZero’s O’Leary Said. “People often say that’s a good theory, but it doesn’t work in practice. But that’s the definition of a good theory, that it does in fact work in practice.”

Why Alaska Airlines is investing in a jet that’s like nothing you’ve seen before

 


Airlines are investing heavily in sustainable fuels—but critics say they’re just greenwashing

Sustainable aviation fuels could help cut carbon emissions from commercial flights, but their benefit could be overstated.
[Source Photo: Stephan Zirwes/fStop Images/Getty Images]

BY INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS


Last November, Virgin Atlantic Airways made headlines for completing the world’s first transatlantic flight using “100 percent sustainable aviation fuel.” 

This week, the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) of the U.K. banned a Virgin radio ad released prior to the flight, in which they touted their “unique flight mission.” While Virgin did use fuel that releases fewer emissions than traditional supplies, the regulatory agency deemed the company’s sustainability claim “misleading” because it failed to give a full picture of the adverse environmental and climate impacts of fuel.

“It’s important that claims for sustainable aviation fuel spell out what the reality is, so consumers aren’t misled into thinking that the flight they are taking is greener than it really is,” Miles Lockwood, director of complaints and investigations at the ASA, said in a statement. 

The ruling is the latest in a string of greenwashing crackdowns against sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), which are made of components other than fossil fuels. In recent years, the U.K. and U.S. governments and private sector have offered incentives and funds to help ramp up SAF production. But skeptics say the alternative fuels will hardly make a dent in the airline industry’s large carbon footprint. 

PLANT-POWERED FLIGHTS
Aviation accounts for roughly 2.5 percent of global emissions, largely from the burning of petroleum-based fuels. Sustainable aviation fuels have been made with a number of alternative ingredients—from worn-out tires to plastic waste (though my colleague James Bruggers has previously covered some setbacks in the plastic-to-jet-fuel field). 

The majority of SAFs are made using materials already found in the environment, such as cooking fats or plant oils. These alternative fuels still emit carbon dioxide when they burn, but they typically have lower “lifecycle” emissions than petroleum-based fuels due to the way they are harvested. SAFs tap into renewable resources found in the environment instead of fossil fuels that have trapped carbon underground for millions of years. 

Currently, international standards require SAFs to be mixed with conventional fuels, which enables airlines to continue using the same infrastructure rather than developing new aircraft that can handle exclusively bio-based accelerants. To qualify as “sustainable” for U.S. tax credits, though, the mixture must cut net emissions by at least 50 percent compared with exclusively oil-based fuels. 

Over the past few years, governments and airlines have made big bets on sustainable aviation fuels. In 2021, the Biden administration set a goal of increasing production of SAFs by at least three billion gallons per year by the end of the decade. To do this, the federal government is offering tax credits through the Inflation Reduction Act to help boost domestic supplies. 

The U.K has an even tighter and more ambitious timeline, mandating that 2 percent of jet fuel supplied in the U.K. next year be SAF—with an eventual target of 10 percent by 2030. 

These commitments set off an SAF bonanza across the airline industry. For example, JetBlue announced it will purchase up to five million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel for use at New York City’s John F. Kennedy Airport. In a similar move, United Airlines said last week it will purchase one million gallons of SAFs to use at Chicago O’Hare International Airport through the end of 2024.

In April, a coalition of 40 airlines, agricultural enterprises, manufacturers, and other businesses launched efforts to scale up SAF production. The group has steadily grown to include companies like Amazon, engineering company Honeywell, and fossil fuel giant Shell. 

ARE SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUELS TAKING OFF? 
Despite some lofty targets and investments, data shows that SAFs have had some trouble getting off the ground. Last year, the U.S. burned through 24.5 million gallons of SAF, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This may sound like a lot, but Canary Media’s Aaron Mok notes that it pales in comparison to the roughly 69.3 million gallons of petroleum-based fuels that the country uses . . . per day. 

Experts say the main hurdles are the lack of supply to meet growing demands and the cost, typically double or triple the price of conventional fuels. One estimate found that meeting the SAF target in the U.S. will require a more than 18,000 percent increase in production compared to 2022 levels. 

Much of the SAF used in the U.S. and U.K. comes from used cooking oil and animal fat waste, but projections show that these resources are not going to be enough to meet demand. To make up the difference, corn and soy farmers are arguing for more biofuels using ethanol. This expansion of agricultural operations could release toxic chemicals around farming communities and fuel deforestation, which could paradoxically increase emissions related to SAF production and deplete groundwater, The New York Times reports. 

With all this in mind, critics argue that SAFs are largely a “false solution” to decarbonize the airline industry, often pushed by companies to avoid more meaningful climate actions. 

“Sustainable aviation fuel development is not moving at the speed of climate change,” Chuck Collins, a director at the progressive think tank Institute for Policy, said in a statement. “While it may be scientifically possible to create alternative jet fuels, it may be reckless in terms of the impact of land-use changes, government subsidies, and competing decarbonization needs in other sectors of the economy.” 
The institute recently published a report, dubbed “Greenwashing the Skies,” outlining how scaling up current SAF production could get in the way of emission-reduction goals. 

These concerns have been echoed by federal consumer protection agencies across the European Union. The European Commission sent a letter to 20 airlines in April identifying “potentially misleading green claims” and requested they bring their practices in line with EU consumer law within 30 days.

In response to the recent ASA decision banning Virgin Atlantic’s radio ad, a spokesperson for the company told Inside Climate News in an emailed statement that the “radio advert for Flight100 used SAF, and other factually accurate wording, to share that the flight would be operated as a single, non-commercial flight using 100% SAF.

“While we are disappointed that the ASA has ruled in favour of a small number of complaints, we remain committed to open, accurate and transparent engagement on the challenge of decarbonisation,” the spokesperson said, adding that the company will continue to use SAF to achieve its goal of net zero by 2050. The ASA heard from five complainants prior to issuing its decision. 

Some experts point out that efforts to decarbonize the airline industry are still in their infancy and face a unique set of constraints that other vehicles do not. For example, aircraft cannot use many of the electric batteries on the market because the added weight would make it too difficult to get off the ground. 

“There’s an underappreciation of how big the energy problem is for aviation,” Phil Ansell, director of the Center for Sustainable Aviation at the University of Illinois, told The Guardian. “We are now trying to find solutions, but we are working at this problem and realizing it’s a lot harder than we thought. We are late to the game. We are in the dark ages in terms of sustainability, compared to other sectors.”

Airlines are investing heavily in sustainable fuels—but critics say they’re just greenwashing

 


GE Aerospace celebrates 50 years of apprenticeship program

By Connor Ullathorne
Published: Sep. 12, 2024 at 3:34 PM CDT

RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) - A technical program at the GE Aerospace plant in Rutland is celebrating its 50th year of training the next generation of engineers.

Ethan Pieper just graduated from General Electric’s Advanced Machinist | Toolmaker Apprentice Program and is now working full time at the plant.

“It was great to have the opportunity to come in and learn all these new things but a challenge for me because it was totally outside my wheelhouse,” Pieper said.
The apprenticeship program just marked its 50th anniversary, graduating a class of nine new GE workers.

It’s a big commitment. As part of the three-year program, participants are expected to work a full shift at the plant in North Clarendon and then attend classes through Vermont State University at night three to four times a week.

“I personally have a young family, a new dad around the time I started the program, so it was definitely a big challenge,” Pieper said.

But many say it’s worth it. Aaron Pratt was part of the program years ago and is now one of the site trainers for the toolmaker program.

“I’d say what has changed in the last 30ish years is now currently some of the skills we’re training are a little more advanced,” Pratt said.

It’s real on-the-job training allowing students to sample each part of the plant to find what job best suits them.

“Throughout the whole thing you get to see every part of the business from forming all the way to final product,” Pieper said.

“We’ve had multiple examples of folks get right out of high school and come in,” Pratt said. “It’s great to see them learn from the ground up at that age.”

Pratt says the program gives the entire plant a big boost to what it can accomplish in the next 50 years, but says it’s also been extremely fulfilling for him.

“Its been very rewarding for me to go through the program and then several decades later kind of get the opportunity to oversee it,” he said. “Training these apprentices and keeping them in our workforce helps to develop and grow our own talent locally.”

General Electric says applications for the program usually open up each spring.

GE Aerospace celebrates 50 years of apprenticeship program

 


Curt Lewis