AEROSPACE

airliner that changed the world – makes many eyes grow moist. Due to its freighter origins, the 747 outlasted its upstart rival, the Airbus A380, although future orders were already looking scarce – thanks to the rise of a new generation of big-twins such as the 787 and A350. However, like the A380, it is the coronavirus that has accelerated and brought forward early retirements of the 747 by operators facing evaporating demand for long-haul air travel. Elsewhere, airlines which were marginal concerns are also restructuring or cutting costs in a desperate race to survive. Oddly, this deadly pandemic may also be forcing through new, more agile ways of collaboration and working too – as the UK’s Tempest programme (p 32) is finding out. These changes may be painful to those involved but the end result could be fitter, leaner enterprises that are more resilient and better able to respond to the challenges of the 21st century. The impact of coronavirus, although undoubtedly a sledgehammer to aviation and aerospace, is arguably accelerating existing trends and changes that were already inherent and visible – whether it is the switch from four-engine airliners to twin-engine types or increases in virtual collaboration and home working. Those organisations already on this path will thus find it much easier than those that have been hoping that change leaves them alone. However, in this issue is the one exception that proves the rule. With 172 aircraft still flying in service around the world and another 150-200 airframes ripe for conversion to turboprops, the 85-year old Douglas DC-3 (p 20) could conceivably outlast both the A380 and coronavirus. Some things never change. Blueprint INTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT 4 AEROSPACE Safety In the unlikely event of a problem with the balloon, the capsule will also be equipped with a parachute as a reserve descent system. Live-streaming your experience As well as the flight itself, Space Perspective is promoting the capsule as roomy enough for concerts, weddings or corporate events, with the connectivity to stream these to the ground. Hydrogen envelope The football stadium-sized balloon would be fi lled with hydrogen for buoyancy and lift. W SPACEFLIGHT A higher perspective US company Space Perspective has announced plans to fly passengers and research payloads to the edge of space using a ‘Spaceship Neptune’ high- altitude balloon carrying a pressurised capsule. Carrying one pilot and up to eight passengers, the balloon would ascend to 100,000ft where it would remain for two hours before descending to sea level where the passengers would be picked up by a ship. Space Perspective plans to launch the balloon from the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The first uncrewed test flight of the balloon is scheduled for early 2021. 5 AUGUST 2020 Flight profile Total flight time aloft would be six hours with the pressurised capsule spending two hours at 100,000ft. The capsule would then recover to a water landing. Room with a view The Neptune Capsule with eight passengers and a pilot would launch appropriately from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. As well as ‘edge of space’ tourists, the company is also promoting it as a plat- form for research and science flights. 6 Radome AEROSPACE NEWS IN BRIEF Boeing’s 737 MAX completed three intense days of flight tests with FAA regulators in late June as the company aims to recertificate the grounded airliner. The company has promised EASA, as well as Canadian authorities, that it will incorporate design changes they have requested once the jet re-enters service. Malaysian carrier AirAsia Group has reported a loss of Ringgit 803.3m ($187.91m) for the first three months in 2020, down from a Ringgit 96.1m net profit in Q1 2019. Revenues fell 15% to Ringgit 2.31bn, while passengers carried declined 22% to 9.85m. Japan is set to become the second-largest global operator of the F-35 after the US approved a giant $23bn sale of 105 stealth fighters. The deal includes 63 F-35As and 42 F-35Bs which will equip its two Izumo-class helicopter carriers. Israel launched an Ofek 16 military reconnaissance Earth-imaging satellite on 6 July. The satellite was launched aboard a Shavit 2 rocket from the Palmachim air base. Diamond Aircraft unveiled its single-engine, retractable gear DA50 RG on 24 June. First flown in October, the five-seat DA50 RG is powered by a Continental CD-300 engine and fitted with the Garmin G1000 NXi flight deck. Certification from EASA is expected this year with FAA certification to follow in 2021. German aircraft engine manufacturer MTU Aero Engines has announced plans to reduce its workforce by 10-15% – equivalent to around 1,000 jobs – by the end of 2021. MTU currently employs over 10,000 people providing aero engines and MRO services around the world. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports that European carriers are expected to make a collective loss of $21.5bn in 2020. Passenger demand has fallen by over 50% due to the impact of the Coronavirus, putting between 6-7m aviation- related jobs at risk. European airframer Airbus has announced a deep and widespread restructuring with up to 15,000 jobs to be shed as it grapples with a 40% reduction in commercial aircraft activity due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Calling the downturn “the gravest crisis this industry has ever experienced”, the OEM will shed 5,000 positions in France, 5,100 in Germany, 1,700 in the UK, 900 positions in Spain and 1,300 jobs around Airbus’ other worldwide sites. The company expects to conclude the restructuring by mid-2021. Virgin Atlantic saved with £1.2bn rescue deal GA deliveries decline in fi rst quarter of year United warns of 36,000 workers cut Airbus to axe 15,000 jobs as it faces ‘gravest crisis’ in aviation history AEROSPACE AIR TRANSPORT COVID-19 Troubled Virgin Atlantic Airways, which had been facing collapse due to the slump in demand from Covid-19, has secured a £1.3bn refinancing and restructuring deal. The rescue package includes some £200m provided by Sir Richard Branson’s parent Virgin Group, with additional funds provided by investors, loans and deferrals from creditors and suppliers. The airline expects the measures announced to enable it to survive for another 18 months and return to profit in 2022. Additionally, the carrier is also cutting its workforce by 3,150 jobs and streamlining its fleet, retiring seven Boeing 747s early and deferring delivery of outstanding A350s and A330neos. United Airlines US carrier United Airlines has warned some 36,000 employees or almost one-third of its workforce that they are at risk of redundancy as the Coronavirus air travel slump continues to impact airlines. Those with jobs at risk include 15,000 cabin crew and more than 2,200 pilots. The airline, together with other US airlines, is facing a stall in recovery of air travel as the country reports new Covid-19 cases and some states impose quarantines on passengers from high-infection areas. AIR TRANSPORT GENERAL AVIATION Figures released on 27 May by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) show a fall in deliveries of all types of GA aircraft during the first quarter of 2020. Piston type deliveries declined by 11.7% with 219 aircraft, turboprop deliveries fell by 41.8% with 71 aircraft handed over and business jet deliveries declined by 19.1% (114 aircraft, compared to 141 in the first three months of 2019). Helicopter deliveries were also down, with 85 turbine helicopter (-18.3%) and 37 piston helicopter deliveries (-43.9%). Total deliveries fell by 21.3% year-on- year. Airbus 7 AUGUST 2020 Airbus Defence and Space has received a contract to integrate 115 Captor-E AESA radars with German and Spanish Eurofighters. The new radar will equip Tranche 2 and 3 Typhoons, with 110 sets for the Luftwaffe and five for the Spanish Air Force. The upgrade is scheduled to be completed by 2023. On 5 July Rocket Lab’s latest launch from New Zealand failed to make orbit, with satellites onboard with Electron rocket deemed lost. The vehicle was lost after around five minutes and 40 seconds into the flight. Onboard were satellites from Canon Electronics, Planet Labs and In-Space Missions. It was the 13th launch for the smallsat launcher company. The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has cancelled the 2020 Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) which was due to be held on 6-8 October in Orlando, Florida. The next NBAA convention is scheduled for 12-15 October 2021 in Las Vegas. Airbus has concluded a two-year research programme to enable large commercial aircraft to take off and land autonomously. Named the Autonomous Taxi, Take- Off and Landing (ATTOL) project, it uses on-board image recognition technology to enable autonomous taxiing, take-off and landing of a commercial aircraft through fully automatic vision-based flight tests. A new Canadian airline, OWG (Off We Go) has been revealed, with Cuba as its first destination. The airline, a subsidiary of Quebec-based charter airline, Nolinor Aviation, will launch services to Cuba in November using a fleet of three Boeing 737-400s configured with 158 economy seats. As AEROSPACE goes to press, a US Navy amphibious assault ship, the USS Bonhomme Richard, is burning after catching fire at the dock in San Diego on 11 July. The ship’s air group can include F-35Bs, V-22 Ospreys or AH-1Zs. As AEROSPACE goes to press, the United Arab Emirates’ Hope space probe is set to launch from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan using a JAXA H-2A rocket. The UAE Mars Mission is the first ever Arab mission to the Red Planet, with the Hope spacecraft expected to arrive at Mars in February 2021. Once there, it is set to study the upper and lower atmosphere of Mars.  NASA and China are also set to launch new missions to Mars before the launch window closes on 15 August. NASA is aiming to land its Perseverance Rover on Mars in early 2021, which will also carry a tiny helicopter. China is also set to imminently launch its Tianwen-1 lander and rover. On 1 July Airbus Helicopters announced that its new medium H160 helicopter has been awarded type certification by EASA, after a 1,500hr flight test campaign. FAA certification is to follow shortly, says the manufacturer, with a delivery to a first unnamed customer in the US before the end of the year. UAE Hope mission set to blast off for Mars VIP Voyager breaks cover Airbus Helicopters AEROSPACE DEFENCE The UK MoD has revealed a striking new livery for a RAF A330 MRTT Voyager tanker- transport assigned to the VIP transport role as part of its mission. The new £900,000 paint scheme, completed by Marshall of Cambridge, ditches the grey camouflage worn by the rest of the Voyager fleet for a white fuselage, Union Jack tail fin and gold lettering with ‘United Kingdom’. The aircraft, which is equipped with a forward VIP cabin, retains the refuelling pods for its core mission of AAR. Airbus H160 receives certification SPACEFLIGHT Crown Copyright AIR TRANSPORT Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has grounded 150 of its 450 pilots for having ‘suspicious licences’ amid a safety clampdown. The move comes as part of a preliminary report into the crash of a PIA A320 on 22 May in Karachi, which killed 97 people when the crew raised the gear on approach to landing, then attempted to perform a go- around after skidding down the runway on the engines.  Meanwhile, on 30 June, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) placed Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on a blacklist, banning it from operating to EU destinations for six months. PIA grounds one-third of pilots for ‘fake licences’ Read ‘PIA PK8303 crash – just the tip of the iceberg?’on the AEROSPACE Insight blog AEROSPACE 8 Leicester has been chosen as the location for a new £100m European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre for UK start- ups aiming to develop technology and ideas for the space sector. Space Park Leicester will open in 2021 and aims to create a cluster in research, earth observation, data and space-enabled business. It is expected to create some 2,500 jobs. Embraer has delivered the first enhanced Phenom 300E very light jet to Texas law firm Dunham & Jones. The aircraft was handed over in late June at a ceremony at Embraer’s Global Customer Center in Melbourne, Florida. French-based hybrid- electric developer VoltAero has partnered with regional point-to- point travel start-up KinectAir to offer on- demand flights on its new Cassio hybrid-electic aircraft in the next two years. The Cassio will have a range of 800nm and carry four-to-ten passengers. Norwegian Air is reported to have cancelled orders for 92 Boeing 737 MAXs and five 787 Dreamliners. The airline has also cancelled its GoldCare service contract and also has filed a lawsuit against the US manufacturer to reclaim pre-delivery payments for the aircraft. At the RAF Chief of Air Staff Air and Space Power virtual Conference on 15 July, Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace MP, announced that General Atomics-ASI had been awarded a £65m contract for the first three Protector RG1 UAVs for the RAF of a total acquisition of 16. The platform is expected to enter service in 2024. China has launched the final satellite for its Beidou satellite navigation constellation. The satellite was launched from the Xichang launch centre aboard a Long March 3B rocket on 23 March. Russian Helicopters has produced the first variant of its Mil Mi-8AMT military helicopter designed for civilian use in the Arctic. Manufactured at the company’s Ulan- Ude Aviation Plant, the helicopter is equipped with a transmission heating unit, a system for cargo compartment Stratos Aircraft Radome NEWS IN BRIEF After 50 years, end of the runway for 747 Stratos 716X makes first flight Lufthansa announces more cost-cutting Australia reveals new strategic update GENERAL AVIATION AIR TRANSPORT AEROSPACE DEFENCE German flag carrier Lufthansa has announced a second set of cost- cutting measures as part of a restructuring programme in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak. As well as the already announced decision to reduce the airline’s fleet by 100 aircraft and to suspend flight operations at its Germanwings subsidiary, Lufthansa will also limit new aircraft deliveries to 80 until 2023 and has announced that it has a calculated personnel surplus of at least 22,000 full-time positions. The airline plans to return an additional 200 aircraft back into service by the end of October, by which time the airline will be operating 380 aircraft, equivalent to 50% of its fleet. After half a century, Boeing is to finally cease production of the 747 jumbo jet, according to Bloomberg, as the Coronavirus accelerates its retirement from airlines including British Airways, KLM, Qantas, Virgin Atlantic and Corsair International. The news outlet reported that the final 747, likely a -8F cargo model, will roll out in two years’ time, with the last long lead items now having been ordered. Sixteen aircraft are still in the production backlog, including 12 747-8F freighters for UPS. The final airframes also include two ex-Transaero -8s that are set to be converted to VC-25 Presidential Aircraft for the US Air Force. Australian DoD The Australian Government has published a new Defence Strategic Update and Force Structure Plan for the next ten years, reflecting a more uncertain and unstable world. The $270bn plan sees investment in hypersonics, long-range strike missiles, ‘Loyal Wingmen’ drones, sovereign satellite capability and replacements for its E-7 Wedgetail and C-130J in 2030. Stratos Aircraft has flown its new 716X single-engine VLJ (very light jet) for the first time, with a 22 minute flight from Roberts Field Airport, Oregon, on 2 July. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5, the all-composite six-seat 716X is expected to have a cruise speed of 400kt. The 716X will be offered as an experimental kit build aircraft, with a 716 certificated as the production version. On 28 June China’s COMAC delivered three examples of its delayed ARJ21 90-seat regional airliner to the ‘big three’ of the country’s airlines: Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines. After taking delivering of their first ARJ21s, the carriers will receive a further two examples each in 2020. The three airlines each ordered 35 ARJ21s in August 2019. AUGUST 2020 9 ON THE MOVE A secret factory making illegal copies of Kamov Ka-26 helicopters for sale on the international market has been closed down by authorities in the breakaway Transnistrian region of Moldova. Over ten examples of the light civilian coaxial rotorcraft were found in various stages of assembly at a clandestine production plant which Boeing gets $23bn for F-15EX was located in the Criuleni area near the Dniester river, after law enforcement officers raided the complex. The factory had been illegally producing helicopters for unnamed customers in post-Soviet republics. A criminal case has now been started by Moldovan prosecutors, with sentences that could range from three to ten years. Hat-trick of deliveries for ARJ21 AEROSPACE AIR TRANSPORT Boeing has been awarded a $22.89bn indefinite date/indefinite quantity deal to supply up to 200 of its upgraded F-15EX Advanced Eagles to the US Air Force over the next ten years, with the service looking at a minimum fleet of 144 aircraft. The first new build procurement of F-15s for the USAF in decades, the deal includes an initial $1.2bn contract for the first eight F-15EXs, with the first airframe to be rolled off the production line in 2021. The two-seat F-15EX features fly-by- wire, advanced glass cockpit and upgraded payload allowing it to carry larger hypersonic weapons in development. Aimed at supplementing F-35s, the F-15EX will also replace F-15C/Ds flown by the US Air National Guard. Kathy Lueders has been appointed as NASA’s Head of Human Spaceflight Operations. Chansin Treenuchagron is to be Acting President of Thai Airways replacing Chakkrit Parapuntakul. AAR Corporation has elected Robert F Leduc, retired President of Pratt & Whitney, to its Board of Directors. Former Disney theme-park exec Michael Colglazier is the new CEO of Virgin Galactic, replacing George Whitesides, who becomes Chief Space Officer. Becky Yoder is now SVP Finance and Business Operations at Astroscale US. Rob Holmes is the new VP Aerospace at Hardide Coatings. thermal protection, heat- insulating blinds and cockpit doors and frost- resistant Teflon hoses. Hybrid-electric aircraft developer Faradair has announced that it is relocating its HQ and development of its STOL BEHA (Bio Electric Hybrid Aircraft) to Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire. A first flight is targeted for 2023/24. Mexican airline AeroMexico has filed for Chapter 11 voluntary bankruptcy protection, becoming the latest carrier to fall victim to the Coronavirus crisis. The airline is the third Latin American airline to file for bankruptcy, following Chile’s LATAM and Colombia’s Avianca. . On 25 June, Virgin Galactic conducted the second SpaceShipTwo test flight from Spaceport America. The test involved a glide flight and landing of VSS Unity after DEFENCE UK wins auction for OneWeb The UK Government has won a £400m auction to acquire a stake in the bankrupt broadband mega-constellation provider OneWeb. OneWeb, which was aiming to roll out a constellation of 648 LEO satellites, went bankrupt earlier in March. The UK, as part of a consortium including India’s Bharti Global, is interested in potentially using the constellation to piggy-back additional navigational payloads which could provide an alternative to Europe’s Galileo system and augment US GPS positioning. OneWeb being released from the mothership VMS Eve at 51,000ft. Unity completed multiple test points before touching back down smoothly for a runway landing. Bye Aerospace has announced that it has commenced the next phase of flight tests for its two-seat all-electric eFlyer 2 technology demonstrator. The tests are to focus on collecting engineering data for propeller choice. SPACEFLIGHT Bootleg helicopter factory closed down COMAC Read ‘OneWeb and the UK – a wise investment?’ on the AEROSPACE Insight blog 10 AEROSPACE By the Numbers Understanding the world of Aerospace through data BAE Systems reveals Tempest factory of the future Digitally Driven Transformation Industry 4.0 Intelligent Logistics Systems Connected supply chain and intelligent store deploys tools and materials into the factory. Robot Assisted Assembly A re-confi gurable and fl exible assembly approach replaces need for traditional fi xed tooling. Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Exploiting the latest additive manufacturing technologies and developing new material joining processes to build a range of detailed aircraft parts. Intelligent Workstation Human-augmented technology guides operators to drive efficiencies and minimise process deviation. Digital work instructions deployed from connected engineering toolsets. Autonomous Mobile Robots Performing autonomous multi-functional assembly operations and parts delivery. Data Driven Smart Offi ce Live data fl ow from the factory provides ‘at a glance’ snapshot of performance, enabled by Internet of Things connectivity. A fi rst of its kind factory drives digital capability into next generation manufacturing Future Combat Air Production baesystems.com PMCS1484.06.07.20 Source: BAE Systems Docking and cleaning The United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Orbital Express mission demonstrated docking during its four-month flight from March to July 2007. At the same time, the UK-based Orbital Satellite Servicing company was proposing its SMART-OLEV vehicle to service spacecraft. Since then, in parallel to the US progress, the European Union (EU) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have funded research and a mission to demonstrate debris removal techniques, another market for space services. The EU-funded REMOVEDEBRIS project began in 2013, its test spacecraft was launched in June 2018 and the project ended last year, having completed its technology demonstration. Airbus subsidiary Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) designed and built the REMOVEDEBRIS spacecraft. It had three technologies for debris removal: a net, a harpoon and a vision-based navigation system to rendezvous with debris. The harpoon punctures the thin wall of a spacecraft fuselage, while the net wraps itself around a portion of the satellite. SSTL is now working with Japan-based satellite servicing company, Astroscale. It is aiming to provide mission extension services and active debris removal, among other solutions. SSTL International Business Development Manager, Alex da Silva Curiel, explained that if one spacecraft could de-orbit multiple satellites, the debris issue could begin to be tackled. The long view The in-orbit services beyond life extension and de-orbiting will require more advanced robotics and artificial intelligence, according to da Silva Curiel. One concept being funded by the German Aerospace Center, DLR, and called iBOSS, is a geostationary satellite made up of modules that can be reconfigured using robotics. Another idea da Silva Curiel refers to is the in-orbit assembly of a space telescope, which could be far larger than HST or the James Webb Space Telescope. The huge telescope would be built by autonomous robots from parts launched by separate rockets. While the HST was serviced by astronauts, like so many Earthly tasks, dull and dangerous work, carried out as part of a low Earth orbit economy, could be done more safely by robots. As AEROSPACE goes to press, an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket is scheduled to launch from Kourou in French Guiana at the end of July with the Northrop Grumman Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV)-2. It will dock with its customer Intelsat’s 1002 satellite early next year to extend its life. For decades after the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik in 1957, satellites were untouchable once the rocket ascended from the launch pad. Racing around the planet at more than 17,500mph, they worked until they malfunctioned, or the Earth’s gravity pulled them down to a fiery end. In 1984 this fateful solitude ended when NASA’s space shuttle Discovery brought the first telecommunication satellites back from orbit. The shuttle also serviced the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) five times but, for the more than 2,600 satellites the Union of Concerned Scientists says were flying in space up to 1 April this year, only software changes could be beamed to these spacecraft; nothing else could be done to maintain them. Satellite care Now, in 2020, Northrop stated that its MEV is the space industry’s first satellite servicing vehicle designed to dock with geostationary spacecraft. Like other satellite mission extension concepts, the MEV docks with the target’s apogee motor, which is used to put a spacecraft into its final geostationary orbit trajectory. The basic service that can be offered with this concept is station keeping. Satellites use propulsion to keep themselves in the right position to aim the antennas correctly. When the fuel runs out, the orientation becomes inaccurate and the mission ends. Northrop Grumman subsidiary Space Logistics’ Operations Business Development Vice President, Joe Anderson, said that the capture technology, or how the servicing spacecraft grabs the customer, was the key technology development for the MEV. The company’s first MEV, called MEV-1, was launched in October last year and docked with the customer Intelsat IS-901 spacecraft in February this year. Northrop said that this marked the first time two commercial satellites had docked in orbit. IS-901 resumed its telecommunications services in April. In-orbit servicing has seen a number of demonstration missions and start-up companies in the past 20 years. Pushing the Envelope In-orbit servicing Robert Coppinger 11 AUGUST 2020 THE REMOVEDEBRIS SPACECRAFT ... HAD THREE TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEBRIS REMOVAL: A NET, A HARPOON AND A VISION-BASED NAVIGATION SYSTEM TO RENDEZVOUS WITH DEBRIS Exploring advances on the leading edge of aerospace AEROSPACE Transmission f i LETTERS AND ONLINE f i @aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com Voyager flies the flag Nice to know the Air Tanker owned Voyager MRTT allocated to Boris and other VVIPs is being repainted by Marshalls in a less dowdy colour scheme. The old RAF VC10s of No 10 Sqn in high gloss Air Support Command white, blue and grey colours, looked superb – a scheme guaranteed to project a confident and capable UK. However, while the UK has F-35 lecture RAF only a proportion of Voyagers equipped for air-to-air tanking without adaption work (which can take several weeks for the five earmarked for commercial hire from its total of 14), the French Air Force is to expand its own MRTT fleet with three additional aircraft, bringing its total to 15, fully Service- owned and equipped for hose-and-drogue, as well as boom aerial refuelling and military transport. Voyager is clearly the best tanker- transport in the world, but although it is very modern, capable and flexible, and much bigger, the RAF strategic tanker-transport fleet is far smaller than when it had nearly 30 VC10s and TriStars – and individual aircraft can only be in one place at a time. An increasing Kevin Bowen [On F-35 Lightning II Test Flight audio lecture(1)] What a mess of doors and bendy nozzliness. Harrier did the biz in a much more classy way! Chris Walker Yes. Via bicycle chains! Charlie Jeffs [On Pilot error! – What about pilot saves?(2)] Yes, good thinking, we are all too mercenary when it comes to aviation catastrophes, a bit like football, the focus is on the player scoring goals, never the goalkeeper saving goals. And this breeds cynicism. Pilots are of course paid high salaries, not for mundane non eventful ‘dial-a-route’ flying but their response and reaction to an emergency, many of which could not have been rehearsed or practised before. So let’s hear more of the crew that saved the souls unselfishly, rather than those that did not make it. But let’s keep the comments and analysis fair, not speculative or over reaction. Remember the life the pilot is trying to save when he is avoiding built up areas while crashing, is his own, so no over-dramatisation. Simon Ludlow A good article. Sydney Dekker commented that we concentrate on when things go wrong. But how about examining when things go right? Richard Wiggins [On RAeS Passenger Evacuation Paper(5] It needs an international legal standard for restrictions to uplift cabin bags. Right now it is dependent on class of travel/ aircraft cabin size and pax seating density/percentage of cabin occupancy/length of journey requiring access or not to lap tops and cabin bag/ commercial revenues either for charging to carry extra bag in cabin or taking bag into cabin to avoid suitcase fees or waiting around at arrivals baggage belt on terminal. Locking lockers before landing would just make passengers’ human actions more devious – to hide cabin bag under seats to ensure access upon landing. It is really for IATA and ICAO to legalise the standard globally and not for airlines’ commercial departments to forecast ancillary revenue opportunity. The same applies to duty-free purchases in terminal (far more availability to purchase consumer goods bigger than and heavier than alcohol and cigarettes) and expect these to be also uplifted in cabin. An example of nil cabin baggage allowed was BA shuttle LHR/ BFS during ‘The Troubles’ era when 100% of cabin bags had to be belly stowed and retrieved on arrival from aircraft steps side. It was a legal national security mandate so nobody challenged it and the system worked for short sector one- hour flights! Laszlo Molnar The future could be better than that. 43 benefits, four safety improvements is the innovation of the 21st century. Evacuation without slide landing on water and eventually take-off. Initial model is for sale. Saving graces Flying on Mars Jason Nicholson [On podcast of Classic Lecture – Curiosity, The Next Mars Rover(3)] Our name is aboard it and with the possibility of aviation history being made with the first heavier-than-air flight on another planet. It’s one mission I will be watching closely. Covid-19 statement Oshan De Alwis [On RAeS statement on Covid-19 and changes to the aviation and aerospace workforce(4)] Great initiative! Alan Paterson Fantastic support at an extremely difficult time in our aviation industry. Well done to all at RAeS. Anooshiravan Maleki Great initiative and support! Thanks to all at RAeS! Emergency evacuation number of new US-built RAF aircraft rely on boom refuelling, which means they either cannot air refuel at all, lacking a probe, or must rely increasingly on boom- tanking support from friendly nations. Although the RAF was the Voyager’s launch customer, this operational restriction does not apply to the boom-equipped Voyagers in service with Australia, France and other allies flying this impressive machine. With ongoing QRA stand-by support required for UK and Falklands-based Typhoons, plus NATO and other global deployments, the current RAF tanker fleet is undoubtedly under-strength, if it is required to also support unexpected emergency operations overseas. Richard Gardner MRAeS Air Source Military/YouTube NASA Curiosity Mars Rover and Flyer. 12 i f @aerosociety linkedin.com/raes facebook.com/raes www.aerosociety.com 13 AUGUST 2020 1. https://www.aerosociety.com/news/audio-classic-lecture-f-35-lightning-ii-flight-test-update-by-graham-tomlinson/ 2. AEROSPACE, June 2020 p 20, Pilot error! What about pilot saves? 3. https://www.aerosociety.com/news/audio-classic-lecture-curiosity-the-next-mars-rover-by-dr-matt-wallace/ 4. https://www.aerosociety.com/media/14112/2020_07_01_statement_covid-19_changes_to_workforce.pdf 5. https://www.aerosociety.com/news/updated-raes-passenger-evacuation-paper-now-available/ 6. https://www.aerosociety.com/events-calendar/bame-perspectives-on-aerospace-and-aviation-shaping-the-future/ 7. https://bwpa.co.uk/scholarships/scholarship-winners-archive/ 8. https://www.aerosociety.com/news/oneweb-and-the-uk-a-wise-investment/ 9. https://www.aerosociety.com/news/working-with-china/ 10. AEROSPACE, July 2020 p 26, Electric flight – a pilot’s eye view 11. AEROSPACE, July 2020 p 22, Indian aviation’s invisible force @beaver_paul [On new Journal of Aeronautical History paper on Alcock and Brown’s competitors(6) ] Excellent scholarship. @Solsticenator [On what will be the ‘new normal’ for air travel post Covid-19?(7) ] Permanent anti-microbial/viral coatings. @StTim How does banning carry on work for people travelling with a laptop? They can’t go in the hold. @ProfAtkin [On Gender diversity on RAeS Council] Britten-Norman Cushioncraft CC-2, CC2-002, being fuelled at a BP Service Station at Bembridge, Isle of Wight. This was one of a series of air cushion vehicles used to investigate the possibility of a breakthrough in transportation techniques which could accelerate the pace of development in territories where roads were non-existent and costly to build and rivers seasonally unnavigable. From the RAeS photo archives RAeS/NAL Raphael D. [On RAeS Member Maleha Khan winning a British Women Pilots’ Association Flying Start scholarship(7) ] Congratulations Maleha! Callum H Congratulations. Flying an aircraft is the best thing since sliced bread. After doing all my training at EGBW (where I think the picture is), it’s a shame to see greedy landlords selling this magnificent field for houses. Joseph F Corrao Excellent! The beginning of a doubtlessly brilliant career! All the best, Maleha! Dr Eur Ing Bishnujee Singh Congratulations and RAeS playing key role in nurturing brilliant talent with exciting career ahead! Stuart G Smith Well done Maleha – it’s a fantastic world up here ! Off to a Flying Start @CamberandChord [On BAE Systems aims to 3D print 30% of the Tempest] No reason this shouldn’t be possible, especially with companies like Rocket Lab showing what is possible with 3D printing. @percymerlin [Has the UK bought the ‘wrong satellites’ for a satellite navigation system with OneWeb?(8) ] There are two issues with OneWeb as a navigation system. First, it has no chance of seeing four stats at the same time with current orbits, to use current technology. Second, it would have to use a totally different type of system like the old US Transit sat and that would take a longer time to get a location fix. Accuracy? @tomhajjar [On electric GA aircraft – the pilot’s perspective(10) ] The same people who barely maintain their cars, boats and small planes will do the same with electric models. The batteries will not have the same protective measures of a land- based design due to weight. The damaged batteries will incinerate on impact... Print a fighter i BAME seminar RAF Voyager repaint New civil aircraft? UK to acquire OneWeb sat nav system Electric aircraft safety Indian women pilots @nivedita_bhasin [On Indian aviation – the hidden force(11) ] 50 years of women pilots in India woven in a flying carpet by @neelammathews. A lovely article and a must- read. @tallbeanie [On RAeS BAME seminar(6) ] Goodness? What on Earth is going on – deliberate segregation? Surely not? @RichardGearing Giving an under-represented community a voice is not segregation – it’s an opportunity for us to hear the amazing things they do in our sector and the challenges they and others may face, especially at this time. I would encourage everyone to join this webinar to learn more. @brazilinsight I graduated in aerospace with a black student. We both joined the RAF. He, being outstanding, won the Sword of Honour and rose to air rank. He was not unusual in the military I knew, or in aerospace. In both sectors what matters is ability, not the colour of your skin. @combat_boot [On RAF reveals VIP Voyager repaint] £900k for some paint? I am in the wrong business. @davidhearn Most of the £900k was apparently standard scheduled routine checks/maintenance and the likelihood was that a repaint (in grey) had also been required at normal intervals, so the actual cost of changing the design was more like just the additional white/blue/red paint and design work. @gethinsinflight [COMAC Assistant Chief Designer bemoans lack of civil airliner projects in RAeS webinar(9) ] To say that during a pandemic makes no sense. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of commercial aircraft parked around the world that may never fly again due to Covid. New aircraft programmes will need to respond to a new sustainable reality post- Covid. We need radically new concepts to take travellers into a totally sustainable, ie carbon- free, future. @Ridgley_Vefand In what market space would a new programme bring meaningful benefits? The famous NMA where Boeing didn’t manage to extract a business case from? In the intervening nine years the US has paid Russia for 35 separate seats in the regular Soyuz launches taking cosmonauts to the ISS. The current sticker price for each seat (round trip) is about $90m and the political costs have also been high, since being dependent on Russia for anything is not good politics in the US at the moment. The Crew Dragon spacecraft into which Hurley and Behnken were strapped and the Falcon 9 rocket that blasted it into space were both designed and built by SpaceX. The design of all previous crewed space rockets had been managed by governments – and just three of those: Russia (Soviet Union), US and China – so this was a first for a commercial company. The private sector origin of the technology was especially visible in the sleek, designer-style spacesuits worn by the astronauts, in contrast to the baggy ‘pumpkin’ suit of previous missions. Returning the US among the stars Republican Congressman turned NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine left it to his bosses, President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, to blow the ‘America is great’ trumpet at the Cape Canaveral launch. Bridenstine will use the success to persuade Congress to increase the NASA budget. The approximate $50m SpaceX charges NASA for an astronaut launch is, of course, also a welcome price reduction. The man most applauded for the event was Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX. Musk is an eccentric billionaire who has built his SpaceX business from the ground up into a company valued at more than $30bn in just 18 years. He is perhaps better known for also creating from nothing, the electric car company, 14 AEROSPACE SPACEFLIGHT SpaceX strategy On 30 May 2020 Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken were the first astronauts in almost nine years launched into space on an American rocket at the start of a 19hr journey to the International Space Station (ISS). Hurley had been on the previous such flight, Space Shuttle mission No. 135, when it took off from the exact same spot – Pad 39A at Cape Canaveral in Florida – its launch on 11 July 2011 bringing the Space Shuttle programme to a close. The same pad was the starting point for all of the Apollo Moon landing missions. PAT NORRIS FRAeS (member of the RAeS Space Specialist Group Committee) assesses the ambitious plans of SpaceX and its charismatic CEO, Elon Musk, to send humans to Mars and to provide broadband links here on Earth. Live from Mars! (MUSK) TOLD AN AUDIENCE AT THE ROYAL AERONAUTICAL SOCIETY IN LONDON IN 2012 THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO DIE ON MARS “BUT NOT DURING THE LANDING.” Elon Musk speaking at the RAeS in 2012. 15 AUGUST 2020 Tesla, and his Twitter musings have sometimes made headlines for the wrong reasons. Musk’s eccentricity was highlighted in his statement after the launch that it was “the first step toward a civilisation on Mars”. The stretch from two astronauts on the ISS to having a civilisation on Mars seemed ridiculous to most people. However, Musk founded SpaceX to go to Mars, so for him it seemed natural. He sees Mars as a backup to Earth in the event of a third world war, and also as an extraordinary adventure. He told an audience at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London in 2012 that he would like to die on Mars “but not during the landing”. This is not the first time the US has got itself into the pickle of mothballing its only astronaut- rated launcher and having to wait several years for the replacement to be ready. After the last launch of an Apollo-era rocket in July 1975, it was almost eight years before the next American astronauts made it into space on the first flight of the Space Shuttle in April 1981. The gap this time round was supposed to be four years, 2011 to 2015, but this had slipped to 2017 by the time parallel contracts were placed with Boeing and SpaceX. Further slippage ensued: to 2020 for SpaceX and probably 2021 for Boeing – leading Musk to declare on 30 May that the pace of development needed to accelerate if humans were to get to Mars in his lifetime. Re-using the rocket SpaceX has undercut all of the world’s rocket suppliers by being commercially-focused. The technology is chosen for cost and reliability, not because it is hi-tech. The manufacturing is mostly done in-house, enabling trade-offs and design changes to be made more easily than with a long supply chain. In his talk at the RAeS, Musk noted that the cost of the fuel was less than 2% of the overall launcher cost, hence his decision to recover the rocket’s first stage instead of letting it fall into the ocean. After boosting the second stage and its payload towards space, the first stage of the Falcon 9 navigates itself back to a platform floating in the ocean and lands vertically on it – for most observers this is like watching a scene from a science fiction movie. NASA insisted on using a pristine first stage for the 30 May flight but has since agreed to allow the use of boosters that have previously flown. The cost of preparing an already flown booster for reuse has not been disclosed and it is not clear how much of a saving it provides. One major cost incurred is the need to preserve fuel during the flight so that the first stage can power its way back to a landing, thereby reducing the payload it can carry into orbit by a reported 30%. The latest variant (Block 5) of the nine Merlin engines used in the Falcon 9 first stage is designed to be re-used ten times with minor processing and up to 100 times with refurbishment. Five launches is the most any booster has so far achieved, allowing the first 35 Block 5 launches to be made with a total of just 17 different Block 5 engines. SpaceX also recovers the fairing that protects the payload on top of the rocket and reuses it. The fairing floats down on parachutes to be recovered at sea. Musk told the RAeS audience that each fairing costs about $5m, so it’s worth trying to reuse them. Note that no other space rocket manufacturer anywhere in the world is able to recover and reuse its rockets, putting SpaceX truly in a class of its own. Falcon Heavy Another of SpaceX’s unique products is the Falcon Heavy launcher which can carry into orbit more payload than any other launcher in the world – a lot more! It can place about 64 tonnes into orbit, which is more than double the capacity of the next most powerful rocket, the Delta IV Heavy. It has been launched three times and is very competitively priced. It helps to be based in the world’s biggest economy. Since its first flight in 2010, 38% of Falcon 9 launches have been for the US Government – initially for NASA but, since 2015, also for the Department of Defense. In the same period, only 14% of the launches of Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket (Falcon 9’s main commercial competitor) have been for government agencies. However, Europe funded the cost of developing Ariane 5 while Musk used his own money to pay for most of the development of both the Falcon 9 and 16 AEROSPACE the Saturn V of the Apollo era, ie. able to loft in the region of 150 tonnes into orbit around the Earth. However Saturn V was an expendable rocket with its parts ending up at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean or as space junk. Musk reckons that, if Starship were expendable, its payload capacity would be doubled. Setting a development timescale of just three to four years and a budget of about $5bn (“between $2bn and $10bn” says Musk) means that the technical challenges are enormous. So far, development of a prototype of a scaled down first stage has been ‘exciting’ with explosions and other mishaps destroying or damaging most of the early test articles. SpaceX has put in place a manufacturing process for the rocket that underpins a ‘build-a-little- test-a-little’ approach, so that the design of the final product evolves as the testing progresses. Musk admits that success of the development is not assured given the many technical hurdles to be surmounted. His confidence has been boosted by NASA selecting Starship as one of three contenders for its return to the Moon – the other contenders are Dynetics, a 2,000 personnel hi-tech company based in Huntsville, AL, and a team led by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin that includes Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. NASA will give SpaceX $135m to design a lunar landing variant of Starship and a similar contribution has come from Japanese fashion retail billionaire Yusaku Maezawa who paid for a trip with eight friends around the Moon and back. To send the Apollo astronauts to the Moon required the Saturn V to be five or six times more powerful than was needed for any other space mission, so it was uneconomic for anything except a Moon landing. SpaceX is planning to turn this argument on its head with Starship. Its full reusability will make it so cheap that it will be suitable for launching normal satellites, in other SPACEFLIGHT SpaceX strategy the Falcon Heavy, getting the rocket close to an operational state before bidding for and winning contracts from NASA and the commercial market. Building both the rocket and the spacecraft on top of it is an important SpaceX feature. Musk’s dream of flying to Mars requires a very powerful rocket (about which more in a moment) and a sophisticated vehicle to reach and land on Mars – and then to take off again and return to Earth. The Crew Dragon capsule that carried Hurley and Behnken to the ISS on 30 May is the first SpaceX vehicle certified to carry humans. However, the cargo version, called simply Dragon, has carried fuel, water, food and supplies to the Station 20 times in the past eight years and brought cargo safely back to Earth. Dragon is the only spacecraft able to return a significant amount of cargo (3½ tonnes) – the Russian Soyuz can bring back just 50kg along with three passengers (150kg if there are only two passengers). All the other cargo vehicles (Russian, American, Japanese, European) that bring supplies to the ISS burn up on re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. Starship – even bigger With his vision of Mars in mind, Musk has been investing heavily in a new generation of launchers and spacecraft. He has been expected to enhance the successful Falcon Heavy rocket but instead has gone back to the drawing board and is developing a colossal rocket/spaceship combination called the Starship system. The second stage is called Starship and, as well as a rocket, it is a crew and cargo vehicle capable of long duration missions, eg. to Mars. The first stage is currently called Super Heavy. Everything in the Starship system will be recovered and reused – not just the first stage. Starship will be comparable in carrying capacity to 17 AUGUST 2020 as of June 2020, with expansion plans already announced to increase that to 10,000. In response to astronomers’ complaints, SpaceX is applying a low reflectivity coating to the satellites and is testing a sunshade that would be deployed to reduce reflected sunlight. Each satellite weighs about 250kg with an ingenious flat design about the size of a 20cm thick ping-pong table which is packed with electronics and includes a solar panel that unfolds once in orbit. They are launched on a Falcon 9 in batches of 60 using a clever packing strategy inside the rocket fairing. SpaceX is funding the development and launch of the satellites from internal funds, with the total cost of the initial constellation said to be about $10bn. Orbiting the Earth at an altitude of about 550km, the Starlink satellites move rapidly across the sky. A broadband user therefore has to track the satellite as it moves, and switch to another one when it goes over the horizon. Most current telecommunication satellites are at an altitude of 35,000km in the so-called geostationary orbit, making them appear fixed in place to the user – hence the unmoving satellite dishes on the side of houses. The lower altitude orbit makes the round-trip signal delay time much shorter than for geostationary satellites. This ‘low latency’ can be important for some applications such as real-time gaming as well as to avoid the embarrassing pauses often seen on TV news feeds. But the downside is the need for higher cost user equipment that can track the satellites – the Starlink user’s antenna is expected to be flat and about the size of a medium-sized pizza box which tracks the satellites electronically and thus avoids any physical movement, although the early beta versions are dishes that move to track the satellites. Sceptics point out that the greatest potential for new Internet users is in emerging markets but they have little need for low latency. words replacing the workhorse Falcon 9. That at any rate is the commercial logic espoused by Elon Musk. A sceptic might say that a competitor could develop a smaller reusable rocket that would provide even cheaper launches and thus undercut Starship. So the challenge for SpaceX is not only to complete the ambitious Starship development in a timely and affordable way but also to ensure that it is commercially competitive in operation. Making the sky bright The Crew Dragon launch is not the only headline SpaceX has made in recent months. Astronomers have been critical of the several hundred Starlink satellites that SpaceX has built and launched into orbit round the Earth intended to provide global broadband services. The satellites reflect sunlight before dawn and after dusk, and are so numerous that the accumulated ‘light pollution’ is significant – one American astronomer reckons about 30% of her images will be contaminated. The initial constellation of Starlink satellites will number about 1,500, of which about 500 are in place Artist’s rendering of the SpaceX Starship concept. AEROSPACE 18 SPACEFLIGHT SpaceX strategy MUSK’S PROJECTION IS THAT, BY 2025, STARLINK WILL HAVE BROUGHT IN REVENUES OF ABOUT $30BN – REVENUES THAT WILL HELP UNDERPIN THE COST OF DEVELOPING THE GIANT STARSHIP LAUNCHER AND SPACECRAFT. All images: SpaceX Pat Norris (www.pat-norris.com) is the author of Returning People to the Moon After Apollo (Springer). 19 AUGUST 2020 Previous attempts to use lower altitude orbits for telecommunication services fared badly 20 years ago but SpaceX hopes that advances in technology will make the difference now. One bad omen is that OneWeb, another company using low altitude orbits to connect users to the Internet, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2020, having run out of cash to pay for the construction and deployment of the hundreds of satellites it needed to provide a service. The challenge for SpaceX is to build and launch enough satellites to begin its broadband service and thus allow the revenue to start rolling in. A Beta version of the 1GB broadband service is expected to start in the US and Canada in late 2020 and go global in 2021. Musk’s projection is that, by 2020, Starlink will have brought in revenues of about $30bn – revenues that will help underpin the cost of developing the giant Starship launcher and spacecraft. One side effect of the Starlink initiative is that SpaceX is now starting to compete with some of its commercial customers – organisations such as SES and Inmarsat that are targeting the same global broadband market as Starlink. These organisations would normally consider using SpaceX to launch their satellites but will they now hesitate to do so? What now? Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are likely to stay onboard the ISS until early August 2020 and perhaps beyond. They have been putting Crew Dragon through its paces with a variety of tests, as well as helping out with maintenance of the ISS. The return journey to Earth will be the final big test for the Crew Dragon, testing its ability to survive the fiery re-entry phase through the atmosphere, then safely land on target. Assuming all that goes well, a few weeks later, the second Crew Dragon spacecraft will take off on the first operational mission of the craft, labelled Crew-1 – Hurley and Behnken’s mission has been labelled Demo-2 (Demo-1 was an unpiloted flight in March 2019). Crew-1 will carry NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Michael Hopkins and Shannon Walker plus Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi. A Crew-2 mission will follow sometime in 2021. SpaceX competitor Boeing’s crewed demonstration flight is also likely to come sometime in 2021. Boeing’s Starliner, as it is called, works out about 60% more expensive than Crew Dragon, based on the fact that both companies received contracts in 2014 for seven flights including the demonstration one: SpaceX’s price was $2.6bn, Boeing’s $4.2bn. With American transport to the ISS now available again, NASA’s new Head of Human Spaceflight and Exploration, Kathy Lueders, is turning her attention to getting American men and women to the Moon by 2024. Having taken over from her predecessor at short notice in mid-June, she is lumbered with a baseline NASA approach to the mission involving two elements that are hugely over budget and behind schedule and have been heavily criticised by independent auditors on a number of occasions – the Space Launch System Saturn-5 class heavy-lift rocket and the Orion spacecraft in which astronauts would travel to and from the vicinity of the Moon (but would transfer to a separate lander to reach the surface). The good news is that the three contractors for lander vehicles mentioned earlier in this article offer alternatives to this baseline. A crunch issue for Lueders is the request to Congress for a 12% hike in NASA’s budget to $25.2bn for the fiscal year beginning 1 October 2020. Without this new funding the 2024 date for humans on the Moon will surely slip. For SpaceX, progress in developing the ambitious Starship launcher and spacecraft will dictate whether they participate in NASA’s Moon landing adventure. A variant called Starhopper is intended to make low altitude flights this year and a larger prototype would then get into Earth orbit in 2021. As well as providing a Moon-bound service for NASA, Starship has been signed up by two ‘travel agencies’ to provide space trips for paying passengers. One of the packages is five days in space for four people at a cost said to be less than $50m per head. One of the ironies of the 30 May Crew Dragon flight to the ISS is that it was achieved before the much less ambitious space tourism flights of Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin. Both these companies have been promising to take paying passengers up to 100km altitude where they would experience several minutes of weightlessness and achieve astronaut status. Both have been beset by delays, although it was expected that they would begin operation in 2020, leading swiftly to regular and frequent flights. Prices for a seat seem to be about $200,000, although Blue Origin has not yet publicly announced its tariff structure. Rocketry is a difficult, dangerous and commercially risky business and, once again, Elon Musk has shown that he is one of the few able to master its complexities and make money. Can he pull off this master conjurer’s trick again with the outrageously ambitious Starship? Perhaps the biggest risk is Musk himself – he represents a key-person dependency for SpaceX, and his death or incapacity would jeopardise the company’s Moon and Mars plans. So, Elon Musk: stay safe! A Rovos Air C-47A operating in South Africa, 2006. Early this year, they calculated that 172 DC-3s of all variants were still flying commercially, around one-third of them turboprop conversions. This figure constantly shifts slightly, said Prophet, as aircraft are eventually retired, crash or – occasionally – are restored to flying condition. As might be imagined, the largest national group is located in the US, where around 80 reside. Canada follows with just over 20, with Colombia having 16. Still flying after all these years Only one or two are still in regular passenger service, said Monk, with rather more hauling freight. The great majority are in other lines of work, such as research and entertainment, the latter in the form of pleasure flights. One significant operator over the years has been Canada’s Buffalo Airways, having had as many 20 AEROSPACE AIR TRANSPORT DC-3s in service 85 years on It is the aircraft that revolutionised air travel in the 1930s, provided the backbone of the Allies’ transport efforts throughout the Second World War and was the route by which many nascent airlines got into the air post-1945. But how many DC-3s are still flying today? More than 16,000 DC-3s and C-47s of all variants were built, while the Soviet Union constructed almost 5,000 more under licence as the Lisunov Li-2 and Nakajima Hikoki built close to 500 licensed examples from 1940-45. Found around the world The aircraft plied the airways in every corner of the globe. Keeping track of the survivors 85 years on since the DC-3’s first flight is a task undertaken by Dutch DC-3 enthusiast Coert Munk, assisted by Michael Prophet and Andre van Loon, who pull together data from around the world. Some 85 years after it first flew, the Douglas DC-3 still flies on in commercial service – a testament to the ruggedness of the original design. ALAN DRON tracks down the DC-3s still in service. The immortal DC-3 Daniel H. Schumann THEY MADE MORE DC-3S THAN ALL OTHER AIRLINERS IN THE WORLD PUT TOGETHER. 21 AUGUST 2020 as 14 in service at one point. The company now operates only a single example, although it has, until recently, also had two Basler BT-67 turboprop conversions on lease. The turboprops have some significant advantages over the original DC-3, namely being around 30% faster and able to carry about 30% more cargo but the greatest advantage is their ability to use jet fuel, rather than increasingly hard-to-find AvGas, said Buffalo’s General Manager, Mikey McBryan. The airline’s remaining DC-3 is used solely for hauling cargo – “anything that can fit in the freight door”– and mainly operates two daily 45-minute sectors between Hay River and Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, the main hubs in this vast region. The aircraft’s routes cover particularly rugged territory: “There’s no roads, so everything has to be flown in,” said McBryan. Although the DC-3 can be fitted with skis if necessary, their use is very rare today, as most small communities arrange to have an airstrip cleared for Buffalo’s aircraft. Moving south from the frigid reaches of northern Canada, Central and South America has traditionally been a bastion of surviving examples of the DC-3, with airfields such as Colombia’s Villavicencio, 30 miles southeast of the capital, Bogota, a particular hotspot. Of the 20 aircraft still known to be flying in the South American country, six are operated by the Colombian air force and four by the Colombian national police, with just 10 in commercial hands. The air force examples, used as gunships in the 50-year guerrilla war against FARC rebels have, with the signing of a peace agreement, been redeployed on duties such as anti-narcotics patrols and surveillance. Colombian airlines using the DC-3 have been under increasing pressure, said Prophet. New rules and regulations, triggered by a spate of accidents in the 1980s (not all of them involving DC-3s), have made operating conditions increasingly difficult for airlines. Several carriers now fly only one aircraft, with perhaps another one or two in maintenance, he said. Despite this, the DC-3 remains the ideal aircraft to reach remote villages in the country’s interior: “It’s the most sensible, economical and mechanically solid vehicle to land on a dirt strip.” An aeroplane under no pressure The secret to the aircraft’s durability? “The people at Douglas over-engineered it for safety,” said Prophet. A major factor behind that durability is that the aircraft is unpressurised, sparing its fuselage the strain of pressurisation cycles and eventual fatigue. Can it keep going indefinitely? “As long as you keep parts well-oiled, replace cylinders and have all the tubing regularly maintained, why not?” Those sentiments are echoed by Mike Woodley, CEO of Dunsfold, UK-based aviation filming specialists Aces High, whose G-DAKS has appeared in more than 30 films. “It’s a very simple aeroplane – a clockwork aeroplane, basically. It has no hydraulic controls on it.” That considerably eases the maintenance tasks. “It’s as good as the day it was built. It’s corrosion- free and lives in a hangar in winter.” The aircraft may be simple to keep operational but doing so does not come cheap: “It costs £100,000 a year just to maintain it,” said Woodley. However, “spares are still relatively easy to come by. They made more DC-3s than all other airliners in the world put together. We’ve got containers full of spares and you can buy spare engines for it.” When Woodley’s company acquired the aircraft, it was destined for the fire dump at the Ministry of Defence base at Catterick. “A bit silly, because it had the lowest [flying] time in the world. It has only done 3,800hr from new and has only had two owners – the RAF and us.” The aircraft saw action at both D-Day and at Arnhem and, unusually, has never been civilianised. It spent much of its career with the RAF at West Freugh, southwest Scotland, dropping experimental sonar buoys and was then seconded to electronics firm Ferranti to be fitted with the Airpass radar used on the English Electric Lightning. As mentioned above, the number of DC- 3s fluctuates. There are, of course, the almost inevitable occasional crashes. But there are also examples of ‘new’ aircraft coming to light. US Navy Douglas R4D and US Air Force C-47 aircraft unload at Tempelhof Airport during the Berlin Airlift. The first aircraft is a C-47A- 90-DL. US Air Force 22 AEROSPACE The wreckage remained on the tundra until 2016 when an expedition mounted by the Russian Geographical Society retrieved the remarkably well-preserved wreck and transported it by helicopter and barge to Krasnoyarsk, where it is being refurbished and is destined to be an exhibit in the city’s planned Museum of the Exploration of the Russian North. There are still examples of the DC-3 waiting to be brought back into the public gaze. Even in AIR TRANSPORT DC-3s in service 85 years on The Soviet C-47 One was a C-47 supplied under Lend-Lease to the Soviet Union in 1943, that was transferred to civilian use and which made a forced landing on the Taymyr Peninsula of northern Siberia in April 1947. After 20 days, 20 of the 29 occupants were found alive in the wreckage – ironically, by the crew of an overflying Li-2, which was able to land nearby to pick them up. Among the non-commercial organisations keeping DC-3s in the air is DDA [Dutch Dakota Association] Classic Airlines of The Netherlands, whose aircraft performs around 30 weekends of pleasure flights a year, mainly in The Netherlands and Germany. The Lelystad-based aircraft has an unusually rich history, even for a DC-3. It took part not only in the D-Day invasion but in the ill-fated Operation Market Garden, which was intended to create a 100km salient held by US, British and Polish paratroopers along a narrow corridor in The Netherlands in autumn 1944, seizing bridges at Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Arnhem and forcing a bridgehead over the Rhine, thus shortening the war. This history means the aircraft “has added historical value for us in Holland,” said DDA Classic Airlines foundation chairman, Feije Jaski. A further Dutch connection comes from Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands, who bought the aircraft in the US in 1946 and sold it a year later to the Dutch government, for which it performed VIP flights for many years – often flown by the Prince himself. The aircraft’s registration, PH-PBA, recalls Prince Bernhard’s links. The DC-3 also arouses considerable enthusiasm in Germany, Jaski added, where the type is known fondly as the Rosinen-Bomber, or ‘grape-bomber’, a reference to its significant role in ferrying fresh food to Berlin during that city’s blockade by the East Germans in 1948-49. Beyond that, many Germans admire the aircraft’s old but durable technology. “We fly the aircraft 120 to 150 hours annually during the April to November season,” Jaski said. Typically, flights are operated from Amsterdam Schiphol, Rotterdam, Maastricht and Groningen to overfly landmarks such as the tulip fields and central Amsterdam. Remarkably, the foundation has broken even since 2011. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced DDA to cancel this summer’s timetable but Jaski is confident the aircraft will be back in the air next year. Despite its age, “The aircraft is in excellent shape. We’ve changed engines on it many times and they only have a few hundred hours’ flying time. We inspected the wings recently and it looks like it came from the factory last week. “There’s no lack of engines. In the US there are engines that are fully refurbished and when we buy them, they have zero hours.” DDA Classic Airlines has around 80 volunteers that maintain and fly PH-PBA. The ground crews have either retired from, or still work in, the aviation industry. They’re usually highly skilled. During the winter we have refresher courses to keep them licensed. The most important part, of course, is in the cockpit and we have eight or nine pilots.” Uniquely, said Jaski, a sponsor has built a fully-functioning DC-3 simulator, complete with 180-degree screens and audio- visual systems. Although mounted on a fixed base, the pilots’ seats have up to 10 degrees of movement for realism and, as with a modern airliner simulator, an instructor can pose problems for the pilots, such as engine failure, by the push of a button. Dutch Dakota Association Dutch Dakota Association 23 AUGUST 2020 it’s brand new,” said Kincaid. “It’s a complete nose- to-tail conversion, rivet by rivet. The FAA considers the BT-67 to be a separate type rating. If you have a DC-3 type rating, you’d have to come through a course and do a check ride.” The versatile workhorse The aircraft has proved popular with armed forces – the first major customer was the Royal Thai Air Force, which still uses them for cloud seeding. The company is currently developing that military niche. It argues that the aircraft’s low price (a base conversion comes in at around $10.3m, although much depends on added customer options) makes it particularly suitable for developing nations with tight budgets for use as a gunship or armed overwatch platform. A new variant being developed for nations with limited airports and infrastructure is a medevac aircraft, with litters and even an operating table. The BT-67’s other main niche is with civilian companies that use the type for various aspects of scientific research and testing. The aircraft’s endurance – just over 2,000nm or more than 13hr with long-range tanks – makes it particularly favoured by geophysical research companies, for example, while China uses two ski-equipped BT-67s operated by Canada’s Kenn Borek Air for Antarctic support duties. “The biggest issue we have with the industry is perception,” said Kincaid. “Because it looks like a C-47, the tendency is for people to go ‘Oh, that’s an 80-year-old aircraft.’ But it’s really not.” this era of ubiquitous social media, there are some owners who keep their prized aviation possessions locked away in hangars and they are rarely seen. The Dutch group of enthusiasts knows of most of them, but sometimes, admitted Prophet, even he is surprised when an unexpected example turns up. Locating ‘new’ DC-3s is a regular occurrence at Basler Turbo Conversions. The company has been converting radial-engined DC-3s and C-47s into BT-67 turboprops since the late 1980s. The 67th example is due to roll out of the company’s hangar in mid-July and the company has almost 30 more airframes on hand at its Oshkosh, Wisconsin factory. “We know of another 150-200 that are candidates and with a bit of research we could probably find another 100,” said Rob Kincaid, Vice- President, Marketing and Product Development. The company is set up to produce up to five aircraft annually, “but we’re very comfortable with two a year”, said Kincaid. The term ‘conversion’ is something of a misnomer. Apart from the obvious change of engines from Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp or Wright Cyclone radials to Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67Rs, the fuselage is lengthened by some 40 inches to offset changes in the centre of gravity caused by installation of the much lighter new engines (around 500lb each compared to the 1,500lb radials). More significantly, around 90% of the original aircraft is discarded, with only the basic fuselage structure being retained. “It’s a zero accumulated fatigue aircraft, which is a lot of legal jargon to say More articles of a historic type can be found at The Journal of Aeronautical History A Basler BT-67 turboprop conversion of the DC-3 is now in service supporting Polar Research Institute of China. Chinese Polar Research Institute Wing, RAF Benson explained about Operation RESCRIPT which provides military support to the UK civil authorities coping with Covid-19, including the carriage of critically ill patients, medical staff and supplies. The helicopters involved are RAF Pumas and Chinooks, Army Wildcats and Royal Navy Merlins. Wg Cdr Gilbertson explained how the current crisis has required the helicopters to temporarily relocate away from their regular bases to new centres of operation where they can provide a wider coverage. Safety modifications It was then the turn of Sam Schaab, Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Specialist at Leonardo Helicopters to outline how the manufacturer was assisting civil and military helicopter operators to adapt their aircraft to be used for medical evacuation. He explained how patients infected with Covid-19 needed to be transferred in special biocontainment units with a 24 AEROSPACE ROTORCRAFT EMS and Covid-19 On 12 May, the RAeS held an online webinar ‘Covid 19 – Helicopter transport – challenges & experience’ in which representatives from the armed forces, national coastguards, offshore transport operators and manufacturers shared their experiences of how they have adapted their helicopters and methods of operating to provide assistance with emergency medical evacuation flights. In response to the Covid-19 outbreak, military, civil utility and aeromedical helicopters have been pressed into service to assist with the transport of patients. The rapid development of the pandemic has allowed little time for ‘best practice’ to be developed and manufacturers and military and civil operators have had to devise solutions to react to the ever-changing situation. Operation RESCRIPT Wing Commander Elizabeth Gilbertson MRAeS, Officer Commanding Engineering and Logistics BILL READ FRAeS reports on an RAeS webinar which looked at how manufacturers and operators of military, civil and aeromedical helicopters are responding to the new challenges posed by the Covid-19 outbreak and how their aircraft are being adapted to assist with medical evacuations. Helicopters rise to the challenge of Covid-19 US Air National Guard 25 AUGUST 2020 physical separation barrier fitted between medical staff accompanying the patient and the driver of the vehicle. To carry infected patients, helicopters – even those already configured for medical evacuation (medivac) missions – needed to be modified to have the same safety features adopted in ground vehicles and in fixed-wing aircraft. The most important of these was to fit a separating wall between the air crew and the patient compartment. “We looked at existing cockpit separating devices, as well as identifying third party suppliers who could provide solutions for operators,” explained Schaab. “These include seals for existing curtains, as well as retrofits which could also be supplied as kit in the future. The challenge was to respond quickly. The pace of change has been very rapid, so we’ve got to respond just as fast.” Biocontaiment devices Sam Schaab also explained about biocontainment devices (also known as patient isolation devices (PIDs)) which are human-sized isolation pods designed to prevent infected patients from infecting other people. “Biocontaiment devices bring an additional level of safety but there are logistical and training challenges,” he told the conference. “Bicontainment devices are designed so that they can be secured to existing litters within the aircraft. They provide consistent positive airflow pressure to isolate the patient from the outside with the ability to perform patient care through sealed access ports.” Two examples of such devices are: IsoArk N-36 from Beth El Industries – self- contained unit, collapsible, relatively small and portable, less expensive than other systems, blower system with lots of filters, cannot be used for CPR, attaches to existing litter systems or to floor mounts. EpiShuttle from Epiguard– rigid self-contained unit, more expensive, cannot be collapsed but is a more robust structure. Can be attached to existing litter systems and floor mounts in aircraft. Schaab said the different biocontainment designs needed multiple approvals through different certifying bodies. Leonardo response Schaab described how the company had assisted a range of different Leonardo Helicopter operators with modifications and support. In the UK, three AW101 Merlin Mk2 helicopters from 820 Naval Air Squadron based at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall have been used as air ambulances across South West UK and offshore islands; three AW159 Wildcat helicopters from 1st Regiment Air Air Corps based as RNAS Yeovilton were on call for south of England and then were deployed to other areas. In Italy there was a quick reaction from the government in providing a co-ordinated military and civil response and transport between hospitals was done by Italian Air Force AW101 equipped Above: The UK armed forces have mobilised RAF Pumas and Chinooks, British Army Wildcats and Royal Navy Merlins to support the UK civil authorities response to Covid-19. Right: The Epishuttle patient isolation device. A CH-47 Chinook helicopter, assigned to the New York Army National Guard makes a delivery at a helipad in New York City, April 2020. New York National Guard members are supporting the multi-agency response to Covid-19. MoD Epiguard 26 AEROSPACE operations. “When the pandemic began, like the rest of the population, our crews were fearful of the virus and did not want to expose themselves or their families to infection. We had a 17% absence rate away from work due to self isolation. Crews were not familiar with infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance and processes in the Clinical Governance Document.” Broad went on to explain how the offshore industry had had an immediate need for helicopters suitable for carrying infected or potentially infected personnel from offshore installations. Because fewer people were going to sea because of travel restrictions, SAR operations fell by 75% and the S-92 helicopters used for search and rescue were lying idle. Using the protocols developed from carrying SAR patients, Bristow was able to convert its helicopters to carry Covid-19 patients while protecting both crew and passengers. “Using the C-Med S-92 concept developed using SAR expertise, we have now transported 120 suspected Covid-19 patients from offshore installations without ill effects to crew,” declared Broad. “We now have cockpit barriers in both AW189 and S-92 helicopters which means that pilots don’t have to wear masks. We can carry the EpiShuttle in both the AW189 and the S-92. We haven’t had any negative effects and our crews are gaining confidence.” Coast Guard experience The next speaker was Davitt Ward, Chief Crewman Medical Standards from CHC Helicopters Ireland which provides both SAR and HEM services for Ireland. He gave details of how CHC Helicopters worked with the national ambulance service and accelerated crew infection testing results. “Crews are now wearing masks on all flights but we did have to get everyone who had beards to shave them off,” he admitted. Ward explained how CHC Helicopter pilots wore ALPHA Eagle 900 helmets with respirator mask and bayonet connectors. Patients had been carried on Priority 1 Air Rescue stretchers while crews had worn Virustatic Shield snoods and safety goggles. “The recommended UVEX goggles got fogged up with anti fog spray so that we couldn’t read with them, so we used prescription safety goggles instead,” he said. Icelandic saga A second coastguard perspective was given by Jón Erlendsson from the Icelandic Coastguard. He explained how the Coast Guard in Iceland operates using a fleet of three helicopters (two H225s and one AS332L1), and one Dash 8-314 fixed-wing aircraft. Erlendsson described how the Coast Guard had so far had one Covid-19-related mission to the west part of Iceland when bad weather stopped normal aircraft getting there. ROTORCRAFT EMS and Covid-19 with biocontainment equipment. Meanwhile, private operators are starting to use their helicopters fitted with a special insulated stretcher designed for biocontainment air transport. The Italian Health Ministry and Civil Aviation Authority has authorised Babcock to install isolation stretchers, IsoArk N36-2 and N36-4 biocontainment units on AW139 and AW169 helicopters. Airbus solutions Stefan Bestle, Key Segment Manager HEMS, Airbus Helicopters then described the ways that Airbus Helicopters is assisting to find Covid-19-relevant solutions. Airbus has also faced similar problems to Leonardo with fast-tracking the safety certification of cabin modifications and operations. Airbus also had to find quick solutions to enable cockpit-cabin separation and the carriage of patient isolation devices. “It usually takes time to do modifications but Covid-19 doesn’t wait,” explained Bestle. “For cockpit-cabin separation we found a solution using a non-aeronautical material which was available globally for customers which was suitable for both large and small helicopters.” From search and rescue to patient evacuation Offshore transport providers and search and rescue (SAR) operators have also been adapting helicopters for Covid-19 patient transport. One company involved in both sectors is the Bristow Group which provides helicopter transportation to the offshore oil and gas industries, as well as SAR services. Capt Clark Broad, Flight Operations Manager from Bristow Helicopter Search and Rescue explained how the sudden escalation of the pandemic in March had affected Examples of different cockpit/passenger compartment separation techniques. Leonardo Patient in a protection cover being loaded onto a SAMU Airbus helicopter. Airbus Helicopters 27 AUGUST 2020 The other speakers also agreed that aircraft cleaning was now an important issue. “We’ve never had to clean things so much,” declared Sam Schaab from Leonardo. “We have approved a variety of solutions and we’re looking at additional alternatives.” Schaab added that some customers have wanted to use UV-C lighting for decontamination but there has not been enough testing on its effect on aircraft parts, so there is a risk that it may degrade rubberised components. Bristow has also prepared detailed guidelines on how its helicopters should be cleaned, including information on protective clothing, walking out to the aircraft, wiping and bagging of used materials and a checklist of tasks required in both the cabin and the cockpit. Learning from experience In conclusion, the speakers agreed that that they had all been unprepared for the rapid onset and scale of the crisis. However, much progress had been made to adapt to the new ways of helicopter operation now needed to protect crew, medical staff, patients and aircraft during the Covid-19 pandemic. By working together to find rapid solutions, many lessons had been learned which would enable manufacturers, operators and regulatory authorities to be more prepared for similar situations in the future. It’s not over yet The final conclusion was that the advent of Covid-19 meant that the accepted rules had changed and nothing would ever be quite the same again. “We’re not through the woods yet,” stated Davitt Ward. “We’ve got to where we are by design, not luck. We’re still learning on the hoof and we need to keep an open mind. We’ve only survived first contact to cope with second contact, we’re going have to play a long game. We have to adapt our behaviours in order to live safely with Covid-19.” How to clean an aircraft Until recently, aircraft cleaning and the techniques used was not a topic that was widely discussed. However, with the spread of Covid-19, the decontamination of aircraft interiors has become a hot topic and one that was mentioned by all the webinar speakers. While Covid-19 can spread from infected people to those who are in close proximity (hence the need for masks, screen and patient containment), it can also be transmitted through contact with infected surfaces, thus making the need for decontamination essential. The sixth speaker at the webinar was Andrew Dutch from 1710 Naval Air Squadron, Corrosion Control HOD who described the process of how to disinfect an aircraft in some detail. There were two ways to disinfect aircraft from Covid-19. One was the passive method in which the aircraft is left alone for three days. The other is the active method in which a product is applied to disinfect aircraft surfaces. Dutch explained how some disinfectant materials are OK to be used on passenger aircraft where the cabin interiors are fitted with soundproofing and panels. However, the same disinfectants are not so good on aircraft with exposed internal structures. Cleaning options Looking at the cleaning options in more detail: Soap/detergent – some commercial detergents include additives which can damage aircraft; Oxidisers – cause rapid corrosion to metals and seals – not good for aircraft; Alcohol solutions – methanol and isopropanol have the advantage of evaporating quickly and are commonly used in aircraft but may have long-term effect on aircraft structures; Quaternary ammonium compounds – are used in aircraft but can cause corrosion; Acids or alkalis – need to be strong to work and are therefore bad for aircraft; and UV radiation – needs 50 mins to work and is bad for elastomeric and polymeric products. Helicopter operators (and indeed all aircraft operators) are now having to look in detail at the pros and cons of each alternative cleaning method and the best ways to use them for maximum effect against the virus and minimum damage to the aircraft. Dutch described how the most effective method of cleaning was wiping surfaces which had the advantage of ensuring that all surfaces were treated but also so that the cleaning agent did not linger on surfaces which could be corroded. However, wiping surfaces is also very labour intensive and time consuming. A quicker solution is low level spraying or fogging but there is no control over where the cleaning agent goes. A longer version of this report can be found on the AEROSPACE App Bristow Bristow guidelines on how to clean a helicopter. issues’ within businesses and fail to resonate with internal stakeholders effectively. To tackle this challenge, we first need to understand the concept of a ‘male advocate’ and break down some of the barriers that prevent men from getting involved with gender, diversity and inclusion efforts. What is a male advocate? Male advocates come in many forms. According to Fairygodboss & Artemis’, ’Men in the Workplace¹ survey, men who have been allies to advancing women’s inclusion at work have done so by privately and publicly advocating for equality, inclusion and diversity. These efforts include meeting women in their workplace to discuss equality, inclusion, identifying cases of inequality or lack of diversity and actively working to fix them. Diversity expert and CEO of 20-first, a leading diversity & inclusion advisory firm, Avivah Wittenberg- Cox, suggests that rather than making male support for gender balance the exception by using 28 AEROSPACE AEROSPACE Male advocates and women in aviation Earlier this year I researched the state of gender balance and female participation in the aviation and aerospace industries (Is gender still holding women back in the aviation industry?), particularly at leadership level, and was curious to further explore the potential role of male advocates – an angle that has not received enough spotlight within an aviation context – in the conversation about gender equality and female participation. To do this, I collaborated with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Asia Assistant Professor Kim Chua who has insights on similar themes and brings a female perspective to this piece. When it comes to change initiatives aimed at increasing female participation, diversity officers often struggle to engage men, whom, especially within the aviation and aerospace sectors traditionally hold positions of power and influence. Men frequently stay on the sidelines and avoid speaking up about programs aimed at encouraging female participation due to a variety of reasons including indifference, lack of knowledge and awareness. As a result, change initiatives sometimes become labelled as ‘women’s ARPAND SZAKAL, from the Aviation & Aerospace practice at Cellence Plus, and Assistant Professor KIM CHUA, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, look at how ‘Male Ally’ or advocates can help support women in aerospace and foster a more inclusive and diverse workplace for everyone. Harnessing allies’ voices 1Fairygodboss and Artemis Connection. Men in the Workplace: An in-depth exploration of what men think of gender diversity in the workplace. 29 AUGUST 2020 BAE Systems congratulatory titles such as ‘champions’ and ‘allies’, the goal is to make it the norm. Perhaps, the best way to mainstream the concept of female participation in traditionally male dominant industries is to use and leverage existing male dominated hierarchies that are pegged against key performance indicators, such as sales volume, market share, profitability, quality and performance. As such, the business case for gender balance should be articulated more urgently, since it is clear that diverse teams deliver better performance and higher returns. This effectively means that gender balance and a higher female participation rate should form part of the mandate. Barriers to male engagement To meaningfully engage males in the gender, diversity and inclusion effort, aviation organisations must firstly, identify and understand the segments that constitute the male demographics before they mitigate the barriers that distance men from those initiatives. Broadly speaking, there are three main groups within the male demographics, including the resisters, neutrals and advocates. From personal experience, it could be observed that most males tend to fall into the ‘neutral/indifferent’ category while a small minority tends to congregate at both ends of the spectrum. The terms suggest and indicate their levels of interest and awareness of the prevailing gender issues at hand. 1. Lack of knowledge According to David G. Smith at the US Naval Academy, aside from the busyness of careers and life, the main factors limiting male support and engagement in diversity efforts include the lack of knowledge on how to engage with the issue, followed by lack of access to the right forums and inability or unwillingness to realise the benefits of engaging. Some men are simply not aware of gender inequality problems and initiatives at their workplace and others struggle to see how gender equality would affect their personal and professional lives. 2. Lack of acceptance Male allies can also face scepticism from the women they try to ally with. As someone who writes and speaks about diversity and cross-gender mentorship, it could be observed that there was occasional backlash from women when men turned up at women’s events. Many women are initially sceptical about efforts to include men in women’s events and conferences. This is understandable as such gatherings have traditionally offered women a sense of community and a safe space for sharing experiences and exchanging ideas to achieve equality in the workplace. 3. Lack of focus Additionally, there is the risk of over-focusing on men at women’s events which may ironically reinforce the gender hierarchy status quo. Men’s lack of understanding of where they fit in the diversity equation, may result in them perceiving Gender and D&I efforts as a ‘zero sum game’ in which they stand to lose opportunities for progression to other members of the workforce. Set against the wider context of societal and social progress, a failure to understand the importance and significance of partnership and collaboration with humility, may lead to the risk of male allies undermining women’s initiatives by attempting to dominate them. As such, it is timely to discuss some effective ways that men can support women in their day-to- day professional lives at the workplace. BAE Systems 30 AEROSPACE 5. Sponsor a high potential woman Males in senior positions can advocate for female employees by supporting their application for promotions and ensuring that they get the training and development support they need to move up the career ladder. 6. Mentor/coach a high potential woman Males in senior positions can offer to mentor and/ or coach a high potential female employee by recognising their strengths and identifying strategies to accelerate professional growth. Conversely, they can also offer to coach underperforming female colleagues and identify strategies to address their gap areas and keep them focused. Four ways that organisations can enable men’s engagement with female participation efforts How can organisations drive active male advocacy in the advancement of women? 1. Make it a business issue rather than a diversity or HR one Organisations who frame gender balance as a diversity or a women’s issue might be less successful in engaging men than those who frame it as a business challenge. According to Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, if organisations want to get a broad base of support for balance from men, the ‘business imperative’ is a more effective frame. Avivah adds “until leaders are convinced that gender balance is a strategic level for the business and become convincing to their teams why that is, balance remains a politically correct sideline”. 2. Measure and celebrate progress Businesses should share data and research regarding various female participation, D&I initiatives and impact to eliminate confusion about their value. By using quantifiable metrics to assess D&I success, organisations can reduce uncertainty regarding the initiative’s purpose. Also, with data, leaders are in a better position to take actions and advance progress. 3. Make balance a measurable management skill Businesses should recognise and reward their managers according to their ability to build gender balanced teams. Wittenberg-Cox believes the best way to bring about this change in culture is to normalise gender balance as a management skill that needs building. Organisations should educate AEROSPACE Male advocates and women in aviation How males can support women as allies There are many actions men can adopt to advocate gender equality in the workplace. After speaking with both male and female leaders to gauge what delivered positive change within their organisations, we narrowed them down to the following recommendations: As a male employer 1. Model the right behaviours Men should be mindful of the work environment they create and the message they send in modelling the right behaviours. Male employees should avoid making assumptions about female employees, including their needs, goals and ambition levels. For example, a male manager’s well-intentioned move to ‘help’ a new mother by taking her out of an international job assignment may instead end up negatively affecting her career progression. Instead, the manager should check with the employee directly whether she wants to be considered for such a position – if the answer is positive, he should actively support her to make it work. 2. Recruit inclusively Men should insist that hiring teams in the organisation consider a high percentage of resumés representing top female talent. Men should also practise empathy when hiring by putting themselves in the shoes of female candidates by understanding their experience and acknowledging their need to feel valued and respected.