September 25, 2024 - No. 39 In This Issue : American Invests in the Future of Aviation Maintenance With New Jobs, Additional Work : Transport Canada Issues A220 Emergency AD : Boom Supersonic sets new top speed with XB-1 ‘Baby Boom’ demonstrator: video : Boom Supersonic receives authorization to conduct supersonic flight tests : The latest on aviation lubricants : Navy’s ‘digital quarterback’ aircraft plagued by untracked deficiencies, IG finds : Giving new life to the 757, J&C Aero completes Max cabin makeover [Video] : 307th Bomb Wing jets get innovative treatment : The problems of the VH-92A Patriot, the new US Marine One presidential helicopter : Textron Aviation Earns FAA Approval For SMS In Design, Manufacturing American Invests in the Future of Aviation Maintenance With New Jobs, Additional Work • 09/16/2024 - 11:50 AMThe airline is creating nearly 500 new aviation maintenance jobs, including more than 385 licensed aviation maintenance technician (AMT) positions. • Additional lines of heavy check maintenance work are being added to Charlotte, Pittsburgh and Tulsa maintenance bases. FORT WORTH, TX / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2024 / American Airlines announced nearly 500 new aviation maintenance jobs and additional lines of heavy maintenance work at the carrier's maintenance bases in Charlotte, North Carolina; Pittsburgh; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. The added headcount will allow the airline to perform additional heavy maintenance check work at these locations. "American is excited to grow our talented Technical Operations workforce with more high-paying, skilled aviation maintenance positions," said Greg Emerson, American's Vice President of Base Maintenance and Facilities. "It's an opportunity to grow our maintenance capacity and capabilities in the near-term and preserve them over the long run by continuing to build our pipeline of future maintenance team members - which is important work American has been doing for some time." Today's hiring announcement is in addition to the more than 300 jobs recently added to American's Tech Ops - Tulsa maintenance base thanks to a $22 million grant awarded by the State of Oklahoma's Business Expansion Incentive Program in 2023. The grant is helping American further grow and improve the world's largest commercial aircraft maintenance base, including American's engine repair and overhaul facility. "We're very grateful to the State of Oklahoma Department of Commerce for this grant," said Emerson. "As a direct result of this funding in 2023, we've already added hundreds of high-paying, skilled new jobs to the Tulsa economy and continue to make enhancements to our world-class maintenance facility." Creating new jobs for aviation maintenance professionals The incremental maintenance positions are now available on the airline's website today. By location: • Charlotte: 133 total openings, including 122 AMTs • Pittsburgh: 44 total openings, including 40 AMTs • Tulsa: 321 total openings, including 227 AMTs Candidates interested in joining American's team can view open opportunities and apply online at jobs.aa.com. A legacy of inspiration and mentorship The hiring process for these new positions often begins while future AMTs are still in the classroom. American has a long history of inspiring and preparing the next generation of mechanics for their future careers by forging partnerships with aviation maintenance schools across the United States. Students enrolled in aviation maintenance programs at Tulsa Tech, West Los Angeles College and Aviation Institute of Maintenance enjoy regular engagement opportunities with American's Technical Operations team members on campus or at the airline's maintenance hangars, where they receive guidance and invaluable experience as they complete their studies. Top-performing students are guaranteed interviews with American upon graduation and receipt of their FAA Airframe and Powerplant licenses. American works closely with aviation maintenance schools across the country to provide hangar visits, participate in campus events and donate aircraft parts to help enable a relevant, hands-on learning experience for students. American is also a founding sponsor of the annual Aerospace Maintenance Council Competition, which brings together teams from airlines, schools, military, general aviation and repair and maintenance organizations to compete in real-life aerospace maintenance scenarios, testing competitors' speed and accuracy while prioritizing safety. Student competitors on American-mentored teams are also guaranteed interviews with the airline upon graduation. Transport Canada Issues A220 Emergency AD Transport Canada issued an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) on Friday limiting the Airbus A220, formerly the Bombardier C Series, to a maximum setting of 94 percent N1 above 29,000 feet…. Kate O'Connor Updated Oct 30, 2019 8:19 AM EDT Image: BEA Transport Canada issued an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) on Friday limiting the Airbus A220, formerly the Bombardier C Series, to a maximum setting of 94 percent N1 above 29,000 feet. According to Transport Canada, the directive is due to several occurrences of inflight engine shutdowns on Pratt & Whitney-powered A220s. The AD (PDF) covers A220s with Pratt & Whitney PW1521G-3, PW1524G and PW1524G-3 engines. Switzerland’s Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA) issued a similar directive on Monday. “Preliminary investigation results indicate high altitude climbs at higher thrust settings for engines with certain thrust ratings may be a contributor,” Transport Canada said in the AD. “This condition, if not corrected, could lead to an uncontained failure of the engine and damage to the aeroplane.” The department says its investigation is ongoing and Friday’s AD is considered an interim action. As previously reported by AVweb, Swiss International Airlines grounded its A220s earlier this month following a third engine failure in its fleet. It began returning its aircraft to service the next day following engine inspections. An FAA AD (PDF) requiring “initial and repetitive inspections of the low-pressure compressor (LPC) inlet guide vane (IGV) and the LPC rotor 1” on a number of Pratt & Whitney turbofan models including the PW1521G-3, PW1524G and PW1524G-3 was issued following Swiss Airlines’ second in-flight engine shutdown in September Transport Canada Issues A220 Emergency AD Boom Supersonic sets new top speed with XB-1 ‘Baby Boom’ demonstrator: video by Ian Molyneaux September 23, 2024, 16:30 (UTC +3) 1 comment Boom Supersonic Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 ‘Baby Boom’ demonstrator aircraft has recorded its fastest ever speed during its fourth test flight signaling further progression towards its quest to reach Mach 1. Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 is paving the way for the developer’s full-size Overture aircraft by gathering invaluable data and testing state-of-the-art technologies. According to Boom Supersonic, XB-1 reached a new top speed of Mach 0.617, more than halfway to breaking the sound barrier. XB-1 completed the record-breaking flight on September 21, 2024, just eight days after its third test flight, in which the developer deployed some new technology for the first time. “This flight marks the first use of the flutter excitation system (FES) in flight. The FES is a vibration device that we can turn on in order to hit structural vibration modes deliberately before we would encounter them naturally in flight,” a spokesperson for Boom Supersonic said. Using a flight test technique called a wind up turn, Boom Supersonic took XB-1 up to 2.78g (or g-force). “When we get to supersonic flight, XB-1 will have to clear a turn at 2g to line up for the supersonic run – the team is testing the aircraft with an extra margin to increase safety,” Boom Supersonic said. Boom supersonic’s Chief Test Pilot, Tristan Brandenburg, took XB-1 to a maximum altitude of 16,150 feet during the test and recorded a total flight time of 48 minutes. Footage of XB-1 in flight was captured by Boom Supersonic’s T-38 chase plane which shadows the aircraft during tests. Brandenburg, who flew the second and third flights of XB-1, will also pilot the aircraft’s first supersonic flight. Boom Supersonic also completed landing gear tests by retracting the system at a max speed of 225 knots. During future test flights, the team will retract the landing gear immediately after takeoff. The XB-1 serves as a demonstrator for Boom’s upcoming Overture airliner. The supersonic passenger jet is poised to seat between 64 and 80 passengers and fly up to 4,250 nautical miles (7,867 kilometers) at a cruising speed of Mach 1.7. American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines have all placed pre-orders for Overture which will run on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Boom Supersonic receives authorization to conduct supersonic flight tests by Miquel Ros April 17, 2024, 11:43 (UTC +3) Boom Supersonic On April 16, 2024, Boom Supersonic announced that it had received a Special Flight Authorization (SFA) from the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct supersonic flight tests. This is the first time that the FAA has ever issued an authorization of this sort. It will allow Boom Supersonic to advance to the next stage with the flight test campaign of its XB-1 demonstrator, the aircraft being the test bank for the development of a commercial supersonic airliner. On March 22, 2024, Boom Supersonic successfully tested the XB-1 at subsonic speeds. During that test, conducted at the Mojave test ground, California, the aircraft reached an altitude of 7,120 feet and speeds of up to 238 knots (273 mph). The supersonic phase of Boom’s XB-1 testing campaign will take place in the Black Mountain Supersonic Corridor and parts of the High Altitude Supersonic Corridor. The latter is a portion of the airspace over the Mojave Desert that is regularly used for military and research supersonic testing operations, with several major military facilities located nearby, including Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, the National Training Center at Fort Irwin and Edwards Air Force Base. In addition to the XB-1 demonstrator, T-38 chase aircraft will also take part in the tests in order to monitor and film them Before going supersonic, though, there are still 10 to 20 test flights planned at subsonic speeds. Only then will the XB-1 cross the sound barrier. With each successive test, Boom Supersonic plans to increase the speed slightly, with the first three supersonic flights expected to reach the Mach 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 mark respectively. This gradual flight by flight approach is necessary, because the test airspace is limited and there would not be enough space to test all these speed milestones in succession within one single flight. The latest on aviation lubricants By Ben Visser September 23, 2024 In my last column, “One question, many answers,” I wrote about changes in the avgas world that I found at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024. The changes in aviation lubricants were not as dramatic, considering that the formulation for Aeroshell Oil W has not changed since 1958. Probably the biggest news is that Shell introduced a new product called Aeroshell Grease 58. For years whenever I would give a talk on aviation greases, someone would ask why isn’t there a universal product that will work in wheel bearings and all other control systems. Well 58 is that product. However, before you run out and buy some, you need to know a couple of things. First, 58 is NOT compatible with the other Aeroshell greases in use today. So if you want to use it, you need to clean your wheel bearings very thoroughly and repack them. On control systems you need to grease until you see only the new product. Then you need to clean up the mess. Another concern is that all of the existing Aeroshell greases are approved against a military specification (mil spec). But the military is getting out of that business and turning it over to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Why does that matter to airplane owners? On certified aircraft any grease used must meet the applicable mil spec, for example the mil G-3545C specification for most wheel bearings. That will eventually be replaced by an SAE spec which, hopefully, Shell will qualify 58 against. But until then it is a gray area on the legal front. DeltaHawk’s DHK180 piston engine. (Photo courtesy DeltaHawk Engines) During Oshkosh, I also learned that the oil companies are developing new products for general aviation’s new diesel cycle aviation engines. For instance, Phillips is supplying a product for DeltaHawk engines, while Shell is working on a product for Continental engines. I am not sure if this will be a big market because these engines should operate fine on existing commercial diesel engine oils. The only limitation I would be concerned with is the use of a high ash oil in the two-cycle DeltaHawk engine. Detroit Diesel made two-stroke diesel engines for many years, but the company had deposit problems with high ash commercial oils, so it put a 1% sulphated ash limit for any oil used in these engines. This may be applicable to the new two-stroke DeltaHawk engines. Pickled Engines In the past, Shell had a product called Aeroshell Fluid 2F, which was a preservative oil. It was a blend of Aeroshell 100 mineral oil and the additive 2XN and worked well in “pickled” engines and in winterized engines. What’s a pickled engine? Back in the day, when engines were to be unused for extended periods, the military would put a preservative oil like 2F in them to protect the engines. They called it pickling the engines, especially for shipment overseas by boat. The company stopped selling 2F, I assume because of low sales volume. Now it is introducing the sale of just the 2XN additive in five-gallon containers as a corrosion preservative concentrate for protecting infrequently flown engines. But there’s a problem. When it was available, some pilots were adding a quart or two of 2F to their crankcases during the winter months or during times of infrequent flying to help protect against rust and corrosion. Since 2F was a three to one mixture of Aeroshell 100 and 2XN, that would mean they would use, at the most, a half of a quart a year. That would mean that a five-gallon container of just 2XN would last a pilot about 40 to 80 years. I do not know what the shelf life of the product is, but I cannot image keeping track of a container of product for this long. Bruce Bohannon flies Pushy Galore at a past EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. (Photo courtesy EAA) Old Friends The other thing about going to Oshkosh every summer is meeting up with old friends or hearing about them. I was saddened to learn that during the week of Oshkosh an old friend, Bruce Bohannan, passed away. Bruce was a Formula one aircraft pilot and held many “time to climb” records in his Pushy Galore aircraft and then later in the Exxon Flyin’ Tiger. He also put together the Aeroshell Speed Dash in 1993 with the help of others. If it wasn’t for Bruce, there never would have been an Aeroshell Cow poster. There are many great stories about Bruce, like the time he stored a year’s supply of pyrotechnics under his welding bench. Let’s just say that did not turn out really well. But I will always remember Bruce for something that happened at the Reno Air Races in the 1990s. It was just before the F-1 race so I walked down to the F-1 hangar. Everyone was getting ready with last minute checks when a boy in a wheelchair came into the hangar. No one paid a lot of attention to him, but when he came to Bruce’s aircraft, Bruce stopped and answered all of his question and then some. Bruce then asked him if he would like to tow Pushy Galore out to the starting line. I have not seen a boy light up like that since Christmas morning. And when he towed the airplane out, he was grinning so wide I was afraid he might hurt his face. I do not know who won that race and it does not matter. With this unscripted and unphotographed act Bruce became the big winner of the day and one of the great experiences of the Reno Air Races. Bruce was a great guy and a very good friend and he will be greatly missed. Navy’s ‘digital quarterback’ aircraft plagued by untracked deficiencies, IG finds By ALISON BATH STARS AND STRIPES • September 24, 2024 An E-2D Advanced Hawkeye lands on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson while underway in the Pacific Ocean, June 12, 2024. A Defense Department Inspector General report found the Navy isn’t tracking deficiencies discovered during operational testing of the aircraft. (Joshua Sapien/U.S. Navy) The Navy’s battle manager in the sky has been crippled by scores of deficiencies and no plan to fix them, the Defense Department Inspector General said in a report that cast doubt on whether the service can accomplish critical missions at sea. The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft, easily recognizable for the dish-shaped antenna mounted above its fuselage, delivers air and missile defense data to aircraft carrier groups, among other roles. However, the Navy “is budgeted to spend $22 billion to acquire a total of 80 (E-2D) aircraft and has already fielded 62 aircraft that do not meet the required performance capabilities,” the IG said. That’s because the Navy isn’t tracking problems found during operational testing, the report determined. The IG found 141 operational deficiencies weren’t fixed as of February. That’s about two-thirds of the total deficiencies found during seven operational tests performed from 2011 to 2020, the report noted. The critical shortfalls were mostly redacted but in citing one such problem, the IG noted that “the radar is the aircraft’s primary means to detect and track land and sea contacts.” The few deficiencies released publicly included problems with crew seats locking into place for landing aboard an aircraft carrier, and an obscured view on a tracking screen that affected the crew’s ability to detect an object as soon as possible. The first E-2D was delivered to the Navy in 2007 by Northrop Grumman, which continues to manufacture and upgrade the aircraft it calls the Navy’s “digital quarterback.” Acquisition is expected to finish in 2026 with the Navy planning to fly the aircraft into the 2040s, according to the IG report. Petty Officer 1st Class Luis Esguerra conducts maintenance on the propeller of an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the Pacific Ocean in 2023. The Navy doesn’t have a plan to address or correct deficiencies discovered during operational testing of the aircraft, according to a Defense Department Inspector General report released Sept. 23, 2024. (Jeff D. Kempton/U.S. Navy) The Navy contracted with Northrop Grumman to provide software and hardware modifications from 2014 to 2027. Those modifications include improvements to radar, satellite communications and electronic protection, among other upgrades, the IG said. The report also found that of the 141 unaddressed deficiencies, about 45% were considered to have a critical or serious impact to mission success. Another 34 deficiencies not covered by the IG’s report were reported in May. The IG also noted that DOD’s office of the director of operational test and evaluation, or DOT&E, has consistently reported reliability issues with the aircraft’s radar and the inability of the Navy to keep the aircraft maintained and available. “The DOT&E recommended that the Navy correct these issues but as of 2024, the recommendations remained unresolved,” the IG said. “These limitations may preclude the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye from accomplishing the mission requirements.” The E 2/C 2 Airborne Command and Control Systems Program Office, or PMA-231, which is responsible for tracking the deficiencies, admitted it didn’t have a central system allowing it to do so. The IG recommended that the Navy establish a process to track the aircraft’s deficiencies. The report also said the service should evaluate all unresolved deficiencies and note whether action was taken. The Navy also should create a plan to correct the deficiencies that impact mission accomplishment, the IG said. The Navy concurred with the recommendations and said all actions would be completed by Dec. 1. Navy’s ‘digital quarterback’ aircraft plagued by untracked deficiencies, IG finds Giving new life to the 757, J&C Aero completes Max cabin makeover J&C Aero completes 757 cabin makeover 26/07/2024 Aviation engineering news, News Written by: Nick Harding J&C Aero has completed the transformation of a Boeing 757 cabin to 737 Max standards of aesthetics and functionality. Over 9 months, J&C Aero designed, produced and installed the new single-class cabin which includes next-generation seating, dynamic cabin lighting which is LED-based, in-seat power units as well as modernising the toilets and galley areas. The cabin makeover also extended to refurbishing the cabin sidewalls and overhead panels as well as a new floor covering with modern emergency marking systems. New dynamic lighting was part of the makeover. “The air travel is blooming again, but the market lacks the capacity. Considering the backlog for new aircraft and growing scarcity in the secondary aircraft market, airlines turn their glaze on older generation aircraft. For instance, Boeing 757 – it was designed more than 40 years ago, but it can still show efficiency in terms of capacity and range. However, it can hardly meet the expectations of today’s passengers when it comes to the comfort, technologies, and aesthetics of the cabin,” comments Maksim Jurkov, the Head of Design at J&C Aero. “This was an extraordinary project for us – we needed to carefully design and integrate Next Generation interiors into legacy cabins. We also required a solution that would minimize the production of OEM parts in order to avoid potential supply chain delays, particularly considering that historical Boeing 757 supply chains basically ceased to exist once the production of these aircraft ended. The cabin walls and overhead panels also got a makeover “The solution was to design, produce, and install almost all cabin elements in-house – something we were able to do thanks to our expanded capabilities. We are very pleased with the results and hope that the passengers will soon be able to enjoy comfortable and modernized Boeing 757s on their way to holiday destinations around the world.” The project is the first of three Boeing 757s to undergo this makeover for an unnamed central Asian airline with design and production being completed in Vilnius, and installation taking place at the customer base. Having completed the design work on the first aircraft, J&C Aero says that the remaining two aircraft will take no more than 3 months to complete. Watch the transformation [Video] 307th Bomb Wing jets get innovative treatment Published July 24, 2024 By Senior Master Sgt. Theodore Daigle 307th Bomb Wing Public Afairs BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Representatives from Boeing, SEMPRE, Northrop Grumman, Skydio, and Near Earth Autonomy demonstrated multiple technologies on the B-52 Stratofortress here, July 16. Leadership and B-52 maintainers from Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Mobility Command, and the 8th Air Force were on hand as the various companies demonstrated potential maintenance capabilities for the 60-year-old airframe using a combination of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), AI software, stand-alone networks, and augmented reality devices. Several of the demonstrations revolved around improving physical scans of the aircraft, a time-consuming and potentially dangerous process for maintainers. “Our maintainers do physical scans of the aircraft every 180 days and again every 450 flight hours, but there are areas that are difficult and time-consuming to inspect due to access,” said Master Sgt. Brett Jordan, the 307th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron production superintendent. The inner workings of a B-52 Stratofortress are represented in augmented reality goggles as a U.S. Airman attached to the 307th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron trains with them at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, July 16, 2024. The augmented reality goggles were just one of several demonstrations of technology designed to enhance productivity and safety in the bomber community. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Ted Daigle) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res One proposed solution involved a two-person team from Near Earth Autonomy scanning the surface of two Air Force Reserve Command B-52s with a proprietary, 35 pound drone, which sent information via a secure network to Boeing’s artificial intelligence enabled software. The software then provided instant feedback on problem areas on the jet’s surface. The network, provided by SEMPRE, served as the backbone of the demonstration by providing a self-contained unit called the SEMPRE T. The transportable unit is hardened against electromagnetic pulses and combines a 5G cellular network, decentralized hybrid cloud, and satellite gateway in remote and contested environments. A SEMPRE T mobile network processes data during a maintenance technology demonstration at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, July 16, 2024. The fully enclosed network is hardened against electromagnetic pulses and offers its users 5G capability in remote and contested environments. The network ran encrypted data during the Near Earth Autonomy, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing demonstration. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Ted Daigle) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res “Things that would normally knock a network off the air won’t affect the SEMPRE T,” said Jon Huppenthal, SEMPRE chief technology officer. “It can be unpacked from a plane and be fully operational from a remote location with no connectivity in approximately 15-20 minutes.” Barksdale maintainers beat Huppenthal’s estimates, getting the SEMPRE T operational in 10 minutes, providing Boeing, Near Earth Autonomy, and Northrop Grumman with a secure network augmented by anti-tamper sensors, a zero-trust architecture, and end-to-end encryption. Using the SEMPRE T network, the Near Earth Autonomy’s drone used a pre-programmed flight pattern to scan the B-52’s surface in a few minutes, a task that would ordinarily take several maintainers hours to complete. Hundreds of photos from the drone were sent in real-time to Boeing’s Automated Damage Detection Software (ADDS), which employs an advanced AI algorithm to sift through the data and quickly detect anomalies in the jet’s skin, including corrosion, missing seals, and paint delamination. “ADDS pinpoints anomalies so that when maintainers have to harness up and put themselves in danger by going 40 feet up to work on a tail, they know exactly where to go and how to fix it,” said Scott Belanger, a retired Air Force maintenance officer who now works on Boeing’s Contested Logistics Solutions Team. Skin anomalies on top of a B-52 Stratofortress are outlined in red at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, July 16, 2024. A Skydio unmanned aerial system provided thousands of photos of the jet’s surface. Boeing AI-enabled software scanned through the photos in minutes revealing the exact location of the anomalies for maintainers to address. (courtesy photo) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res NEA and Boeing have employed ADDS on C-17 Globemasters at Joint-Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam as part of a three-pillared inspection program for the past three years. “Home station checks on a C-17 used to take eight to nine hours, not including harnessing up and bringing in lifts,” said Belanger. “We’ve been able to reduce that time to three hours, and the process is exponentially safer.” Beyond safety and efficiency, Belanger said the data improves accuracy, citing studies that show the average anomaly detection rate on aircraft by humans is 50%. “We’ve been able to bring that rate up to 94%,” said Belanger. “The technology doesn’t replace maintainers; it just elevates their ability to find problem areas and remedy them.” Like Near Earth Autonomy, Skydio also provided scanning capabilities, but in a smaller, more deployable UAS that can be used in garrison as well as remote and contested environments. That UAS includes an X10D drone, which weighs under five pounds and can be folded into a package 13 inches long and hand-carried in a small case. An Unmanned Aerial System piloted by Near Earth Autonomy collects surface data on a B-52 Stratofortress at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, July 16, 2024. The data was transferred via a self-contained, encrypted mobile network designed by SEMPRE. The data was then processed using Boeing software, which employed an AI-enabled algorithm. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Ted Daigle) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Peyton Knippel, Skydio’s Director of Business for Air and Space Forces, said the company’s UAS is designed for ease of use even if the operator has no previous drone experience. “The XD10 uses a series of steps to set up the scan in only four minutes, so cognitive load in a stressful environment is significantly reduced,” he said. “You just have to follow the steps.” Knippel cited a recent event where maintainers who had never flown a drone had to fly the XD10 on short notice. “We taught them the fundamentals, they followed the steps, and they had the mission flown in 30 minutes,” he said. The Skydio UAS records aircraft photos on a micro-SD card, which can be directly transferred to ADDS after a flight without a network. While drones and AI played a significant role in the demonstration, so did augmented reality. Northrop Grumman showcased the ability to combine AR in a wholly encrypted environment to ensure maintenance accuracy. An employee with Near Earth Autonomy prepares to launch a drone at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, July 16, 2024. The drone scanned a B-52 Stratofortress, taking hundreds of pictures that were processed by software with a proprietary algorithm designed to quickly locate anomalies in the surface of the jet. The software improved anomaly recognition by 44% over human eyes alone. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Ted Daigle) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Their team demonstrated how maintainers in remote environments could use AR-enabled glasses to collaborate with subject matter experts in other parts of the world through the SEMPRE T to address maintenance problems on the B-52. Michael Hinkley, Northrop Grumman’s Sector Manager for Advanced Manufacturing, said the AR system allows maintainers to reach across the world to get real-time help without fear of unfriendly forces finding out a B-52 is currently inoperable and using that information against them. The new aircraft will replace the aging VH-3D and VH-60N of HMX-1 On August 19, Joe Biden debuted a new Marine One, the name given to the helicopters that transport the US president. Ukraine shows its UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter in action with a Spanish name The US Army already has a replacement for the UH-60 Black Hawk: the Bell V-280 Valor The new presidential helicopter is the Sikorsky VH-92A Patriot, and its debut by Biden took place on a flight from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Soldier Field in that city, from where the US president was transferred by ground to the United Center, where the Democratic National Convention is taking place. The first VH-92A Marine One was the helicopter with registration number 169186 and serial number 92-0334. Joe Biden arriving at Soldier Field in Chicago on his first flight on the VH-92A Patriot (Photo: Sikorsky Aircraft). The VH-92A Patriot is a purpose-built presidential transport version of the Sikorsky S-92 civilian helicopter. The civilian model, developed from the Sikorsky S-70 (the civilian designation of the famous UH-60 Black Hawk), made its maiden flight on December 23, 1998, and about 300 units have been built to date. The VH-92 was ordered by the Obama administration in May 2014 and made its maiden flight on July 28, 2017, a few months after Donald Trump became president of the United States. The delivery ceremony of the last VH-92A to the Marines in Owego, New York (Photo: Naval Air Systems Command). The VH-92H program cost $5 billion for 23 helicopters, two test helicopters and 21 production helicopters. Coincidentally, yesterday the delivery of the last of the VH-92As manufactured to the Marines was announced, whose squadron, Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1), is in charge of operating the helicopters that transport the US president. The flights are handled by a unit subordinate to that squadron, the Executive Flight Detachment, known as "Whiteside", whose helicopters are distinguished by having their tops painted white, which is why they are known as the "White Tops". A VH-3D Sea King. It has been the most famous presidential helicopter for decades (Photo: Naval Air Systems Command). Currently, HMX-1 Whiteside operates 9 VH-92As (the remaining 12 are pending qualification to serve as presidential transports), 10 Sikorsky VH-3D Sea Kings (introduced in 1976 and derived from the famous SH-3 naval helicopter) and 6 VH-60N White Hawks (introduced in 1988 and are the executive transport version of the UH-60 Black Hawk). These helicopters are transported on Boeing C-17 aircraft that accompany the Boeing 747-200B Air Force One (the plane in which the US President travels) on his trips. Two VH-60N White Hawks in Grand Forks, North Dakota, on April 22, 1997 (Photo: NARA). The remainder of HMX-1, known as "Greenside," operates 12 Bell-Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor planes, used in support roles (such as transporting Secret Service agents, escorting the U.S. president) and which have green tops. An MV-22B Osprey from Marine Helicopter Squadron One's (HMX-1) "Greenside" landing in New York on April 11, 2023 (Photo: U.S. Marine Corps). The new VH-92A Patriot has given the HMX-1 a few headaches. The helicopter first landed at the White House on September 22, 2018, almost six years ago. How is it possible that Biden hasn't used it in all this time? The explanation came to light in November 2021 with a report from the US Department of Defense, which noted that "failing to meet the reliability, availability or maintainability threshold requirements." The VH-92A has very similar lines to the helicopter on which it is based, the S-70 Black Hawk (Photo: Naval Air Systems Command). The report stated that the VH-92A was "operationally effective" for "administrative" missions, but not in an "contingency operation mission," adding: "instability, cabin interior flaws, frequent maintenance inspections and rear air-stair door components contributed to low aircraft availability." The first landing of a VH-92A Patriot at the White House (Photo: Naval Air Systems Command). Furthermore, it was revealed that on its first flight to the White House, the helicopter had burned the grass in the landing zone on the South Lawn of the presidential residence, burns caused by engine exhaust, redirected toward the ground by the helicopter's main rotor, but also due to fluid discharges, "limiting the number of available landing zones". A VH-92A Patriot in flight (Photo: Lockheed Martin). The VH-92A Patriot is intended to replace the aircraft used until now by the "Whiteside", both the VH-3D and the VH-60N. It should be noted that the VH-92A is the largest Marine One helicopter used by the US president, since it measures 17.12 meters in length, being slightly larger than its predecessor, the VH-3D (whose fuselage measures 16.69 meters). In addition, it is the first presidential helicopter with a rear ramp. Textron Aviation Earns FAA Approval For SMS In Design, Manufacturing Molly McMillin September 16, 2024 Textron Aviation has received FAA approval for its safety management system implementation plan to support the design and manufacturing of Cessna and Beechcraft model aircraft. The approval follows a previous FAA-approved SMS program for the maintenance and support of its aircraft. The approval underscores the company’s dedication to the “highest standards of product quality at every level of operations,” the company says. The new SMS program includes a voluntary anonymous reporting tool that allows employees, customers or suppliers to report aircraft quality risks or hazards directly to Textron Aviation’s SMS committee. The committee then evaluates the risk based on the information provided. It investigates the causes and plans a response. Based on those findings and solutions, the company updates processes and tools to ensure continuous improvement in safety and quality standards. The safety management system is a systematic approach to managing product safety, including its organizational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures, company officials say. “There’s been a lot of talk in the industry about a safety management system—when they talk about safety management, that’s really broader than safety. It’s the quality and the safety of the product and the manufacturing and design process as well as the maintenance process,” says Ron Draper, Textron Aviation president and CEO. “Many in the industry have been pushing for this and working towards this. I think we’re a leader in the industry.” Recently, the FAA released its full guidance for SMS related to the areas of design and manufacturing. “We had obviously been working on this for years,” Draper says. “We’re very excited that the years of work we’ve been putting into our processes around quality and safety have been recognized by the FAA ... That’s another piece of this manufacturing of the future. One is how do we get the employees and train them, and how do we make sure that we have the systems and the quality control that provides a world-class manufacturing operation. “We’ll be training employees from Day One about their role in that quality system and their role in a culture where we expect them to speak up,” Draper says. “We want them to report things; we want them to talk about it ... I think SMS encourages that.” Integrating the insights and expertise of employees, customers and suppliers into the SMS enhances the ability to identify and mitigate risks and strengthens continuous improvement in products and services collaboratively, says Chris Hearne, Textron Aviation senior vice president of engineering. “This collaborative approach is in line with our mission to empower our collective talent to design and deliver the best aviation experience for customers,” Hearne says. How Canada is preserving what remains of its iconic supersonic Avro Arrow jet By Elizabeth Howell An archival photo of the Avro Arrow during flight testing. (Image credit: Ingenium Canada) Six decades after the supersonic Avro Arrow suddenly stopped flying, Canada is working hard to preserve what few pieces of it are left. The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow (known as the Arrow among its fans) was one of the most advanced supersonic jets of its era in the 1950s. It even has a link with NASA across the border, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia. But the Arrow program's funding was nixed in 1959 in a still-controversial decision by the Canadian government of the day, led by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. There was a silver lining for NASA, as a few of Avro's employees eventually were hired by the agency and participated in the early U.S. space program, according to Ingenium. Some even worked on the Apollo moon landings. The Arrow's legacy was recently celebrated at a Canadian museum trying to keep safe the few parts that remain from the program, as the airplanes, plans and most other artifacts were destroyed in the aftermath of the cancellation decision. Curt Lewis