@ FAREWELLVC10 THINKING BIG SINGLE MINDED RAF TANKER FROM | China's ambitionsnow ° Further clues emerge of DEN AGE stieiching to a300-seat | Beechcraft’ designs on LAVIATION = widebody that could be © thriving single-engined produced with Russia 7° turboprop segment 18 FLIGHT tighstobacom INTERNATIONAL £3.30 o Frrvorsls il FlghtglobalConnections made simple. Whether connecting with a single unit deep in the field or a large contingent back at base, defence Ree eee ee nee aa een aes ee ad innovation to support new applications and changing missions, more cost-ef fective solutions to weather tightening budgets. Harris CapRock understands these needs and constraints and makes getting more from Petters We believe every customer’s mission is a critical mission. That's why we take pride in pioneering the latest in military-specific and secure commercial communications. 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LA RRS eeenontnen acter seren eberatt CUA aaa)@ Flightglobal FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL COVER IMAGE ‘Tho US Air Force provided this tanker's-eye view of one ofits Lockheed Martin -22s fr our look at plans ‘to ensure this small let of stealthy fithrgeneration ‘through the 2030s P28 NEWS Falling costs spurnew US F35 deals (Coma widens scope ofits ambition. ‘nia Aermacchi scores Ral deal or M45 HET 8 Hightech material ves GE Passport to fel efficiency. Bell chooses Garmin for final piece of SLS jesaw 9 Shutdown threatens smal suppliers 110 Balloon banner blocked A349 sensors, Deot forequity desis bolster Superet programme 411. Myanmar catches ATR's ojo as sales rise in AsiaPact, Ln Ai plans yearned! commitment for cs2002 112 Damage to A830 went undetected by fauity system. Norwegian leases A340 as Dreamliner debut sours 113. Bosing blamed for 737 shin racking Canada mulls Cyclone atematives Military King irs got boost from Figherthrust engines ae fighglobal.com ‘AirSpace user Karismat posted ths shot of ' Polish air force MIG-29 taking of on full, ‘cheat with its landing gear still down. Open a gallery in fightglobal.com’s Airspace ‘community fr a chance to feature here 19 ‘948 OCTOBER 2013 fghtors remains the lat latin “advanced negotiations” with atleast two air forces, word In alr supremacy AlightglobaLcom/imageottheday {orits Block 60 Kf P15 Ceremonies in France and Spain mark arial of AAOOM into service PI6 ‘MOM achieves formal introduction Beechcraft hones new product ines. Wing mating takes new Latte closer to fies lent | Macaer aims its experience at business jet completions Embraer ejes further enhancements to ts ‘development Legacy areratt Hybricl concept advances through tansiion testing. BLR looks to Europe for business it Ie ven), Vinci in engine trials SSSIL pushes siailercheaper limit to jist 5K, Civ push guides Marsha REGULARS ‘Comment ‘Straight & Lovet COVER STORY 128 Raptor reborn As the US AirForce tests F22 updates promising raster combat capabilites and improved safoy forthe stoaty ft generation fighter, its main regrets thatthe fleet ist larger FEATURES 24 ERS ‘Queen of the skies’ bows out More than haf acentury afters fight debut as a cil aime, the Vickers VC10 hae reached the enc of ts if, withthe Roya ir Force having retired is lst tankers Asthe business aviation community head to Las Vegas forts annual US Jamboree, we look at ahi proggammes area gamble and which area sure thing 2.14 October 2013 Flight International | 2CONTENTS IN THIS ISSUE Companies listed HEADLINES: THE WEEK ON THE WEB ia tore 1 et So caletioreocwensat® | flightglobal.com Seen a met metetoneetnt Yt ancopertons tr DaiLearmount Learnt so if Ren teecheeeeseme || ‘OWS avemarkabie photo series ofthe landing of this eae 8 enreeaed Cessna 472 hich went very far cownhil rom this ie Gate AMtod PS) eaay ‘utofshape moment. Al mn F —Yeoas in Montreal report on three occupants ftved to tell ee 32 ICADs zmorlassonbha whore the tale, but may cispute the ‘Basel kao. To She caught up with an ascendant old aviation myth that “a Soc iS LonAnonte cupofratrg (ign aera ‘Bal Hebeopter. 31020 (OMe menenS ‘walk away from’ = 2 eS Meanwhile, our blogger in Tel Sacrccaesiease ices | ey ame wud cana oan ee indekarta fora major ATR daly Aviv gives his Arlel View of ‘Gene 7 Pee Whmcia egies besiulna the UN mission to verity that Syria is clean of chemical aa 32 the turboprop manufacturers Weapons. The Israel air foree wil be deploying cirbased — 23 main market egjon (P11) and orbiting sensors in a minutebyninute process aimed at oa 6818 _avoidng a situation where the deadly substances only Bae, 3 change location, nd, yperbola notes tht while NASA ae 3 has had to furough most of ts staff ring the US budget re cis, ct east mission control in Houston willbe runnin ‘General Elec. o15 normally to support the International Space Station. Pik 30 too tion 20 @ Find all these items at fightglobal.com/wotw to aos nda te QUESTION OF THE WEEK pe. “f Last wack, we asked: Is Tim Clark ight to think the A380 a ‘Leckneed tantin. eid 6 ‘stooping giant?: You said: Nacht spc a Bk a8 Ye aemeteme | Movie imted | Myllee eure 4 acencindoam® | anatase | aim fore hte an a f ieee 1 eran tte ater ses et oes 42 Seda Caen rae Pavan, ie EBMORIAL 7 ‘sib So Tate: 5058 ronan 23 Sine Apvernana Tis eek we hese widebody ying by 2025 fifa. aE seermoesa ass Nota hope Possiby as multinational fot in smal mies as 2) | eae Yer, China wal be fre In wisi maret next decade Stns ee nH etceniccttlon penal en cnn a wat ‘aaa wo HIGH FLIERS sane i 13 neinmtmnenebnsh The top fe storie for the week unt gone: me {5 MMAR scan {Lhonein ates one fits 787s ino sence paler 19 Susscnnone 2 Ballon it let A249 pt wih aiepoo prolom fee fe eet 3 Len acon plan place CS200 order onths eee Reale {I vPanipigt rate bos osepr Srers iit nme ig rmoaat2 §5 Beech eenincrieation lan fro PDS procst Worse st anabion Fight reaches up to.3 milion vistors tom 220 ‘wae 23 fui ALLY News AA cctrties vowing 7. illo pages each month Woe 3 ppsmga on Download the new Commercial Engines Report now with enhanced data and in-depth market analysis ay) flightglobal.com/commengines13 per 4 Flight Intemational -14 October 2013 figmglobalcomCOMMENT © ‘operstonsandsaety ‘tor David aroun ‘ates on eat salty meters onnis ce ‘Mito comleamount fignglobal.com Shutdown shock With the shutters down on government offices across the USA, the aerospace industry is feeling financial pain - and might start to rethink its business relationship with Uncle Sam. Lite theontrenk ota dont isn outa Asia x the eruption of a voleana in Iceland, the global aviation industy faces another sudden and apparently ‘uncontrollable financial shock. Only this time the economic calamity comes not ‘rom the natural world, but froma politcal system. ‘A domestic squabble over how to administer health insurance policies in the USA now threatens to entan: lea soparate debate over deficit spending and with it ‘destabilise the global economic system, It is toa soon to tell how an increasingly likely dofault an US public debt payments on 17 October will ‘harm the global economy, but there is no doubt thatthe aviation industry will feel somo ofthe pain. So far, the impact of the government shutdown has been minimal. Keeping air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration workerson the jl spares airlines from immodiate sullering Few industries are more governed by global economic growth than aviation Thanks to a solf-cortification regime, it will be several weeks before the major OEMS, such as Boeing ‘and Gulfstream, fel the impact of a government shut lovin on ellos to certificate now aircralt programas. Th the meantime, defence contractors may fool a pinch. The absence of government inspectors during the shutdown means no new aircraft products can be delivered to customers. Where the shuldown will hut ‘most is anywhere thatthe aviation industry depends solely on the government to keep commerce moving, In Least of our wortios such a highly regulated industry there are many such intersections. [Nowhero are thes more mumorous than the web of repair stations and completion centres around the USA. Populated mostly by small businesses, this in- dustry depends on frequent intervention by FAA in- spect to keep the process moving. ‘As bad as the shutdown is, the impact still pales in ‘comparison to the prospect ofa debt default by the US federal government, Pew industries are more governed by global economic growth than the aviation industry and ashock tothe financial system as ssmicasa gov cerament default could wreak havoc. But what can the aviation industry do to minimise thosisk of sich politically driven ecrmomnic instability? "The axperiaace may push industry leaders to press bbarder for mote outsourcing of government functions Ifa broken political system makes goverment an unreliable partner, maybe itis time to re-think who is . ‘See News Focus PS When the balloon goes up Br eget passion or celebration might aot ordinarily be considered an air transport safety smalter, but filings to the countuy’s accident investiga tion commission suggest otherwise. Every three days, on avorago, pilots aro submitting sirprox reports concerning encounters with balloans to ‘dedicated site, Avianca A320 pilots took evasive ac tion in Séo Paulo boca the aircraft's noso was on a collision couse with a balloon on final approa Its @ known problem, but very dangerous,” stated ‘one Emirates 777 crew. “Some of these cary big gas bottles as thir fel sour While the crew of a TAM A319 which hit a balloon cout of Rio de Janeiro undoubtedly failed to deal effectively with the resulting unreliable airspeed situation, tho taining aspect isa soparate problom, ‘Bruzlian investigators estimate that hitting even a small balloon would equate to. 2 strike at typical te rminal airspace spoods, while a larger ane could deliver ‘addovasiating 100t impact. Evon ifaballoon is released good weather, they add, there is litle to stop it drifting into arvas of low visibility “TAM incident probably won't be the lst. With the football World Cup just eight months away ~ and the ‘Olympic Games in Rio to follow — its hard to believe the authorities will be able to keep the carnival separate from the atmosphere. ‘See ir Transport PIO 2.14 October 2013 Flight International STHIS WEEK BRIEFING ANKARA APPROVES HURKUS LAUNCH ORDER DEAL Tuhcys defence procurement bod SSM. has aperoved plans to acquire a fst batch oF 15 Hurkus trainer rom Turkish Aerospace Industes Ftean Bode ars wl be acqured forthe Turkish acfore foloving te 26 Seotember decision, with aleunch contact ‘or the typ tobe sgn within the nex few months. TA conducted the frst fight ofthe turboprop: powered Hurkus in August 2013 NIGERIA PROBES FATAL BRASILIA CRASH SAFETY Neerian authori are investigating the fatal rash of an Embraer €MB420 Brasilia during takeoff fom Lagos on 3 October, Ini 14 ofthe 20 cocupants were klled. The 23yeerol alae (6INBIY),opertod by local earior Associatod Aviation, was conduct inga private domestic charter ight to Adure. Ngerian aviation minis ter Stella Adoeze Oduah says emergency teams extinguished te fre tthe accident site win 2min, "While tis too earyto determine the cause ofthe accident, we urge the pubicto be patient while the Investigation progresses she adds. The araft was tensporting the body af deceased former aviation ministor. BOMBARDIER RESUMES TESTING DEVELOPMENT Bombarderhas continued with the test pro- ‘gare foits CSaiesacrft, completing the second sortie of of its FTVL Akin prototype on 1 October after a toweck hiatus. The CSetes programme reviewed more then 14,000 datapoints gath- cre from the first srtie on 16 September before launch the sec ond fight, ombarcler says. The atest .Sh fight reached an atu of12,000f(3,680m) and included the frst collection of Poise data, which ‘ofcialy impressed” the ight siencos cam, says Borba vice president Rob Dewar. MIXED START FOR ALASKAN SCANEAGLES ‘OPERATIONS The fist US Federal Aveton Administrator approved commercial fights using Boeing Init ScanEagle unmanned ar veh cles met wth mixed ests. A'36min test ight was performed ver the Chukchi Sea off nrthern Alka on 12 September but a second sortie corded soon afterwards ended withthe sreraterahing inta the sea after sureing engine aur. “The ara was recov cere” says ConccoPhilips, which operates the type with Inst LESSOR NAC CALLS FOR 90-SEAT ATR ‘TURBOPROPS Danish lessor Nc Aviation Capital has become the latest customer to urge ATR to produce 2 SOseat turboprop. a ‘er signing anew onder for15 more 600 series aircraft fom the ait framet During the European Regions Aine Association general assembly in Salzburg, Nowe chairman Metin Mair soi: think ‘the demand forthe 90sesteris geater than [ATR chief Fippo [Bagnatois saying. thnk he is understating wich the sensible thingto do Bagnato says the decision 's up 1 ATR shareholders ‘Nenia Aermacch and EADS, buthopes it willbe made by yearend. ‘Soe Air Transport P12, GRIM REAPERS REFORM WITH F35C ‘TRAINING Tho US Nay has formed its rst oficial Lockheed Martin F35C squadion, to ain plots to operate the Joint Sire Fighter The \VF401 “Grim Reepers” stood up at Egin AF in ra with anna ‘wo F35Cs. Four more offs evertual 15 alata alreay intast {NAS Patuxent Fiverin Mayland. The USN expocts the F350 to ‘chieve initial operating capability during 2019, 6 Flight Intemational -14 October 2013 @ Fora roundup ulate now, ww gitsobaLcom/wotw ‘The LRIP 6 deal includes an order for six STOVL-variant F-358s ‘COMBAT AIRCRAFT DAVE MAJUMDAR WASHINGTON DC new US F-35 deals Department of Defense confirms orders for next low-rate production lots of Lockheed Martin’s Joint Strike Fighter ie US Depastment of afense | tion lo unit ents have dined, has finalised a deal to buy a | says Loraine Martin, Lockhoed's combined 71 F-35s from Lock- | general manager for the F- Theod Martin through the Joint | “Thats a trad we look forwand to Strike Fighter programme's sixth | continuing as tis programme and seventh low-rate initial pro- | moves toward fullzate prodic- Ahetion (LRP) ots. ‘ion an operational marty.” Coveringthomemubicturaof36 | Separately, « new report inta sircaf for 4.4 billion, the LP 6 | the F'35 published by the Depat- doal inchides 28 conventional | mont of Defense's Inspector Gon- take-off and landing F-5As far | era’s office on 30. September $108 million each; seven carrier | found major faults with the pro- variant F-A5Cs, each worth $120 | gramine, criticising the military's snillio; and six short take-off and | Joint Program Office )PO), Lock- vertical landing F-35Bs, for $109 | heed and several component sup- rillion each. The average aircraft | pliers for “insufficient rigour in ‘unit cost is approximately 2.5% | design, manufacturing and quali- Jower than in LRIP 5, the US gov- | ty assurance processes emment and Lackheed say in a | — Responding to the document, joint statement. Worth $8.4 bil- | tho PO says:"As of 24 September, lion for 35 aircraft, the LRIP 7 | 269 of the findings (78%) have order comprises 24 F-5As, | been closed, with the remaining seven F-A5Bsand four F-35Cs, | 74 still in work, with ecmrective Both deals exclude the cast of | action plans in development or F195 engines, which will be the | approved but not fully imple- subject ofaseparatecontrect with | mented." I does not reveal “new Prat & Whitney. or crlical issues” that affect the Lockheed will be responsible | health ofthe programme, itadds, for coveringany cost overnnsin- | Noting that he report was comm: ‘euried during the two future pro- | pilod using data more than 16 duction lots, deliveries ffom | months old, Lackheod says that hich will stat in the second | the 66 conwective action raquosts quarters of 2014 and 2015, zespoc- | directly attributable to it and its tively. Any retums reported | suppliers “are all scheduled tobe below the agreed price will be | closed by April 2014". ml shared a arativ af 0% tothe gov emment and 20% to Lockheed “With each successive produc- Ouroperts ana dete eye an Te DEW Une ie Mghiebal com, deme fignglobal.com[New GE material offers Passport tofuel savings THIS WEEK PB THIS WEEK [DEVELOPMENT MAVIS TOH BEING Comac widens scope of its ambition Chinese airframer targets 300-seat market and may collaborate with Russia to produce widebody aircraft for mid-2020s Comac has also begun talks ‘with ongino: manufrs GE, AWiation, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Ravoe, and is hoping that a new powvorplant will be daveloped {arits widebody, say sources, ‘Research for the programme is being carried. out at Comac’s ‘Aeronautical Science & Technal- oy Research Institute in Beijing. Tho contro, which opened in May 2013, was created specii- cally for the development of new technologios and future aircraft programmes. Comac had previously set a 2025 deadline for indigenous production of widebody je. This deadline still holds true, sonroes indicate, and engineering :msourcas will he switched to the project once the C919 narrow- Combe: ated rch on a 300-s0at widebody aircral, that could be jointly developed vwith Russia Sources familiar with the pro= ject tell Fight tnteraational that the Chinese airramer had intially planned on developinga 250-seat jel, but discussions with potential ‘aistomers found stronger demand forahighorcapacity airral “The concept of the jet is still wing looked al,” says one source, "Things are not yet at the Te soarch and development stage, Initial indications point to an aircraft featuring tha heavy use of composite materials, tobe pitched against the Boeing 787, and Ainbus A350, Range will be betwee 6,500am (12,000ken) and 8,000mm, Dow is in full production Thas oven sot aside land for twvin-aisle aiceaft manufacturing atts final assembly centre, der construction sonth of Pudong’ Interuational aizpot Moscow, meanwhile, has said ithas agroed to work with China ‘na large-scale project to build a bbe macle by 2015 on whether the ‘ovo countries wil work togetor con the widebody, and exactly what size the aircraft should be, they ad, There ae a number of caveats, (Comac is well aware that the mar eet for 300-seaters is extremely ‘competitive, ana willbe eluctant long-haul widebody aireraf, | tocnterthe segment without solid thovgh a detailed agreement has | prospects for commercial suc, yetto be signed. 1.Comac does move forward, it believes Russian collaboration is essential Being has high regard for Russia's long history of acro- space development, while Mos- ‘cow seas large potential marke in China fora naw widebody. Working together also means a lower level of investment 1e- ‘quired by both sides, as well a reduced tisk. ll ‘Comac has been tight-lipped about plans to collaborate with Russa, saying thatthe final daci sion will have to come from the government Sources say thatthe two coun: ties have been in discussions “orsome time now, and are both working on their awn prolimi- nary esearch. A decision should ‘TRAINERS LUCA PERUZZI GENON Alenia Aermacchi scores Italy deal for M345 HET he Lalian ait foroe is to adopt | signed an agreement at the Paz Alenia Aermacehi's devalop- | sir show in July to jointly define mental M145 HET to mplacs its | the operational specifications MB-ts0s in delivering part ofits | and collaborate on the develop future pilot raining syllabus, | ment of the M45. basic/ad- ‘The decision was announced by | vanced trainer defence minister Mario Mauro | Thetypeis cuently expected uringaceremony tomarktheend | to enter service between 2017 of the season for the air foross | and 2020, (MB-2i%equipped Freces Tiicolori | A further development of Ale- ‘eerobutic display team at Rivolto | nia Aermacei’s M345 jet trin- airbase. The new type would also | er, the HET version is intended to bose tor-eqip th oan, offera chonper and mora elfoctive ‘Alenia Aermacehi and Italy's | solution than advanced turbo- National Armaments Doctorate | prop designs. fighglobal.com INCIDENT JOHN HEMMERDINGER WASHINGTON OC Southwest fires 737 crash pilot cutest Aitines hasfied the | than 400f (122m) on approach to captain ofthe Boeing 737-700 | LaGuardia’s rmway 4, according that cash-landod at Now York's | to the US National ‘Tramsporta- [aGuariaaitport on 22 July tion Safety Board (NTSB), Inaddition, Southwest has or | Following the change of com- ddorod more training for he air | mand, the aircraft touched the craft's irs officer. runway nose frst at a 3° down “Upon completion of aur inter- | ward pitch, at which point the tial view of the Hight 345 acci- | nose goar collapsed, probably due dont, last weok the [employmont | tostress overload, tho NTSB say of the) captain was terminated | The NTSB found nomechni- and the first officoris[..required | cal probloms or malfunctions withthe aireratt The captain had worked for Southwest for 13 years, incicing six years as captain, and bad ac- ccuniulated more than 12,000h, to undergo additional taining, the Dallas-based airline says. ‘The captain, whose name has not boon released by Southwest, took control oflight 245 from the first officer al an altitude of less | says the NTSB. a 14 October 2013 Flight International 7THIS WEEK Fora round of latte now, gitsobaLcom/wotw GE's Passport 20 engines will power Bombardier Global 7000s ‘TECHNOLOGY STEPHEN TRIMBLE CINCINNATI High-tech material gives GE Passport to fuel efficiency New engine to power ultra-long-range Bombardier business jets will feature latest ceramic matrix composite technology “Tho new oxide-oxide material saves 18.1-20.4kg (40-51) in the mixer components alone. The material is ono of several now technologies on the Passport 20, including « 132em (52inFliame= tor fan blisk and super-finish air. foils, allowing GE to claim an 8% specific fuel consumption advan- ago over the competing Rolls- Royce BR725, GE has been developing oxide- foxes CMC for snore than 20 yours, Jn fact the company quietly de- ployed the material exly in the Tast decade, The US Navy acquired the GE technology to increase the endurance of the mixer on the "414 engine that outers the Boe- ing F/A-1AE/F Super Home. "The manulactuser next select- ed oxide-oxide CMC for the Pass- port 20 engin in nto-2020, with the goal of helping to res overall weight for the engine. The foxide-oxicle material is now the sevond form of MC known to be in dovalopment on GE engines. A sillicon-carbide (SiC)}-hasod CMC material, which ean survive even hotter temperatures than oxido-oxide, is boing developed for CEM Intern explants, The replaces specialty metal alloys in the first lage high-pressure tur. bine shrouds, one of the hottest parts of any turbofan. i ener Electric has rvealed that its Passport 20 engine ‘destined for the Bombardier Glob 1 7000 and A000 ultra long- range ‘business jets, willbe partly made ‘using @ new form of ceramic ma- trix composite material, with a wile rage of potential applica tions in the aviation industry. The disclosure by GEon 1 Oc tober ofthe oxide oxide CMC terial in the 16,500]bhrust (75KN) Passport 20 adds another {Koy data point in the company’s product strategy GE is investing billions to de- velop new materials thet are lighter and can survive in hotter temperatures. Such materials allow designers to eliminata the elaborate cooling systems that are necessary to prevent metals in- sido the engine from melting, but reduce fuel efficiency. The exide-oxide CMC material replaces what would have been ‘gruphite-epoxy components in the Passport 20, namely the fo-piece ppinel enclosing the engine core ‘and anne pion componnt called ‘amber, say’ Judd ‘tessle, director ‘of Bombsarlor prograrmns for CE, The later is stationed in the ‘exhaust flow of the engine and is designed ta minimise pressure losses and reduce noise as the by- ‘pass air low mixes with the het ced exhaust air {| Flight Intemational &-14 October 2013 [ROTORCRAFT DOMINIC PERRY LONDON, Bell chooses Garmin for final piece of SLS jigsaw J Helicopter has selected the inal major sysems for its now Short Light Single with Garmin to supply its GLO0OH avionics suite {ar the developmental rtcrcraf. ‘mn addition, the Fort Worth- based airzamer has confirmed the ‘The SLS will eaturea majority aluminium construction rather than caubonfibre thanks to its ease of repair and relatively low ‘ost compared with the compos- itematerial, says Evans, Sevottbfiatfinretabinat22t- | “With a smaller Coan’ wh he tegen | product like the SLST ment pretation (osm). | Product like the SLS 1 ein eetieeel tite | think we have named snow in London, Chuck Eva, | all the big [euppllers]” dinoor of mutsig and los | the Big [suppliors]” support at el ai that vith he | Sao Eta pp provioussoloction afangino sup- | Bellaiceper 7 plier Turbomeca, the detail ofthe SLS is now largely complet, Tdan' know at what point youssay that all the major supp frs are on board, but with a smaller product like the SLS 1 Pricing of the new helicopter willbe key ast aims to elaw ma ket share away from the segment leading Robinson R66. Bel is yot ‘think we have named al the big | to release the purchase price for ones, he says the SLS, but while Evans ac ‘Som details, stich as ho holi- | knowledges that it will have tobe copiers maximum — take-off | “compotitve” with ts tival, its ad -woight, sell not be revealed until after its design is frozen following, ils first Right, which is scheduled forthe fourth quarter of next year ‘Wo released the size of the cabin and cargo volume because we are very confident they will be very representative of th final aircraf.” says Evans. "We tuy not to put meisics out when ‘there's «high likelihood of them being changed ditional features stich as the fully intograted glass cockpit, doal chanel FADEC, and speed and range willneed to be factored in. 'No entry-inte-sorvien date has yetbeen unveiled, but Evans says that once first fight has been achioved, "wolll move towards ‘certification as fast a we enn. @ Fda hates shaping mine eos acer sector at ‘ght com elopters Bell's SLS is due to perform its maiden sorte in late 2014 figmglobalcomee alr amr pee Ss sensors THIS WEEK STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTONDC Shutdown threatens small suppliers Aerospace companies will ‘feel the pain’ if US govemment's budgetary deadlock drags on into weeks or months mall aerospace suppliers are Hikoly to be hardest hit if the US government shutdown that Dogan on 1 October over a lide lary impasse continues for ‘weeks oreven months, according ‘toindustry officials, ‘They will fel the pain Ali Bahai, vieepresident of Civil aviation for the Aerospace Industries Association, and for ‘mer head of the US Federal Avia tion Administtation's tanspost airplane directorate in Seattle, Washington Although the FAA has fare Toughod 15,000 emploveas, the air bale control systom was not innmediately alfecied, Moreover large aerospace manufacturers lik» Bowing have employees at thorised by the FAA to oversee pportions ofthe airworthiness cer- tification proces during th shut ‘down, Bahra says Howave, the crisis has forced the FAA to furlough all but about 100 of around 1,200 enginoors in volved inthe airworthiness cx fication process. The maining slaff are devoted solely to mont toring the safety and airworthi- ros af the exiting foot Therofore, smaller aerospace ‘companies that specialise in pex- formance or safety-mhancing up- grades and modifications to exist ing sircrait could face lengthy delays for approval of their prod tues, f the shutdown rns into weeks or months. GROWING CONCERNS At Wichita-based Yingling via tion, vice-president of repair sta- tion oparators Bob Gallop says the company is fortunate that it ons not have any applications for supplemental type certificate projects that could be dlayod bo ‘cause of the shutdown, Howover, tho company is ‘concerned and [expects] we will likely seo limitations on madifi- ‘cation field approvals, export c=- tifcates, spocial flight permits ‘and so on’, Gallop says. Itis still possible to complete aircraft fighglobal.com Sikorsky has slowed production of the UH.60 Black Hawk after inspectors were furloughed “We're not going to know much until we get this Washington mess sorted out” —_ (FO, United Tecncogies modifications without FAA in- spectors available, but the pro- cass bocomes more challenging Gallop explains. Yingling Avie tion would have to hiraan FAA designated engineering repre sentative or airworthiness representative, but they are ex pensive and difficult to schedule even when there isnot a govern ment chutdown, ha says, ‘The General Aviation Manu- facturers Association sounds a similar warming, “The lifeblood. of goneral aviation manufactures js ther ability to bring new safe- ty-enhancing products to mar- Kol.” GAMA says, "The govern ‘ment shutdown wil interrupt the flow of innovation, as the un- dreds of FAA engineers who oversee and certify general avin tion products will be sent home.” Another problam raised by the issu involves flight permits that allow manufacturers and oper tors to ferry aieraf to repair sta tions, The FAA is unable to issue these permits during the shut- dawn. “Hopefully, the FAA will snot be sbut dawn for an extended period of time," Gallop says ‘The ensuing back-up could be terrible." Indeed, low-cost aisle JetBlue is unable to take delivery ‘fan Airbus A321 on the ramp in Hamburg, Gormany, becans the swlevant FAA olfice in OXlahoma City is closed until the govern- ment -apen “BUMP IN THE ROAD’ US aircraft manufacturers of all sizes wasted no time eriticising the legislative deadlock over the fiscal 2014 appropriations bil, Sikorsky, for example, has slowed production ofthe UH-60 Black Hawk bocauso US govurn ment inspectors Were furloughed due to the shutdown, said Grogory Hayes, chief financial officer of the mamufacturer’s parent company United Technol nies, speaking to a group of market analysts on 1 October Hayas calls the production slow- downa “bump intheread” so fr, bbuta prolonged shutdown could pputa dentin Sikorsky’s revenues this yon “We're not going to Know much ntl wo got this Washington mess sorted out, in terms of what the fouth quarter Tos like,” Hayes says. The Department of Delense inspectors were among 800,000 civilian employees furloughed by the US government on 1 October ‘The shutdown will continue until Congress can pass an appropriations bill or a stopgap, nieasre called a “continuing resolution” Republicans in the House of Representatives want to delay or repeal a law reforming the US hhoalth insorance system. The Demecratic-controlled — Senate and Present Barack Obama will not consider any burg propos: als that delay or de-fund the re- form initiatives called for under the Afforable Care Act. @ ee tendo 214 October 2013 | Fight International 9AIR TRANSPORT @ erat profs fo tho os now mado ) ac rman on can Eta | A srowrammos at theta com/protos ie dame ‘SAFETY DAVID KAMIINSKEMORROW LONDON Balloon banner blocked A319 sensors Investigators say TAM crew failed to deal with airspeed indication issues after late sighting led to collision in June 2011. Piss of TAM Ans a9 did not cope offectivoly with ‘unreliable airspeed indications after the aircraft collided with a plastic: banner boing towed by a hot ai balloon, blocking four air data sensors The aircraft struck the banner at 12,0000 (8,700m) after taking off from Rio de Janeiro on 17 ine 20v1, as it flow the standard PORTO 6 departure from Santos ‘Dumont airport Its crew had heen advised of the presonce af hot air balloons in ‘the terminal aixpace, However, Brazilian investigation authority CENIPA says tho erew's attention was “diverted” because the cap: tain was demonstrating a fight- management system faction to thefts officer, ‘Aftera late” sighting of thebal- loon, it ads, both pilots sala ‘neously attempted an evasive ma rnoeuve using their sidesticks, ‘casing a dual input warning. ‘The manoeuvre was insufi- cient to prevent the aizcraf's siriking the balloon’s banner, tearing off sheecs which blocked trae of tho jt’ pitot tubos, in ‘addition to the total air tempera tre sensor With the loss ofthe ai data in- formation, the autopilot and au- tothrust became inoperative. The aircraft switched to altersate fight law losing automatic an- sle-ofatack protection and other nod several po re wee messages to the pilots regarding ‘the degraded capabilities. CCENIPA indicates abreakdawn in task sharing and a Tack of eo- ‘ordination followed, with the ‘aplain initially telling the fist of ficer to disregard an important message indiealing an airspeed discrepancy, but then ordering ‘unreliable-speed procedures fom the quick-rforonce handbook, ‘Various procedures from the handbook were not cartiad out, including notifying air trafic control of hesituation. When the captain sought pitch and thrust reference data, the fst officer roneously used. tables come sponding to ircaft weights above 661, when the twit was around Sat, ‘The aire (PTEMZC) also pro- |p) ceded to climb to 31,0000 in r= cluced vertical separation minima airspace, despite being outside the caitesia to operate at such fight levels. Dospite the aircraft's inability to moet navigation roquirements forthe approach into Belo Hori- ‘onto the crew contin aithe ft informing air rafficcomtrol of the problem, and performed the approach by referring to airspeed indicators whose reliability had not boen verified. CCENIPA says it has not deter- sminod whether “iguornoe or for- getfuless" led te crow to proceed ‘with the fight in RVSM airspace and thesubserent landing FINANCE TOM ZAITSEV OSCOW Debt-for-equ (VEB} isto provide financial support to United Aireraft Corp (UAC) via capital infusion and ebt-forequity swe. Industry and tod ministor Denis Mantiray says Ua stato ‘ved VEB will neease is share Folding in lessor Tyushin Finance bypurchasingslares rom UAC. ity deals bolster Superjet yushin Finance, and UAC 488%. A further 25.89% is held by Alex andor Lebedev’s National Re- serve Corporation, UACwill, says Manturov, spin off the non-core asset and use proceeds from the sale to fund the Supeyet programme, In a related move, VEB is to taka equity stake in Sali, ka ‘VEB already owns 21.4% of ‘Sukhoi’s Superjet programme has racked up significant debts fit, there will bea debi-f-oquity 410) Flight International 2-14 October 2013, swap, says Manturoy. Asa raslt, Subd’ would clr its debts that ster from bank borrowings ‘Sukh secured a $1 billion e- volving credit line fom VEB last year, but Manturew suggests the proposed swap willbe fantsmonnt tolnving this act tenninated. EB goveror Vladimir Dmit- soy says tho bank's advisory board is considering taking a 33% stake programme either in Suk a whole or in lemanulicuresciLanaal vision, Sukhoi debts to VEB have eet tint S500 nin “he alae’ dbt tals Ro70 billion ($2 1lion), bat Suki has speed ecfidence fn abit totreakeven 2035. m Omicron ost ‘torena.con spent FLEET DAVID KAMINSKIMORROW LONDON Transaero works towards SSJ 100 order Russian carter ansaer insists t is stllcommitedto taking Sukhoi Supeyet 100 aircraft, ang that the two sides are working to meet ‘conditions ofthe order. IRsigned forupto 16 othe 90 seat aca ast yer fr doer fern 2015, incding an inital baton ofS. Howes te cae says thre wee several cantons sttachedto the eal which tas been working com strtivly wth Suh ofl. This works continuing tay, ade Ing ratit sims to secure high quay sirtames wih good techrical supper. TTansaero cmitsthat as rit ofthe continuing negotiation, tis yet ‘to appiyto fund the Superet oc. fignglobalcomSerrnnme= Damage to A330 went undetected byte stom AIR TRANSPORT MAVIS TOH JAKARTA Myanmar catches Ne ATR’s eye as sales rise in Asia-Pacific Order from Garuda Indonesia reflects burgeoning regional demand but chief executive bemoans closed China market “good third” of ATR’s sales | "good potential” in Myanmar, his your have come tram | where there i strong economic Asia-Pacificcarsers, and the tur- | growth as tourists begin to enter bboprop manufacturerexpects the | the country in numbers, and air- tuend to continue as the region | lines look to grow their Deets or waintais strong grove, replace aged alrraft Many ofthe Speaking Flight Intemational | sirports in the country also have in Jakarta, whoroflagcarrioeCaru- | short runways, which ATRs aro ‘daindonesia signed an agreement | optimised fr, he says. with Iassor Nomi Aviation Capi- | "T soo good potential in that falfor 35 ATR 72:600s, the manu- | country. We have many active acturer’s chief executive Filippo | discussions with many alelines Bagnato said: "Indonesia is the | there," head rumberonestong growth [eoun- | China, om the other hand — try], and Malaysiais also growing, | where ATR does not havea single Also in Australia, we've been able | sircaft in service ~ may be a tofly ATRswithsatsfaction.” | tougher nut to crack, Bagnata de- Bagnalo adds that he sees | seribes the country as a “closed rarket’, and points to the 24% Import tax imposed on aitcralt below 90 seats ~a move that ef foctively provants foreige man facture fom competing "The consequence of that is that there is nat one Western tur- boprop Hying in China,” he says ‘My stratogy for China is atleast ta be in position the day when the Chines play according to World Trade Organisation rules” ‘Garuda Indonesia has agreed a deal for 35 ATR 72.600 Bagnato is also unconcerned that China is developing the Xian Aircraft MA70O, a 70-90- seat turboprop which, from the outside, eosemblos tho ATR. 72, He stresses that ATR will con time to develop “better prod ucts" fo maintain ils edge ovar nasoont competitor, Signup ta gga rotor commer vation data at FLEET GHIMLAY YEO MONTREAL Lion Air plans year-end commitment for CS300s indonesian low-enst cariar Lion | order would be in the double- Air aims to finalise an order for | digit range, with deliveries stat- the Bombardier CSories by end- | ingas early as 2016, 2013, and expects to meet the ais | "The aizcrat is suited for our ffamer next month to work out | operations,” said Kirena on the the details sidelines ofthe 4th IGAO gener- ‘The camer is Koen on the | al assembly in Montreal on 27 (C8300, the langest variant in the | September. (Sori family. Lion Airchiefex- | "It looks good, and we Tike ecutive Rusdi Kiruna says any | what we saw,” hesays. Kirana had previously visited Bombardier’ ficilities non “Monteoal as part fis Cs trip, where he was briefed on the now twinjt Heanticipates that Bombardier executives will visit Lion Air in Jakarta in mic-October. “We are trying to closo [hoard] by yoar end,” he says fighglobal.com Despite achieving the firstflight milestone, sales of the new CSeries have been lagiing, Kiana says it sto eay to say Which routes the CS400s right bbe operated on, adding that the ailine needs time to study poten tial markets However, the campany later in dicated that the CS300 could be flownon routesboth domestically in Indonesia and intornationally as it would slot in between the ATR 72 andi Boeing 737-800. Lion Air has mado headlines in the past with massive orders for Airbus and Bosing narrow- Dodies. In March, it placed an ‘onder for 244 Airbus AS20s, ‘comprising both current-genera~ tion A205 and the re-engined Noo vatiant. ‘This followed an earlier deal for 201 Boeing 737 Max aircraft Kirang, however; plays down the prospects of similarly sizad ‘commitment fr the CSerias Bombardier has so far amassed just 177 fim orders for thenew jet. 2:14 October 2013 | Flight Intemational 12AIR TRANSPORT Checkout ou callecton of nine dame erat prof forth st news mags ) ac rman on can Eta BS sretrammos a thtosakcom/prottos INVESTIGATION DAVID KAMINSKLMORROW LONDON Damage to A330 went undetected by faulty system Hard landing at Caracas caused unseen problems to gear which were only revealed as twinjet made return departure rnc investigators have de | approach to Caracas’ runway 10 termined that substantial | in twulent conditions. Upanin- ‘damage to an Airbus 330-200, | tercepting the glideslope at 6nm. following. hard landing at Cara- | (11ki) the crew disconnected cas, Went undetected until pilots | tueautopilot and autotheust operating the retum service | Without the autopilot the cap- found they could not retract the | tain faced a "heavy workload” landing goat ‘given the changing direction and ‘The Air France aircraft had | strength ofthe wind, says French bbecn conducting an instrument | investigation authority BEA, sarc Water scavenge poses no Trent ice risk Tests have indicated that operation | But EASA sys thas revewed the cofawatersonenge astemon | station inthe wake of extensive RoksRoyce Fertpoveredaitus | investigations by RoisRoye and 330s does nat pose ariskotice | Airs nt fue system ings accretion nthe fel ines, andau- | These tests hav confirmed that thors intend io withdraw safety. | operation ofthe water scavenge notice onthe mate. system losted et wing 2, oes Thetestsfollovedan incdentin | not inves any rsh of accreted ics Uwhichan A220 erperencedatem- | blocking the fuelled system, and porary fueltiow restriction botn | that scavenge deactivation is “no engines, folowed bya reswery. | longor requis” ‘Suspicion thatthe operation of EASA ads that anew fuetol thewaterscavenge systembad | heatexchanger on Tent engines. been acontbutingfactorledthe | redesigned as pat of aticing European Aviation Safety Agency to | measures taken nthe wale ofthe require deactivation ofthe automat. | Boeing 777 accident in 2008 at icstancby ful pump scavenge sys- | London Heathrow, is more tolerant tem, in March 2010. tothe release of ic. A No maintenance reports were sent hy the alreraft’s systems Although the captain was cor xwcting deviations fom the glid path, BEA says the approach was not’ stabilised" below S00 (152m). Just before touchdown a combination of reduced thrust, pitch-down commands and vary- ‘ng winds causod the jet to do soend quickly, generating a sink rte warming at 358, ‘The jet landed with a descont zate of 1,2001Vmin and an ian pact of 2.74g, and the captain re- corded the hard landing in the technical log. However, technician looking ino the situation found no evi- dence that the aizeraft’s systems, upon detecting the criteria fora hard Tanding, lad transmitted any automated maintenance = ‘port cormesponding ta the date of ‘ho ight, 19 April 2011 He checked with the airline's ‘maintenance centre in Paris, but it had not received any such ro prt, and tho technician conelucl ed that there was uo further ac tion requited Routine inspections ofthe air craft (F-GZCB) did not detect any problem with the A330, and it wae cleared for the return Aight to Paris. But during te ini- tial climb the crew was unable to retract the landing gear, and r= ceived several alerts relating to the cabin airconditioning, "The aigeraft returned to Cara- cas, having bumed off excess fuel, and landod at near maxi- mura weight. BEA boliovos the take-off roll from Caracas o the landing erbated unseen internal damage tothe landing gear caused during {he initial bard touchdown, Asa result the A300 sustained further damage, notably tits right-hand main goa, which was only cloor- ly observed afer it parked. ‘The inquiry notes that @ phe- nomenon known as “lock-up! can sometimes affect generation fan automated maintenance re- pport by tho aircrafts data-man- agement unit Investigators subsequently rec- ommended that maintenance procedums should be changed to fake into account the possibility of such a report being absent in the event of ahard landing, mt ) om scosstne ote vst gral com/sirines ‘OPERATIONS GRAHAM DUNN LONDON Norwegian leases A340 as Dreamliner Loreen ervasin vet-leasing an Airbus A340, afl dacicling to take its second Boeing 787 ait af service tasotle recent operational dificulties [Norwogian took delivery ofits fist 787 in June to operate on its new Jongehanl rontes, later add ing a socond of the type. But it ~ has since faced several instancos ‘The Scandinavian cartier has | of disruption which, at times, received two 787s since June | have taken both ofits 787s out of 12 Flight Intemational 2-14 October 2013, operation, forcing it to lease cx pacity from other airlines. As wo are not satisfied with the way our second 787 has heen performing, causing toomany de- lays for our passongers, we ar taking it out of long-haul service {in order for Boeing to improve ‘the operational stability ofthe air- raf, to moot the lovel of stability we expect of a now aircraft” the airline sas debut sours “Weare wetleasing an A340to ‘operate until we ar satisfied with (he 787s performance,"iadds Boeing had proviously prom- ised the carer asistance from a guick-rosponse toam tasked with, stnoothing its 747 operations. Chief exeentive Bion Kjos has disclosed that the airkmmer is now to “put together a tea to address “immediately” any tech- nical issues onthe type. fignglobal.com‘Canada Oyclone ‘buy tums turbulent DEFENCE PLS AIR TRANSPORT ‘SAFETY DAVID KAMINSKLMORROW LONDON Rome A320 gear-up landing prompts investigation latin investigitors have opened an inquiry ater the soc- cond accident at Rome Fiumicino in four months involving an Air- ‘bus A820 with stuck main gear Investigation anthority ANSV says tho aircraft (ELETB) landod “without undercastiage” follow: ‘The Incident, which saw a 0.3n¥* hole tom In the erown section of a 737-300's fuselage, led the alrne to temporaily ground the type ing its fight — AZ063 from Ma- did —on 29 September aro" in the right-hand main gear, although Italian civil aviation au” thority ENAC states thatthe gear failed toroloas. “The lreraft made two ap- adh INVESTIGATION JON HEMMERDINGER WASHINGTON DC Boeing blamed for 737 skin cracking Inquiry says manufacturing errors led to sudden depressurisation of Southwest Airlines jet over Yuma, Arizona in 2014 lack ofattontion to detail anc manufacturing erors by Boo- 1g contribnted to the rapid de- ‘prossurisation of a Southwest Airlines 737-300 ovor Yuma, Ari ‘ous, in 2011, accarding to tae US National Transportation Safe- ty Board (NTSB), In its report into the incident, ‘the NTSB lays the blame squarely ft Booing’s door. It says drilling ‘and riveting mistakes led to fa tigue cracks inthe aircraft's skin, "Those cracks eventually caused a section of the skin to rupture du ing ight. “Tha hole quality inthe crown, ‘and left-side skin panels was uot {in accordance with Boeing speci- Feations or standard mannfactr- ing practices and showed a lick cf attention to detail and ex- toomely poor manufacturing technique,” the board concludes. On 1 April 2011 the 797, a 1996-builtairfame, was operat ing as Southwest Might #12 from Phoenix to Sacramento, Calitor- nia, As it climbed through fighglobal.com 34,0000. (10,800) a Bin x 6oin (0.2m. 1.5m) skin section peeled ‘open, casinga rapid depressuri- sation ofthe cabin, Cabin oxygen masks doployed inthe 737 (N632SW) and the pi Jotsmade an emergency descent, Jialing the aircraft at Yum, None of the 117 passengars sand five crew members was seri ously hur, but ono light alten dant and one off-duty asline ployee sustained minor nj ‘Tho NTSB traces the falco to fatigue cracking along row of 58 rivets ina lap joint counecting an upper and lower skin panel, ‘An inspection of the joint found numerous defects, includ ing the use of oversized rivals, ‘oversized holes and double: drilled holes, says the NTSB. “Many of the installed rivets did not completely fill the holes in the lower skin panel, which significantly reduced the fatigue: life ofthe panel, The prossurisn- tion loads on the fuselage skin initiated fatigue cracking at rivet proachosto Fiumicino, emducting acing manoeuvies in between, Iefore the pilot brought it dawn safely al 2:04. Iecam to est ist ing to starboard, onunway 161. TENAG says. the twinjet was ‘evacuated by slides ut there wore ‘no injuries aanong the 151 passon hole 86 almost immediately after smanutactuze,” the NTSB says in itsreport. "Tho fuselage bare soction that included the damaged area wae built at Boeing’ facility in Wichi- ta, Kansas, and shipped tothe ai framer’s Renton, Washington, plant on 1 April 1996 forfinal as- sembly, says the board ‘The Wichita plant, divested by Boeing in 2005, is now owned by Spirit AeroSvstems, wo NESB says markings on skin panels indicate that the damaged section was replaced during manufacturing, but the board was unable to determine if the wark was carried ont in Wichita or Renton, Tho upper andl lower fuselage panels werenot properly aligned, and as a result the Townr rivet hholes in the lap joint were mis- tiled, says the board Shortly after the incident, on 5 April, 2011, tho US Fedora Avia tion Administration issued an emergency airworthiness dinec- german five ere members ANSV has cudered an immedli- ate inspection of the three-year ld aireraf and has yotto disclose ‘any findings about the event, ‘Thecrcumstances bear sila ities ton Wizz Air A120 lading ac- ‘dentat Fiumicino on 8 Jane tiveraquiring operators of certain 747s to inspect rivets in the prob- Jem area. Although some airlines ound stall fatigue cracks, 10 ther aircraft had dovble-drlled holes or extensive cracking ‘The NTSB conchudes that there ‘was no “systemic” quality assur ‘ance problem atthe manufacturer. Boeing says itis “dedicated to ‘he safety ofits airplanes and the people who fly on them” and notes thet it helped the NTSB. ‘with the investigation. Southwest says: "The safety of our employees and customers is at the forefront of our focus every day, and the airworthiness cof our airplanes and profession- lista of our crow is a critical ppt of that focus, “While the NTSB has identi- fiod a manufacturer issue, we hhave full confidence in Boeing's ability to ensure ow aircraft re ‘main safe," the airline says. oop upto dato wt te tot sey news ant pont ‘grigobaLcom/satty 2:14 October 2013 | Flight Intemational 13