By Niall O'Keeffe

For Socata, Daher's decision to take a majority stake in the company could scarcely have been better timed. News of the deal broke at the end of June 2008, just three months before the global banking system collapsed, sending business aviation into a tailspin.

The transfer of a 70% Socata stake from EADS to fellow French industrial group Daher was formally completed at the beginning of this year, and Daher's aerospace activities have since been organised into a division named Daher-Socata, of which Socata represents the airplane subdivision. Socata manufactures the TBM range of single-engined turboprops at its base in Tarbes, a south-western French town nestled amid perennially snow-capped Pyrenees mountains.

In its previous incarnation, Socata contributed "less than 1% of EADS's turnover", recalls Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice-president of Daher-Socata's airplane division. "At less than 1%, it is impossible to be watched correctly or understood," he says. "TBM is 15% of Daher's activity. Socata is representing 25% of the entire group. The attention level has been changed with this move." Yet EADS remains a 30% partner in Socata, which continues to collaborate with other companies in the group, adds Chabbert.

© Daher-Socata

The new majority owner, Daher, has certainly felt the sting of the crisis in business aviation. The company confirms that "roughly 50%" of scheduled Socata deliveries for the year so far have been deferred.

Some comfort can be drawn from the fact that business is falling from its highest peak on record: in 2008, Socata delivered a record 60 of its latest aircraft type, the seven-seat TBM 850 launched in 2006. European deliveries accounted for a 20% share, reflecting a broad trend in Socata's business. Where in the past the USA accounted for more than 90% of Socata's business, its share is now closer to 70%. Europe has meanwhile grown its portion, while business has also been won in Australia, Brazil and South Africa.

As of April 2009, 156 TBM 850s had been delivered, "almost half" of them equipped with the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit, intended to reduce pilot workload and ease maintenance. The first G1000-equipped TBM 850 was rolled out in January 2008. Serial number 508 will be on display at EBACE.

Named for its horsepower (850shp), the TBM 850 has a maximum cruise speed of 320kt (590km/h) at 26,000ft (7,930m) and a range of just over 2,600km (1,400nm). It represents an upgrade of the TBM 700, of which 323 were delivered following certification in 1990. The TBM 700 was developed with Mooney Aircraft as a 30% partner, but the Texan company withdrew from the programme around the time of the first delivery.

These are just the recent iterations in a history that stretches back almost a century. Only slightly younger than Flight International, Socata grew out of Morane-Saulnier, a manufacturer founded in 1911. During the Second World War occupation of France, Germany's Focke-Wulf 190 was produced at Morane-Saulnier's plant at Tarbes, until the Allies bombed it in 1944. In 1945 Morane-Saulnier unveiled the MS 470 two-seat trainer, which it had been developing in secret. The company gained the name Socata when it became a division of Sud Aviation in 1966, and it later merged into Aerospatiale and then EADS. Over the full course of its history it has built more than 17,000 aircraft.

© Daher-Socata

Today, a burgeoning aerostructures business runs alongside the aircraft manufacturing operation at Tarbes. With capabilities ranging from traditional craft skills and hand finishing to advanced composite technologies, Socata manufactures aerostructures for a diverse range of programmes: nose lower structures and composite landing gear doors for the Airbus A380, composite fairing sponsons and nose landing gear doors for the A400M, belly fairings for the A330/A340, engine pylons for the A320, upper fuselages for the Dassault Falcon 7X, body fairings for the Falcon 7X and 2000, rear sections for the Embraer 170/190, and airframes for the Eurocopter EC130 and EC350. It has also been confirmed as a tier-one partner in the A350 programme, for which it will provide the main landing gear doors.

WHAT NEXT?

In spite of the doom and gloom plaguing business aviation in 2009, Socata-Daher has not abandoned plans to add a 10-seat, twin-engined jet to its product range. The new jet, code-named the NTx, could be formally launched in 2010. However, investment partners must first be found, as Daher is prepared to fund only one-third of the programme's €250 million ($324 million) cost, says the company, which also confirms that the prospective new jet has already been pitched to the French military.

An internal review of the business plan for the new jet is under way at Socata. "We are at the stage of reviewing the technical solutions," says Chabbert. "We have a good feel for the marketing challenge."

Investment in the new jet is part of a two-phase investment programme in progress at Daher Group. In the first phase, €250 million of internally generated Daher funds were allocated to acquiring the Socata stake, opening new plants in Australia and Mexico, and financing non-recurring costs arising from A350 programme involvement. The second phase will bring investment of €300 million across the nuclear, aerospace and defence sectors. This will be part-funded by an €80 million capital increase, to which French state investment fund FSI subscribed, gaining a 17% stake.

In the meantime, Socata has maintained a consistent sales strategy focused on pilot-owner customers, despite the downturn. "The basics, for that type of customer, are to be excellent in customer service - that's what we are committed to," says Chabbert. "That doesn't change much, whether it's an economic downturn or economic growth."

Socata has, however, taken the step to introduce a new co-ownership programme, which is intended to reduce the capital outlay for a $3 million TBM 850 for potential owners who do not have sufficient capital to acquire an aircraft outright or cannot raise enough finance. Developed in collaboration with distributors, the "Fly and Share Your TBM" (Fast) programme can accommodate up to three shareholders per aircraft, with each gaining a minimum 100 days of exclusive use per annum on an unlimited flight hour basis.

© Daher-Socata

"We try to present the product in a new light for people who may not have thought that this was an available option," says Chabbert, who adds that some of the interest initiated by the Fast programme has led to sales on a full-ownership basis.

Additionally, Socata's drive to grow TBM 850 sales has targeted the burgeoning surveillance market. Efforts in this area will be stepped up during the Paris air show in June. "We have a strategy developed that is going to have a high point at Le Bourget, where we will have a multi-mission aircraft...equipped with a solution for surveillance," says Chabbert. "This is a strategy which we started about two and a half years ago. It takes a long time to get set up."

The TBM's core constituency - conceived as executives deploying aircraft as a business tool - is expected to expand, as corporate belt-tightening forces a move to smaller models, but Chabbert cautions that the pace of change could be slow. "You don't change overnight things that take months or years to establish...but we see the trend. There is a trend of not being seen as the 'jet buyer' or 'jet user'."

By Chabbert's reckoning, general aviation plays an essential role in filling out the transport network, filling gaps in the airlines' coverage. He is dismissive of the notion that general aviation is a luxury, citing its role in business travel, medevac and transport of small goods. "I'm not a defender of excessive use," he insists. "When I use a TBM I calculate if it's worth doing it... When you are putting it [forward] as a business tool, you have to think: is it efficient? Is it justifiable? Is it something you can afford?"

On the subject of affordability, he makes the point that many of Socata's target owner-pilot customers are heavily invested in the stock market and greatly expanded their wealth during the boom times. "Yes, the stock is down, but they made a fortune!" he says, arguing that the years of growth more than offset more recent declines. In this context, the barrier to new sales is "psychological", in Chabbert's view.

Another barrier to growth arises from an ongoing regulatory issue: European rules forbid the operation of single-engined turboprops in commercial public transport. An option to sell tickets might not in itself be enough to justify a purchase, but would be "plenty enough to offset some of the cost and therefore create more traction for this aircraft", says Chabbert. "Cessna [manufacturer of the single-engined Caravan range] and ourselves are united in a joint front to present single-engine data to the European Union. EASA said that there is a timeframe that they will study the file, but I think that expediting this would certainly help the European market."

A resolution would "incentivise drastically the single-engine turboprops market", he adds. "Many companies - in Bulgaria, in Germany, in the UK - if they didn't have the TBM they couldn't conduct their business. That could be increased with regulation that could help people go more for co-ownership."

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By Craig Hoyle

The UK Ministry of Defence has contracted BAE Systems to maintain its Harrier GR7/9 ground attack aircraft for the next nine years, but programme officials say the bulk of the fleet could fly until 2022 without major additional work.

Worth £574 million ($850 million), the Harrier Platform Availability Contract will deliver "depth" maintenance and technical support services for the short take-off and vertical landing type at Royal Air Force base Cottesmore in Rutland. Building on previous partnering agreements on the Harrier, the deal is expected to save at least £70 million by the aircraft's planned out-of-service date in 2018.

"The contract represents a real win for the MoD, RAF, Royal Navy and industry," says Steve Millward, BAE's managing director, Harrier and Tornado. "We will deliver the right numbers of aircraft with the right capability at the right time." The MoD signed a separate support deal for the Harrier's Pegasus 105/107 engines late last year with Rolls-Royce.

© Crown Copyright

Including RAF and RN squadrons, the UK's Joint Force Harrier has 67 single-seat GR7/9s and nine Harrier T10/12 trainers, with 52 of these declared to the forward operating fleet.

The MoD currently plans to phase in its replacement Lockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighters from 2015 to 2018, and recently ordered three STOVL aircraft to participate in US-led initial operational test and evaluation activities.

However, "by the time we get to 2018 we aren't necessarily going to be in the last throes of the aircraft, and if we needed to use it longer we believe we could", says Harrier integrated project team leader Gp Capt Andy Ebdon. Each airframe is expected to deliver 6,000 flight hours, with the potential to grow this by 10%. "The aircraft are being managed carefully now to get to the 6,000h mark, but it doesn't come in 2018," says Ebdon.

The RAF's 1 Sqn in April assumed close air support responsibilities at Afghanistan's Kandahar airfield from 4 Sqn, which returned to Cottesmore after a four-month detachment. The Harrier's five-year commitment to NATO's Afghanistan mission will stop around mid-year, with RAF Panavia Tornado GR4s to be deployed to Kandahar after the completion of aircraft upgrades and delayed base infrastructure work.

BAE's ongoing Harrier GR9 upgrade will see the aircraft receive Capability D- and EA-phase equipment from mid-2009, says Ebdon. This will include digital Joint Reconnaissance Pod integration and the addition of MBDA's Brimstone air-to-surface missile, which has recently undergone during firing trials with the Harrier at the China Lake test range in California.

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By Olivier Bonnassies

Gulf Air's narrowbody fleet-renewal effort will see it introduce 10 new Airbus A320s over the coming year. However, the Bahraini airline has reversed plans to retain its newly introduced Boeing 777-300ERs through a dry lease.

The carrier last year ordered 15 A320s, and Flight International's sister publication Commercial Aviation Online understands that the first will be delivered in September, with another three arriving throughout the second half of the year.

Gulf Air chief executive Bjorn Naf told CAO that another six aircraft would be delivered in the first half of 2010. "One year from now we will have completely refleeted our A320 product," he says.

© Gulf Air

Meanwhile, in a sudden reversal of its strategy, Gulf Air is abandoning the planned dry-lease of four 777-300ERs from Jet Airways. It brought in the first of four 777s only last month, and intended to have all four by May on an initial six-month wet-lease from the Indian carrier and then move to a dry-lease arrangement.

Although it insists it has not cancelled any agreement with Jet Airways, because a firm dry-lease contract had not been signed, Gulf Air admits the switch to the dry lease was "subject to several business considerations", including market conditions.

"After careful analysis of various commercial and other business considerations, Gulf Air has decided not to pursue the dry-lease option for the foreseeable future," says the airline.

Gulf Air indicates that the four 777s will leave the fleet once the wet-lease period expires, but says that "all options" are being assessed. It does not say whether the aircraft may be retained through a wet-lease extension.

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By Brendan Sobie

Embraer is prepared to begin E-190 deliveries to Aerolineas Argentinas late this year should the renationalised carrier finalize a pending deal for 22 E-190s.

Embraer, backed by Brazilian development bank BNDES, has been negotiating an agreement with the Argentine government during the last several months covering at least 20 E-190s. The Argentine government, which took back control of Aerolineas and domestic subsidiary Austral last year, reportedly has already signed a letter of intent for 22 E-190s and is close to signing a firm contract.

Embraer's VP of commercial aviation for the Latin American market, Luiz Hamilton Lima, says an order has not yet been placed but there is a desire to begin deliveries "as soon as possible" after the deal is completed. "We have the flexibility to accommodate them towards the end of this year, in the fourth quarter," Lima tells ATI.

Argentina's purchase of E-190s is one part of a major fleet revamp that has been in the works for several months at Aerolineas and Austral. The Argentine government is also looking at acquiring new narrowbodies and widebodies, possibly by taking over part of the Airbus order placed in 2007 by Spanish travel group Marsans, which at the time owned Aerolineas and Austral.

According to Flight's ACAS database, Aerolineas' active narrowbody fleet consists of nine 737-200s and 17 737-500s while Austral currently operates 18 Boeing MD-80s. E-190s could be used to replace about half of these ageing narrowbodies while the other half could be replaced with A320s and/or Boeing 737-800s.

"We're still negotiating with Argentina. There's a lot of interest there," Lima says. "They're completely renewing the fleet for Aerolineas Argentinas and Austral. We'll be part of that renovation."

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By David Kaminski-Morrow

Aer Lingus admits that it is to review its long-haul aircraft orders as the Irish flag-carrier reshuffles its senior management in order to cope with a severe downturn in its business.

The carrier is forecasting full-year losses for 2009 that will be "materially below" the bottom of the range of current expectations.

"Ongoing cost reduction is critical for the viability of Aer Lingus in the current difficult market environment," it says, adding that the board is reviewing options to generate a "sustained" reduction in operating costs.

Aer Lingus is examining the composition of its fleet and, in particular, is to "review its long-term requirement" for the long-haul capacity on order with Airbus and "any associated capital expenditure".

The airline signed a purchase agreement in 2007 for 12 long-haul Airbus aircraft, including six A350-900s and six A330-300s. It has already started receiving the A330s, while the A350s are due to arrive from 2014.

Aer Lingus, whose long-haul services primarily cover six US destinations, reveals that it transported 12.5% fewer long-haul passengers in the first quarter of this year, and 5.7% fewer on short-haul routes.

As part of its review Aer Lingus is placing these two sides of the business under dedicated management to reflect their "different needs".

Deputy chief executive Niall Walsh extends his duties to chief operating officer. Corporate planning director Stephen Kavanagh is to head long-haul operations while chief financial officer Sean Coyle will oversee short-haul operations. All three managers also retain their current responsibilities.

Aer Lingus is to look at capacity needs for winter 2009-10 in light of possible fleet and route changes and says it will provide an update to the situation around the time of its annual general meeting on 5 June.

"Against the backdrop of a severe deterioration in operating conditions the board is taking the steps necessary to safeguard the long-term viability of the group," says Aer Lingus chairman Colm Barrington, who took charge of the airline after the sudden departure of chief executive Dermot Mannion earlier this month.

In its preliminary first-quarter figures, the carrier says that overall yields have declined sharply since the beginning of the year, down 14.5%.

Aer Lingus has slashed long-haul capacity by 19.5% in the first three months, raising load factor to 67.1%, and cut short-haul capacity by 4.5%, increasing loads to just over 70%.

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By Mary Kirby

Lufthansa is not hiding its disappointment that its Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8I aircraft deliveries have been delayed by the airframers.

But the German operator believes flexibility within its current fleet will help it meet these challenges, Lufthansa VP, Americas Jens Bischof told ATI yesterday at an event in New York, during which the carrier debuted its new first- and business-class menu selections.

The first of 15 A380s slated for delivery to Lufthansa will not arrive until the first quarter of 2010, says Bischof.

Deliveries of the 747-8I - for which Lufthansa is the only airline customer - has slipped another three-to-six months to the fourth quarter of 2011, according to the airframer.

The carrier is also "receiving first messages" concerning other possible aircraft delivery delays, says Bischof.

"Of course we want the suppliers to stick to their schedules. We were clearly planning on that capacity," says the Lufthansa executive.

But he stresses that Lufthansa's fleet structure "is flexible". The carrier's widebody fleet includes Airbus A330s, A340s and Boeing 747s.

Additionally, the current global economic crisis has put pressure on premium and leisure travel in the near-term.

Bischof says the carrier responds to lower demand by firstly removing seats, and secondly, by winding down frequencies. An ultimate and final step would be to give up a destination. But Lufthansa has "no plans for giving up destinations", he says.

The carrier "does not see a pessimistic view of the future". While its 2009 outlook sees a large cut in profitability over 2008, the company is nonetheless "quite confident" it will "post a significant profit for 2009".

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By David Kaminski-Morrow

Emirates is still evaluating whether to repair the Airbus A340-500 badly damaged in a tail strike at Melbourne in March.

Investigators are still examining the circumstances of the tail strike, which occurred as the five-year-old airliner (A6-ERG) was departing Runway 16 for Dubai on 20 March.

The underside of the rear fuselage was badly scathed during the incident and the jet is also reported to have hit structures beyond the end of the runway - possibly navigation antennas - before climbing away.

"At present, repair options for the aircraft are under consideration in conjunction with the manufacturer," says the airline. "A final decision on the form of repair of the aircraft is yet to be taken."

While little official news has emerged over the inquiry, unconfirmed information indicates that an error during take-off data entry may have led to the aircraft's failure to become airborne at rotation.

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By Kieran Daly

Dutch accident investigators have determined that the radio-altimeter fault that is the focus of their probe into the fatal loss of a THY Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 at Amsterdam Schiphol had occurred on several of the nine previous flights by the aircraft.

On two of the flights, which were retained on the digital flight data recorder (DFDR), the fault caused the autothrottle to enter retard mode and the throttles to close as they did on the accident flight.

The investigators note that Boeing guidance is that the autopilot and autothrottle should not be used on approach, as they were on the accident flight, if the radio altimeter malfunctioned on the previous flight. It is not stated whether a malfunction was in fact identified on the previous flight.

In their preliminary report they also describe how the aircraft entered the glidepath from above rather than below, and only decelerated to the correct approach speed of 144kt at an altitude of 770ft. With the throttles at idle, the aircraft's speed subsequently fell to 110kt at 420ft and a last-ditch attempt by the crew to recover was unsuccessful.

© Sipa Press/Rex Features

The report relates how, in daytime and good weather on 25 February, the aircraft (TC-JGE), which was otherwise found to be fault-free, was flown from Istanbul to Amsterdam by the crew consisting of a line-training captain, a first officer performing a "line flight under supervision (LFUS)", and another first officer in the jump seat required as a safety pilot during a LFUS. All three died, as well as a flight attendant and five passengers.

The left-hand radio altimeter, which feeds the autopilot and autothrottle, recorded its maximum permissible altitude of 8,191ft until the aircraft descended to an actual altitude of about 1,950ft when the recorded value "suddenly changed to -8ft and remained at that value up until shortly before impact".

Cockpit voice recorder data shows that "several aural landing configuration warnings" - for flaps and landing-gear - sounded at altitude and then again while on the approach, when they were triggered by the low radio-altitude reading. The warnings and the crew's reaction are still being examined.

The investigators say the standard procedure for runway 18R at Amsterdam is for air traffic control to line up aircraft at 8nm and 2,000ft altitude, but a line-up of 5-8nm may be offered. The Turkish flight lined up at 6nm and 2,000ft and descended to onto the glidepath from above, the crew selecting vertical-speed mode to attain the glidepath at 1,330ft. They reduced speed from their initial 165kt to the correct 144kt by 770ft, selecting 40° flap at 900ft.

At the same time the autothrottle "entered the retard mode" normally engaged during the landing flare and the thrust levers went to idle. The speed continued to decay and the autopilot steadily commanded nose-up to try to maintain the glideslope.

Eventually the stick-shaker, warning of an imminent stall, triggered at about 460ft. The report says the thrust levers were immediately advanced but "moved back to idle" and the autothrottle disengaged, either by the crew or automatically. Speed by then was 110kt, the aircraft 11° nose-up, and the angle of attack at about 20°.

At 420ft the crew disengaged the autopilot and attempted to recover, reaching 8° nose-down at 310ft with full-power then generating a slight climb, but it eventually reached a 22° nose-up attiude with 10° left bank before crashing 1.5km from the threshold. The fuselage broke in two places and the cockpit and cabin were severely damaged. Eighty-six occupants were injured, in addition to the nine fatalities.

The report states: "The door between the cabin and the cockpit was found partly opened."

It concludes: "The Dutch Safety Board has issued a warning to Boeing in which extra attention is asked for a part of one of the manuals (737 dispatch deviations guide) of the Boeing 737. In this guide it is stated that if, [during the] preceding flight, the radio altimeters are malfunctioning, the associated automatic pilots and autothrottle systems cannot be used for approach and landing. The board has given Boeing into consideration to investigate if these procedures should also be valid during all phases of a flight.

"Boeing has issued a multi-operator message the same day concerning malfunction of the radio altimeters."

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By Siva Govindasamy

Australia plans to buy seven Boeing CH-47F Chinooks from the US government, with the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) saying in a notice to the US Congress that the contract could be worth up to $560 million.

In addition to the helicopters, the deal is likely to include 16 Lycoming T55-GA-714A Turbine engines, seven M134D Dillon Aero mini-guns, 16 ITT AN/ARC-201D Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radios (SINCGARS), and seven Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below Blue Force Trackers (FBCB2/BFT).

Mission equipment, communication and navigation equipment, ground support equipment, spare and repair parts, special tools and test equipment, technical data and publications, personnel training and training equipment, contractor technical and logistics personnel services, and other related elements of logistics support will also be part of the contract, says the DSCA.

It adds that Australia is one of the USA's most important allies in the Western Pacific and that the Chinooks will provide it with significantly improved airlift capability.

"Australia's efforts in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations in Iraq and in Afghanistan have had a significant impact on regional political and economic stability and have served U.S. national security interests. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives and facilitates burden sharing with our allies," says the DSCA.

"This will improve the Royal Australian Army's ability to participate in coalition operations, enhance the capacity of Australia's Defense Forces to provide lift for ground forces and supplies in support of humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, and to contribute to stability operations in the Asia-Pacific region."

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By Stephen Trimble

Lockheed Martin has won a $400 million contract to build a high-altitude airship demonstrator with radar technology so powerful it could spot a car hidden under a canopy of trees more than 300 km away.

The Integrated Sensor is Structure (ISIS) programme aims to replace several airborne surveillance platforms, including the Boeing E-3 airborne warning and control system (AWACS) and E-8C joint surveillance target attack radar system (JSTARS), with a single fleet of stratosphere-roaming airships.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the US Air Force selected Lockheed’s Skunk Works division over a rival bid from Northrop Grumman to build and fly a demonstrator aircraft with a scaled down sensor system in Fiscal 2013.

“This is an extremely advanced machine that represents a dramatically different approach to persistent real-time intelligence gathering and to the overarching utility of airships,” Lockheed programme manager Eric Hofstatter says in a statement.

©Lockheed Martin

The demonstrator aircraft will be equipped with a dual band UHF radar for tracking ground vehicles or dismounted soldiers measuring 600 square meters and X-band radar for spotting small cruise missiles or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) measuring 100 square meters, according to DARPA.

Both demonstrator sensors are significantly smaller than the envisioned operational system, which is expected to occupy an area 6,000 square meters across, says DARPA. That is equivalent to the size of a 15-story building, the agency notes.

The massive size of the radar aperture makes them more capable than the 375km range of the AWACS radar and the 300km range of the JSTARS radar.

An ISIS platform staged in the middle of the Luzon Strait could monitor China and Taiwan across the Taiwan Straits, according to a DARPA briefing chart presented to contractors on 5 March.

The aircraft could remain on station for several years. Fuel cells regenerated by solar power would not require ground refueling. The aircraft could reposition itself anywhere in the world within 10 days, according to DARPA’s description. The ground system also would be based on US soil, relieving the need for obtaining basing rights as hotspots emerge.

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By John Croft

The US NTSB is asking the FAA to require Boeing to make changes to 757 and 767 procedures and training materials based on a 22 September incident involving multiple systems failures during a flight.

Pilots of an American Airlines 757 enroute from Seattle to New York received a "standby power bus off" indication in the cockpit due to a failed electrical relay.

Using the aircraft's quick reference handbook, written by American but based on Boeing procedures, the crew reconfigured several key functions of the aircraft to use battery power as recommended, but failed to set a switch that would have kept the battery charged as the procedure did not specify to do so. The resulting series of failures ultimately caused the pilots to experience aircraft control problems, and to exit the side of the runway onto the grass at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport after diverting and declaring an emergency. None of the 185 passengers and seven crew members were injured. The aircraft (N197AN) received minor damage to its landing gear.

Though the FAA issued a safety alert for operators (SAFO) on 13 January alerting operators to the potential issues, NTSB says more must be done.

"The Board does not consider these improvements to be sufficient because SAFOs are not mandatory nor do they necessarily have a long-term impact," the NTSB states in the 24 April letter. "Improved procedures should be specified and required because of the potential severity of loss of battery power."

As such, the NSTB is asking that the FAA require Boeing to revise its 757 and 767 procedures and training for dealing with an illuminated standby power bus off light, "to include specific steps to take so that complete loss of battery power is avoided."

Once the changes are made, the NTSB is asking the FAA to require that all operators of the aircraft to adopt the new procedures.

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By Jon Ostrower

Boeing has launched a new interior and upgraded CFM International CFM56 engine for the 737NG family of narrowbody aircraft.

The manufacturer plans to introduce the CFM56-7B Evolution powerplant in conjunction with a new interior to deliver a 1% improvement in overall aircraft efficiency. Boeing will also make minor tweaks to the aerodynamics of the aircraft to contribute to a 1% improvement as well.

Launch customers include FlyDubai, Continental Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, TUI Group, Norwegian, Gol and Lion Air.

CFM will deliver the improvement by reshaping the blades and vanes of the high- and low-pressure turbines to increase airflow through the engine and reducing overall temperature, says director of CFM56 Boeing programs Robyn Brands.

Boeing and CFM will introduce changes to the engine nozzle and plug, and remove approximately 9% of engine airfoils from the high- and low-pressure turbines, to reduce maintenance costs by up to 4%.

Aerodynamic changes to the aircraft include a reshaped anti-collision light, refined wing control surfaces, revised main landing-gear wheel-well fairing and a modulation of the environmental control system inlet and exhaust.

Boeing and CFM are aiming these changes at carriers operating 737s in stages greater than 1,000nm (1,850km).

“The longer you’re in cruise, the more fuel burn improvement you’re going to get,” says 737 chief project engineer John Hamilton.

Video: FlightBlogger interview with John Hamilton

CFM says it will be able to offer the engine improvements to existing CFM56-7B operators through spares and overhauls in the future. The engine maker says it will continue to support the -7B technology insertion package introduced in 2007, as well as the base -7B configuration engine.

The technology changes represent a $100 million investment for CFM. Overall, Boeing hopes to deliver around 2% improved fuel consumption for 737NG customers.

Video: Interior lighting demonstrated

CFM’s first Evolution engine will be ready September 2009 and the company says it is already testing Boeing’s engine nozzle improvements at its Peebles, Ohio facility.

Tests will include 150 hours of block testing beginning in January 2010 that will see the engine run at maximum core speed, maximum fan speed and maximum operating temperature simultaneously – also known as triple redline – for 30-hour intervals.

Following each continuous 30-hour triple redline run, the engine will be spooled down, not shut down, then operated again under the same conditions for a total of five 30-hour triple redline runs.

Brand adds that if an engine were to achieve triple redline in service for even 20 seconds, the US FAA would require the operator to remove and overhaul the engine, emphasizing the brutal testing to which the new Evolution engine will be subjected.

CFM will flight test the Evolution on General Electric's venerable Boeing 747-100 in February of 2010, ahead of a joint US FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency certification in July 2010. Once certified, the Evolution engine will be branded as the CFM56-7BE.

Boeing will utilise a Continental 737-800 to flight test the changes in October 2010 ahead of certification in the second quarter of 2011, followed by entry into service in mid-2011 – when the aerodynamic enhancements are also scheduled for introduction. The interior will enter service in the fourth quarter of 2010.

FlyDubai will be the launch customer for the 737 ‘Sky Interior’ which features new colour-LED lighting, larger 777/787-style pivot bins, new sculpted sidewalls, revised window design, a flight attendant touch-screen panel, and changes to the individual passenger reading-light panel.

Boeing also hopes to deliver a 2-4dB reduction in cabin noise. The interior improvements mark the most significant change to the type’s cabin since its introduction with Southwest Airlines in 1998.

The weight-neutral interior will be a priced option for existing 737 customers and be a mandatory priced ‘option’ for new customers. Boeing declines to discuss the adjustment in price of the new features.

While technically possible to retrofit current 737NGs, Boeing says this is “not feasible” because the cost would be prohibitively high.

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By John M. Doyle

Despite a growing drumbeat from some lawmakers to split the $35 billion U.S. Air Force replacement refueling tanker contract between Boeing and Northrop Grumman/EADS, three key senators are not persuaded so far.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and E. Benjamin Nelson (D-Neb.) said they were not taking a position on the idea raised by two powerful subcommittee chairmen in the House.

Splitting the tanker buy, an idea which has been floating around for months, started picking up steam last month when Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), chairman of the House defense appropriations subcommittee, suggested it as a way to get around the political wrangling and procedural missteps that have delayed replacement of the Eisenhower-era KC-135 tankers (Aerospace DAILY, March 16).

Shortly after, Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), chair of the House Armed Services Committee’s air and land forces panel, also spoke favorably of dual-sourcing for the replacement tanker fleet.

But Defense Secretary Robert Gates is adamant that a split purchase would be more expensive and burden the Air Force with two separate fleets requiring separate training, maintenance and logistics. Plus, existing tankers would still be flying during the transition period, complicating logistics further.

“I think I will pay attention to what Secretary Gates says,” Nelson said. “He’s in a better position to know what the impact of that decision [will be] more than almost anybody else I could think of.” Collins also wants to hear what Gates has to say “about that idea that’s contrary to the plan he’s put forth.”

“I’m going to withhold judgment until we get a recommendation from the Defense Department,” Levin said, adding that he wanted to avoid “saying anything or doing anything which would suggest a tilt in one direction or another.”

The Senate Appropriations Committee doesn’t plan to hold a separate hearing on the split tanker buy.

However, the issue “will be closely examined as Secretary Gates and Air Force officials” testify in coming weeks, a committee spokesman said last week. Meanwhile, EADS said it would probably bid on the tanker program again, even if the contract is split.

Photo: Boeing

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Jennifer Michels jennifer_michels@aviationweek.com

At 10:50 p.m. Monday, April 27, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a recommendation that U.S. travelers avoid all non-essential travel to Mexico.

Mexican authorities also have started checking airline passengers departing the country for signs of swine flu, which can cause significant delays. Additionally, airport and airline officials in Mexico City are working together to ask passengers to fill out forms at the ticket counter to determine if they have any of the flu symptoms before allowing them to pass through security.

According to the CDC, the symptoms are similar to the seasonal flu and may include fever, sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, chills, headache and body aches and fatigue. More information on symptoms an how to prevent the spread of swine flu can be found at www.cdc/gov/swineflu.

Meanwhile the World health Organization (WHO) is investigating reported swine flu cases in California, Texas, Kansas, Ohio, New York City and possibly New Jersey, and some news reports from around the world are suggesting travel to the U.S. also be postponed. The latest update from WHO says that the U.S. government has reported 40 laboratory confirmed cases of swine flu, and no deaths. Mexico has reported 26 confirmed cases, including seven deaths. Canada has reported six cases, with no deaths and Spain has one case with no deaths.

WHO has not recommended that regular travel be restricted, nor does it want to see any closure of borders. But it says that it is essential that anyone who feels ill to delay an international trip.

The Public Health Agency of Canada also has asked Canadians to postpone all non-essential travel to Mexico.

IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani said rising concerns over the swine flu could have a significant impact on traffic. "Safety, as always, is our number one priority. IATA is working in close cooperation with the World Health Organization to ensure an efficient response of the air transport industry to the challenges that Swine Influenza will present," said Bisignani. "It is still too early to judge what the impact of swine flu will have on the bottom line. But it is sure that anything that shakes the confidence of passengers has a negative impact on the business. And the timing could not be worse given all of the other economic problems airlines are facing."

Aeromexico says it is taking several measures to keep its passengers and employees safe. Any passenger who shows flu-like symptoms will not be allowed to board. At this time, the airline reports that its operations are normal and there has been no detection of cases that required authorities to get involved.

As the situation remains fluid, the Business Travel Coalition has launched a Swine Influenza Dashboard where travel professionals can check for updates. It can be found at www.netvibes.com/btc#flu. It will post CDC and WHO alerts, as well as customized news feeds for airlines, airports, travel agents and others in the business.

File photo of Seattle-Tacoma International: Port of Seattle

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Graham Warwick graham_warwick@aviationweek.com

Lockheed Martin will build the prototype of a high-flying radar-equipped airship for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Air Force under a contract valued at almost $400 million. Northrop Grumman was the losing bidder.

Scheduled to be flown in Fiscal 2013 under DARPA's Integrated Sensor Is Structure (ISIS) program, the unmanned airship will have Raytheon-developed X- and UHF-band active electronically scanned arrays (AESA) built into its structure.

Designed to operate autonomously, the prototype will be a one-third-scale demonstrator for an operational solar-powered stratospheric surveillance airship that would be able to stay on station at altitude of 70,000 feet for up to 10 years.

"This is an extremely advanced machine that represents a dramatically different approach to persistent real-time intelligence gathering and to the overarching utility of airships," says Eric Hofstatter, Lockheed Martin ISIS program manager.

The full-size vehicle would carry a 6,000 square-meter radar array cable of detecting and tracking a small cruise missiles and unmanned air vehicles at up to 600 kilometer (km) range, and dismounted soldiers and camouflaged vehicles at up to 300 km.

The ISIS demonstrator will carry 100 square-meter X-band and 600 square-meter UHF-band AESA radars with lightweight, low power-density arrays using extremely low-power transmit/receive modules, according to DARPA.

The airship itself will feature low areal-density flexible composite hull materials and a high energy-density regenerative electric power system, and will operate more like a satellite than an aircraft.

Artist's concept: Lockheed Martin

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By Graham Warwick

Two years after they failed to reach a business agreement and parted company, Northrop Grumman has acquired the KillerBee line of unmanned aircraft from Swift Engineering.

Renamed the Bat, the blended wing-body UAV will be offered in sizes ranging from 6.5 feet to 33.2 feet in wingspan.

Swift has already teamed with Raytheon to offer the KillerBee for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps’ Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (STUAS)/Tier II program. Northrop Grumman says it has licensed Raytheon to offer the Bat for STUAS and other programs.

Northrop Grumman originally teamed with Swift to pursue small unmanned aircraft requirements, demonstrating the 10 foot-span KillerBee 4 in March 2006. But they could not reach a business agreement and ended their partnership early in 2007.

At that time, Northrop Grumman planned to team with Aurora Flight Sciences to offer its GoldenEye 80 ducted-fan UAV for STUAS/Tier II, but Aurora has decided not to bid as the final requirement does not call for vertical takeoff and landing.

Northrop Grumman will not confirm yet whether it still plans to bid for STUAS/Tier II, which requires flight demonstrations at the U.S. military’s Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz., later this year to ensure the offered systems are at a technology readiness level of 6 or higher.

The U.S. prime contractor says it has engaged Swift to continue work on design refinement, product line development, flight test support and manufacturing for the Bat family. Based in San Clemente, Calif., Swift also designs and manufactures racing cars.

Photo: Swift Engineering

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By Elyse Moody

The first B-2 Spirit stealth bomber equipped with a modernized radar rejoined the U.S. Air Force operational fleet at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., following upgrades by B-2 prime contractor Northrop Grumman.

Northrop Grumman redelivered the aircraft on March 17 following installation of new radar hardware, which Raytheon Space & Airborne Systems developed under contract to the OEM. The units feature new advanced electronically scanned array antenna, a power supply and a modified receiver/exciter, according to Northrop.

The Air Force plans to equip several operational B-2 aircraft with the new radar as part of the system development and demonstration phase of its B-2 radar modernization program (RMP). It will carry out more field tests with these aircraft to gather data in support of future fielding decisions. Northrop could not release details regarding the number of aircraft involved in the field test program, or when it expects to redeliver the remaining aircraft.

Northrop Grumman last December received a $468 million contract to begin the production phase of RMP. The award also included low rate and full rate production phases, as well as installation of the radar on B-2s not involved in the development and demonstration aspects of the program.

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