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Whitaker’s Appointment to Top FAA Post Overwhelmingly Welcomed by Aviation Industry

President Biden has nominated Mike Whitaker to be Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Aviation advocacy groups, federal transportation officials, and airlines are applauding the Biden Administration’s nomination of Michael Whitaker as chief of the Federal Aviation Administration and urging the Senate to speed his confirmation.

Whitaker, who the White House pointed out has 30 years of aviation experience, served as the FAA’s deputy administrator during the Obama Administration. He currently serves as chief operating officer at Hyundai’s Supernal, developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles.

“He knows how to work in government and across the aviation community to get big things done,” the White House said in a Sept. 7 statement announcing Whitaker’s nomination. “The FAA needs a confirmed Administrator—and Mike Whitaker is the right person for the job.”

Whitaker would take over the FAA’s top job from Polly Trottenberg, who was appointed acting administrator in June. She was preceded in the acting position by Billy Nolen, who served from April 2022 to June 2023. The FAA has not had a full-time, Senate-confirmed administrator since Stephen Dickson left the post in March 2022. He also was preceded by an acting FAA chief, Daniel Elwell, who served in the role for a little over 18 months from January 2018 to August 2019.

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) lauded Whitaker’s credentials as a lawyer, aviation industry professional, and private pilot, in addition to his leadership during his 2013–2016 tenure as deputy administrator of an effort to modernize the U.S. air traffic control system.

“Mike Whitaker has long been an outspoken aviation safety advocate and champion of innovation in the industry, who demonstrated during his time as deputy administrator at the FAA that he is a proven leader who delivers results,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We enthusiastically support his confirmation as FAA administrator.”

Aside from government service, Whitaker served for a time as assistant general counsel for TWA and then 15 years with United Airlines, including as senior vice president of alliances, international and regulatory affairs. After leaving United, he was named Group CEO at InterGlobe Enterprises, the holding company for IndiGo, India’s largest airline.

American Airlines also supported the nomination in a statement, saying it would support his confirmation “during this critical time in aviation.”

“It is essential that the FAA be led by a permanent administrator who understands the intricacies of the system,” the airline said. “A former FAA Deputy Administrator who has spent decades in the aviation industry, Mr. Whitaker is eminently qualified for the role.”

Helicopter Association International (HAI) President and Chief Executive Jim Viola likewise praised Whitaker’s nomination, saying his experience will allow him to effectively lead the FAA, especially his leadership of the Next Generation Air Transportation System, also called NextGen.

“I worked closely with Mike during my tenure overseeing general aviation at the FAA, and from what I saw, I am confident he is the right person to lead the agency at a time when aviation—particularly vertical aviation—is evolving at such a rapid pace,” Viola said. “Vertical aviation is leading the future with advanced helicopter technology, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) operations, and continued innovation across the vertical flight sector. As our industry moves forward, it is critical that the United States has strong leadership at the FAA to provide global regulatory guidance while continuing to set the gold standard in safety. HAI is confident Mike will provide that leadership.”

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AI Will Be “Everywhere” in Aviation, American Airlines Official Says

Tassio Carvalho, Sr. Manager at American Airlines overseeing Machine Learning and Optimization efforts, delivers the keynote presentation on Day 1 of the Connected Aviation Intelligence Summit. (Photo: Jessica Reed)

DENVER, Colorado — Artificial intelligence will eventually be “everywhere” within the airline industry, helping human employees do everything from booking flights to performing aircraft maintenance, possibly boosting productivity by billions of dollars, according to American Airlines’ senior manager of AI.

American Airlines has pilot programs for introducing AI and machine learning—a similar, but slightly different type of automated computer program—into almost every element of its operations, Tassio Carvalho said at the Connected Aviation Intelligence Summit.

Carvalho declined to share details of where American Airlines is currently deploying AI within its airline operations but gave several examples of how generative artificial intelligence and machine learning can boost productivity and improve efficiency.

“AI is going to be everywhere,” he said. “A recent study showed that this is worth one to two percent of revenue. So, [for] a large airline with $50 billion of revenue, this could be worth a billion dollars in productivity.”

Representatives of other airlines at the conference told Avionics that it was intriguing simply to learn that American has an artificial intelligence point man. Carvalho largely talked in generalities but gave some details on studies that showed the benefits of introducing AI to tasks like customer service, without replacing human employees.

Providing a generative AI program to a customer service representative to help with booking flights can boost their productivity by 15%, he said. In some cases the “bot” can communicate directly with a customer with “natural language” text or perhaps soon with voice over the phone, he said.

Integrating some forms of AI into flight management systems can improve efficiency, safety, and sustainability, Carvalho said. Commercial air travel accounts for between two and three percent of global emissions, but automated computing can improve efficiency and sustainability. But, establishing the issue, Carvalho did not elaborate on how exactly the gains will be achieved.

“Underneath everything that we do today, there is a concern with sustainability,” Carvalho said. “And it starts with the energy energy source, which we’ve realized at some point, can’t be oil. I’ve always thought this is a really hard problem. And airlines are two percent of global emissions or they used to be a few years ago, but that percentage is growing.”

Computer brains can also do almost instantaneous complex calculations to aid human air traffic controllers in increasingly crowded airspace, Carvalho said. He used the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, area as an example. The two large airports—DWF and Love Field—are surrounded by at least 37 other regional airports. The airspace is “incredibly complicated,” Carvalho said, but the large commercial airports are underused because of the nearly impenetrable and incessant air traffic.

“There’s going to be a much more complex airspace, accommodating more variety of flying, you might have supersonic aircraft, more commercial jets, you’re gonna have the electric aircraft,” he said. “There’s gonna be more general aviation. … The motto seems to be cheaper aircraft, so less costly to operate, so more of them. There is going to be eVTOLs. There could be cargo drones, and there’s going to be the light delivery, like the Amazon type, drones that come to your backyard. If this comes, all that infrastructure that we have on the ground is going to be more used and the airspace is going to have to adapt to it.”

For aircraft manufacturers, AI can generate rich tapestries of data and analyze it in near real-time, helping drive design improvements, Carvalho said.

“For the operator, you can look at the data across the fleet so you can improve the performance,” he said. “You can look at predictive maintenance. If the data is saying this combination of readings here in the sensors means that I probably need to do an engine removal and we can create efficient turns. If an aircraft is coming from Germany going to Korea and I know there is an issue with it. I know how to fix it. The airplane taxis to the gate and the crew is ready.”

In myriad other ways, AI will streamline aviation and commercial air travel, but Carvalho was quick to dispel a common misconception of the technology.

“It’s not sentient,” he said. “It’s not going to pop or crawl out of the machine and come to talk to you like a person. If it goes crazy, just unplug it. What’s happening behind the curtain is really a bunch of mathematics. And in the case of text, it’s just predicting what the next word in a sentence is going to be. It’s amazing how well it works.”

Air Canada Taps Intelsat to Equip 100 More Aircraft With IFC

Air Canada Taps Intelsat to Equip 100 More Aircraft With IFC (Photo: Air Canada)

Air Canada is expanding its in-flight connectivity (IFC) deal with Intelsat, ordering Intelsat’s IFC solution for nearly 100 more aircraft, the companies announced Tuesday.

Intelsat and its IFC predecessor, Gogo, have worked with the flagship Canadian air carrier for 14 years. Intelsat currently operates in-flight internet on 240 aircraft on Air Canada, Rouge, and Air Canada Express. The new program includes IFC installations on three types of Air Canada aircraft including 40 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which will be equipped starting this year with Intelsat’s 2Ku IFC system.

The deal also includes 55 aircraft flown by Air Canada’s Jazz regional partner, Embraer 175 and Mitsubishi CRJ-900 aircraft. These planes currently have an air-to-ground system and will be upgraded with Intelsat’s new electronically steered array (ESA) antenna starting in 2024.

Air Canada offers free messaging for its Aeroplan members on all Wi-Fi-equipped flights through a partnership with Canadian telco Bell, announced earlier this year.

Intelsat’s 2Ku solution includes a low-profile, fuselage-mounted antenna that is less than three inches tall. The antenna interoperates on both Intelsat’s family of Geostationary (GEO) satellites and on OneWeb’s constellation of Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.

“We’re confident Intelsat provides proven technology, an extensible platform and network, and the right vision for the future of in-flight connectivity,” said Mark Nasr, Air Canada’s executive vice president of Marketing and Digital. “Through our Bell partnership, equipment installation schedule, and strong conviction around the importance of in-flight connectivity, we seek to offer our customers the best and most consistently available offering in the industry.”

This article was originally published by Via Satellite, a sister publication to Avionics International. It has been edited. Click here to read the original version >>

Northrop Grumman Conducts EGI-M Flight Test

Northrop Grumman recently conducted a flight test of EGI-M, its advanced airborne navigation solution. (Photos: Northrop Grumman)

Northrop Grumman Corporation recently completed a flight test of its advanced navigation technology, known as Embedded Global Positioning System (GPS) / Inertial Navigation System (INS) Modernization, or EGI-M. Notably, this test marked the first in-flight evaluation of the system with an integrated M-Code capable receiver. This specific technology aims to facilitate missions in environments where GPS access is either compromised or entirely unavailable.

The EGI-M program is engineered to provide rapid and reliable positioning, navigation, and timing data. It is expected to feature a modular platform interface that should ensure easy integration with existing navigation systems on various platforms. This modular approach will also accommodate future hardware and software technological upgrades.

The U.S. Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $59 million engineering and manufacturing development contract in early 2019 for its EGI-M technology. This followed a $49 million development contract awarded in 2017.

This latest flight test utilized the M-Code capable LN-351, which met performance benchmarks comparable to its predecessor, the LN-251 INS/GPS system that uses modern fiber optic gyro technology. Northrop Grumman is targeting the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and the F-22 Raptor as the inaugural platforms for this navigation system. Furthermore, multiple fixed-wing and rotary-wing platforms within the Department of Defense and allied forces have already selected EGI-M as their go-to solution for future navigation requirements.

“This flight test is a major step forward in developing our next generation airborne navigation system. The EGI-M capability developed by Northrop Grumman enables our warfighters to navigate accurately and precisely through hostile and contested environments.” – Ryan Arrington

With the critical design review completed back in 2020, this successful flight test represents a significant milestone for the EGI-M program. It suggests robust capabilities for the technology in providing resilient and adaptive navigation solutions for military applications.

Ryan Arrington, vice president, navigation and cockpit systems at Northrop Grumman, shared his thoughts in an interview with Avionics International. He emphasized the company’s long-standing expertise in assured position, navigation, and timing across multiple domains—from undersea to outer space.

Arrington described the EGI-M platform as the next evolutionary step in their state-of-the-art fiber optic gyro-based airborne navigator product line. Integrating M-Code, or military GPS, is a crucial advancement that will add resilience to missions in contested or GPS-denied environments.

He remarked, “We will also be certifying the equipment to the current FAA airworthiness standards. That is an important requirement for our military customers going forward.” The ultimate aim, he stressed, is to empower military operators to accomplish their missions securely and return home safely.

Also participating in the interview with Avionics was Patrick Young, operating unit director at Northrop Grumman. He underscored the significance of the May flight demo for the EGI-M program. The company had been working extensively on the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase, focusing on hardware, software, and firmware. “While we have simulators, and we can do dynamic testing in a simulated environment in our lab, really demonstrating and validating the performance of all three of our navigation solutions in a more representative and real-world dynamic environment is a key program objective in 2023,” Young explained.

Conducted over three days in a Cessna Citation from Van Nuys Airport in Southern California, the flight tests involved multiple scenarios, including fault injections and robustness testing.

Young highlighted the EGI-M’s multiple independent navigation solutions: GPS-only, inertial navigation-only (INS), and a hybrid using Kalman filters. All three were successfully demonstrated during the tests. Young also mentioned that raw performance data captured will be valuable for future analysis and refinement of the system.

Launch platforms for the EGI-M are the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and the F-22 Raptor.

The results were encouraging enough to be presented at the 2023 Joint Navigation Conference in June. Young emphasized the modular and model-based architectures that allow the system to adapt quickly to internal corrections or emerging external threats, emphasizing the system’s readiness for the next phases of development and deployment.

Young discussed how M-Code technology enhances security and reliability in comparison to other GPS technologies. “It represents the next phase of military technology in GPS types of solutions,” he said. “So it’s more robust [and resistant] to threats and to jamming.”

He noted that Northrop Grumman has joint roadmaps with customers for integrating the system with current platform navigation systems. “We’ve been in an EMD phase for several years now, building hardware, stabilizing software, maturing software, and essentially getting ready for a platform integration,” he said. “We have deliveries to our customer planned. We’ve worked specifically with them to plan for mid-2024 for initial integration and lab use, and in production representative hardware into 2025.”

Making Business Aviation Maintenance and Operations More Efficient

The new Veryon Work Center is a service center management solution tailored to meet the aircraft maintenance needs of business aviation operators and management companies. (Photo: California Aeronautical University)

Veryon Tracking recently launched Veryon Work Center—a unified platform designed to streamline the maintenance and return-to-service process for business aviation operators and management companies. The company claims that Work Center fills a gap in the market by providing an all-in-one solution for maintenance tracking, parts procurement, and invoicing.

Veryon was formerly known as ATP, and the company has been involved in the aviation industry for over 50 years. Flightdocs joined Veryon in 2020.

Overview of Veryon Work Center

The Veryon Work Center aims to expedite aircraft return-to-service by unifying various aspects of aviation management. According to Veryon’s website, the software provides real-time airworthiness information. It also offers customizable workflows, pricing profiles, and invoicing solutions.

Addressing Industry Pain Points

In an interview with Avionics International, Kent Pickard—Veryon’s vice president of product management—said that Work Center is a response to customer feedback, particularly in the areas where Veryon’s existing solutions fell short. “We had really good depth in maintenance tracking,” Pickard shared. “Work Center multiplies the value of all those tools that we already had, in terms of inventory, maintenance tracking, et cetera. We created a hub for the mechanic to get stuff done from one single place.”

“What a mechanic wants to do is fix and maintain the airplanes,” he explained. “They want to get the job done. That’s what is in everyone’s best interest—to focus on the actual work. We can actually measure our success from a mechanic’s perspective: the less time that they spend in software, the better. Work Center really enables them to do that.”

Pickard added that when the mechanic’s work becomes easier, it also simplifies the management of the entire organization. “The managers are able to plan the work, understand exactly what parts are needed, and where and how they’re going to get those parts.”

(Photo: Veryon)

Part 135 Operators

Work Center is designed with Part 135 operators in the business jet charter and management industry in mind. The software aims to improve operations by optimizing logbook generation, tracking costs and labor, and streamlining the procurement and invoicing processes.

ROI and Value Proposition

While Pickard didn’t specify exact figures, he stated that early adopters of Work Center have seen some great returns on their investments. With supply chain issues exacerbated by COVID-19, the new platform could prove to be a crucial tool in navigating procurement and operational challenges.

Wing Aviation is one of Veryon’s customers. Jeremy Gee, Wing’s CEO, commented, “Veryon Maintenance Tracking has been an integral part of our aircraft management workflow for many years. We’re excited to participate in the growth of Work Center and look forward to leveraging it to efficiently manage our diverse charter fleet. Implementing Work Center has allowed us to consolidate our maintenance software into a single platform helping us to further simplify our processes, improve our clarity, and continue the scalable growth of our business.”

(Photo: Veryon)

Value for Management Companies

One of the features Pickard was particularly excited about was Work Center’s invoicing capability. This new feature enables management companies to capture all costs and markups, and to generate invoices for in-house work, making it an attractive option for businesses that manage aircraft for owners.

Strategic Priorities

“Our mission as Veryon is to get our customers more uptime,” said Pickard. “Through the course of the next year, I think that we now have the critical mass as the ideal aircraft maintenance operations platform. We have these revolutionary new capabilities. I expect us to keep evolving that through the course of next year.”

He also mentioned the Veryon Technical Publications product, used in general and business aviation. “We can use our new depth with work execution, and the synergies between that other product in new and exciting ways. We’ll be continuing to refine that.”

Garmin Gets FAA Thumbs Up for GFC 600 Autopilot in King Air F90s

Garmin announced last week that it has received FAA Supplemental Type Certification for the GFC 600 digital autopilot in Beechcraft King Air F90 aircraft. (Photo: Garmin)

Garmin has received Federal Aviation Administration supplemental type certification for its GFC 600 digital autopilot in Beechcraft King Air F90 aircraft.

Optimized for turbine aircraft, the GFC 600 is designed to reduce workload and bring new operational capabilities such as Vertical Navigation (VNAV). Other new capabilities include automatic course deviation indicator switching when paired with a GTN series navigator and enhanced go-around capabilities including missed approach sequencing.

The GFC 600 certification for the King Air F90 provides owners and operators with an autopilot upgrade that can be integrated with G600 and G600 TXi flight displays. The upgrade can also be integrated with the GI 275 electronic flight instrument as well as the GTN and GTN Xi Series of navigators.

Garmin’s Autopilot

The self-contained autopilot controller incorporates backlit keys and a bright, sunlight-readable display that depicts autopilot status and mode selection. An intuitive built-in control wheel also provides convenient adjustment of aircraft pitch, airspeed, and vertical speed modes. When the level button is selected, the aircraft automatically returns to straight-and-level flight, Garmin says.

“Environmentally hardened autopilot servos designed for harsh operating conditions contain brushless DC motors offering improved performance and reducing maintenance requirements when compared to decades-old servo designs on the market today,” Garmin said in a statement. “In addition, these servos offer more torque to help pilots better respond to demands required of turbine aircraft.”

The standard 6.25-inch design of the GFC 600 mode controller allows for routine installation into the King Air’s avionics stack. In King Air F90 aircraft, the GFC 600 will require a G600 TXi or G600 flight display.

Capabilities

In addition to traditional autopilot capabilities such as altitude hold, vertical speed, and heading modes, the GFC 600 includes:

Premium functions and advanced capabilities such as altitude pre-select2 and indicated airspeed hold mode.
Ability to select, couple, and fly various instrument approaches, including GPS, ILS, VOR, LOC, and back course approaches.
Built-in GPS roll steering capability eliminates the need for external roll steering converters and allows for smoother navigation tracking when installed with a compatible navigator.
Level Mode button, which automatically engages the autopilot to restore the aircraft to straight and level flight.
Underspeed and overspeed protection.
Yaw Damping (YD) mode minimizes yawing oscillations while also helping to maintain coordinated flight.
Flight Director command bars can be displayed on a flight display such as the G600 and G600 TXi.
Coupled “go-arounds” for pilots to fly during missed approach sequencing. A remotely installed go-around button commands the Flight Director to display the appropriate pitch attitude required for the missed approach procedure and activates a loaded missed approach when paired with a GTN 650/750 or GTN 650Xi/750Xi navigator.
Included pitch-trim servo adds automatic trim and improved manual electric trim.
Control wheel steering is available, which allows the pilot to adjust pitch, roll, altitude hold, vertical speed, or airspeed references using the control yoke while the autopilot is engaged.

Electronic Stability and Protection

Garmin’s Electronic Stability and Protection (ESP) comes standard with the GFC 600 digital autopilot, which works to assist pilots in maintaining aircraft stability. ESP functions independently of the autopilot and works in the background to help pilots avoid inadvertent flight attitudes or bank angles. It also provides airspeed protection while the pilot is hand-flying the aircraft, Garmin says.

With FAA approval of the GFC 600, the King Air F90 will receive low bank mode “to help increase passenger comfort by automatically lowering the autopilot roll limit at higher altitudes,” Garmin says.

A separate switch may also be used by the pilot to activate/deactivate low bank mode at any altitude. Additionally, GFC 600-equipped King Air F90 aircraft will feature emergency descent mode. In the event of a loss of cabin pressurization, the autopilot will automatically descend to a preset altitude without pilot intervention to help avert hypoxic situations.

The GFC 600 digital autopilot for the Beechcraft King Air F90 will be available in early September through select Garmin authorized dealers.

The FAA approved the GFC 600 in 2018 for use with the cargo pod-equipped version of the Cessna 208B. The GFC 500 was approved on Cessna 210 models K, L, M, and N as well as the turbocharged versions of those models. Garmin received FAA approval in 2019 for its GFC 500 on the Beechcraft Bonanza F33A. Approval was also granted for the GFC 600 on Beechcraft Baron models 58P, 58PA, 58TC, and 58TCA from 1983 or earlier.

Embraer-CAE Training Services to Launch New Pilot Training Program

Embraer and CAE will add both pilot training and cabin crew training for Embraer’s E-Jet E2 commercial aircraft. Pictured above from left to right: João Dimas dos Santos, CAE’s Senior Manager, Sales, Asia Pacific; Guylaine Audet, CAE’s Director of Operations, Asia Pacific; Michel Azar-Hmouda, CAE’s Vice President, Global Commercial Aviation Training; Lais Port Antunes, Services & Support Director, Commercial Aviation (Asia Pacific), Embraer Services & Support; Alexandre Toribio Junior, Embraer’s Head of Flight Training and Instructor Pilot, Embraer Services & Support (Photos: Embraer)

Embraer and CAE will add both pilot training and cabin crew training for Embraer’s E-Jet E2 commercial aircraft, an expansion of a 16-year joint venture between the two companies. Embraer-CAE Training Services (ECTS) plans to deploy an E-Jet E2 full-flight simulator at the Flight Training Centre in Singapore, with training expected to start in December.

There is a growing fleet of E2 jets in the Asia Pacific region—one reason that Singapore was selected as the first location for the global E-Jet E2 training network.

Johann Bordais, President and CEO, Embraer Services & Support, remarked, “We are more than ever committed to providing high-quality training programs available in locations close to our E-Jets E2s’ operators.”

The E175-E2 Profit Hunter incorporates 4th-generation fly-by-wire technology and high-quality connectivity.

“Launching the new program in Singapore brings E2 training closer to our APAC customers and ensures their pilots are ready to take flight as E2 jets join their fleets,” commented Michel Azar-Hmouda, Vice President, Commercial Aviation Training, CAE.

The E-Jet E2 training program will include CAE 7000XR Series full-flight simulators, including the CAE Tropos 6000XR visual system, in addition to CAE XR Series’ flight training devices.

CAE 7000XR Series Level D Full-flight Simulator (Photo: CAE)

Boeing’s Sustainability Approach: A Closer Look

A Q&A with Boeing’s Jim Hileman sheds light on the company’s strategies to promote sustainability, such as working to enable the use of 100% sustainable aviation fuel. (Photo: Boeing)

Jim Hileman, vice president and chief engineer of Sustainability & Future Mobility at Boeing, talked about the company’s approach to sustainability in a recent interview with Avionics International. This is Part 2 of a two-part Q&A series with Jim Hileman. Part 1 features a discussion of Boeing’s approach to next-gen aircraft, new technologies, and improving operational efficiency (read Part 1 here).

Avionics International: In terms of sustainability, what strategies is Boeing adopting to reduce the environmental impact of aircraft? Are there any specific initiatives or technologies being developed?

Jim Hileman: We are working closely with our customers and governments around the globe to support civil aviation’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Boeing continues to simultaneously advance four strategic pathways to achieve this goal: fleet renewal, renewable energy, advanced technologies, and operational efficiency.

New airplanes provide significant efficiency gains, and each generation of fleet renewal reduces fuel use and emissions.

Under any scenario, we will need massive amounts of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) if we are to meet civil aviation’s 2050 net zero commitment. We are working with partners around the world to advance SAF as well as with our supply chain to enable 100% SAF compatibility on our airplanes by 2030.

In addition to the work on advancing SAF, Boeing is also developing future flight concepts that integrate other renewable fuel sources with advanced technology.

This includes studying hydrogen and hybrid-electric aircraft concepts across key areas, such as safety, physics, and certification challenges, future market applicability, and technology development. We are also examining other potential future energy carriers for aviation.

Flying existing airplanes with greater operational efficiency can reduce emissions; in some instances, this could reduce emissions by up to 10%.

Boeing expanded its ecoDemonstrator flight-test program to further accelerate innovation for safety and sustainability. With the 2023 program, we will assess 19 technologies on the current flagship Boeing ecoDemonstrator airplane, a 777-200ER, which include sustainable wall panels in the cargo hold that are made of 40% recycled carbon fiber and 60% resin made from a bio-based feedstock as well as a fiber optic fuel quantity sensor compatible with 100% SAF.

This year, the Boeing ecoDemonstrator program also added “Explorer” airplanes to focus testing on a singular project or technology. The highest available blend of SAF is purchased to cover all flight tests.

Avionics International: Is Boeing taking any steps to engage with regulators, industry stakeholders, or customers to promote sustainability?

Jim Hileman: Global partnerships are key to advancing our strategies. In 2022, we added ten major technology development partnerships to enable collaboration on a sustainable aerospace future and in 2023 organized the Sustainable Aerospace Together Forum in Seattle, which brought multiple stakeholders from aviation, energy, finance, and policy under one roof to collectively discuss sustainability solutions.

To support the aviation industry as it pursues its sustainability goals, Boeing created and publicly launched Cascade, a data modeling and visualization tool that assesses the full lifecycle impacts of each of our major paths to decarbonize aviation and to inform the most impactful and effective strategies to reach net zero by 2050. Airline operators, industry partners, and policymakers use the tool to inform when, where, and how different fuel sources intersect with new airplane designs. Cascade is available at http://www.sustainabilitytogether.aero/.

Boeing also published its 2023 Sustainability Report in June, highlighting accomplishments through the past year and across key goal areas of employee safety and well-being; global aerospace safety; equity, diversity and inclusion; sustainable operations; innovation and clean technologies; and community engagement.

Avionics International: What is the company’s perspective on the future of electric or hybrid-electric aircraft?

Jim Hileman: SAF offers the greatest potential to decarbonize aviation in the coming decades with dramatic reductions in CO2 emissions over the fuel’s life cycle. SAF created from waste materials can provide an 85% reduction in emissions and there are efforts underway to get larger reductions in the future. SAF is required to meet the net zero 2050 goal, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the only thing we are doing.

Boeing is studying electric aviation including fully electric, hybrid-electric and more electrification of aircraft systems, as well as concepts that use hydrogen fuel cells. We are also conducting research on other energy carriers that could be used to power aircraft in the future.

Some examples of our work on electric and hybrid-electric aircraft:

EPFD: As part of Boeing, Aurora is supporting GE Aerospace and NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) program by building and flight testing a hybrid-electric aircraft demonstrator. The project will demonstrate practical, vehicle level integration with GE’s megawatt-class electrified propulsion systems and get these systems into flight.

Wisk: Boeing has made significant investments in California-based Wisk Aero, a leading Advanced Air Mobility company and is partnering on development of an all-electric, self-flying air taxi in the U.S. In 2023, Wisk became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boeing.

Avionics International: What advancements in aircraft technology might be coming in the next decade? How will these advancements impact the efficiency and performance of aircraft?

Jim Hileman: Boeing continues to advance its four strategic pathways to reduce emissions: fleet renewal, renewable energy, advanced technologies, and operational efficiency.

Renewable energy

We are doing everything we can to enable the use of 100% SAF as soon as possible.

SAF is currently limited to a blend of 50% with petroleum.

Boeing is working with suppliers to study how 100% SAF interacts with airplane parts that come into contact with fuel. The testing is crucial to understanding the work we need to do to make Boeing’s airplane systems and materials compatible with 100% SAF.

Boeing is also supporting the work of ASTM International to develop jet fuel standards that would enable existing aircraft to use 100% SAF with synthetic aromatics produced from biomass and waste resources. Significant analysis and component testing, as well as demonstration flights, show that it is indeed possible to fly on certain 100% SAFs, and to do so with the fleet of aircraft we have in use today.

Hydrogen: Boeing has conducted six demonstration projects and has extensive experience using hydrogen as a fuel for launch vehicle and space applications. We continue to study and test the potential of this energy source. In the 2040s, hydrogen fuel cell powered air vehicles could start to penetrate the market in the sub-regional segment.

Sustainable Flight Demonstrator (SFD): In January, NASA selected Boeing and its industry team to lead the development and flight testing of a full-scale Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) demonstrator airplane as part of the SFD program. The airplane has been designated as X-66A and is NASA’s first X-plane focused on helping achieve its goal of net-zero aviation greenhouse gas emissions. When combined with expected advancements in propulsion systems, materials, and systems architecture, a single-aisle airplane with a TTBW configuration could reduce fuel consumption and emissions up to 30% relative to today’s domestic fleet of airplanes.

The Next Generation of Aircraft: Insights from Boeing

VP and chief engineer of Sustainability & Future Mobility at Boeing, Jim Hileman offers insights into the company’s priorities for aircraft development. Pictured above is a 777. (Photos: Boeing)

Jim Hileman, vice president and chief engineer of Sustainability & Future Mobility at Boeing, shared details about next-gen aircraft, new technologies, operational efficiency, and more in an interview with Avionics International. This is Part 1 of a two-part Q&A series with Jim Hileman. Part 2 features a discussion of Boeing’s approach to sustainability (read Part 2 here).

Avionics International: What are some of Boeing’s priorities in developing the next generation of aircraft?

Jim Hileman: We’re making steady progress across our development programs, including the 737-7, 737-10, 777-9, and 777-8F.

When positioning for our future, we are focused on the technology and capabilities that we need to ensure our next products deliver a generational leap in capability for our customers and reshape our markets.

We’re significantly increasing our research and development over these next several years, and much of that will be focused on our capabilities: producibility, digital, sustainability, and autonomy.

We expect to be in a position to introduce a new airplane sometime in the middle of the next decade.

Boeing 737 MAX

Avionics International: How does Boeing ensure the safety and reliability of new technologies implemented in aircraft?

Jim Hileman: Safety is the primary consideration when Boeing engineers design an airplane or incorporate new technologies.

In addition to meeting regulatory requirements before certification, each airplane must meet Boeing’s design standards. Often these standards are more stringent than regulatory requirements.

New technologies are subject to robust processes that ensure safety throughout design, testing, certification, and operation.

747-8F

Avionics International: How does Boeing approach the challenge of noise reduction in aircraft?

Jim Hileman: Boeing has an active research program to look for innovative ways to reduce noise from aircraft and the Boeing ecoDemonstrator program has played an integral role, testing noise technologies in the cabin and on the outside of the airplane, in addition to testing operational efficiency maneuvers to reduce noise around airports and communities.

Almost every ecoDemonstrator test platform has conducted noise testing, including comprehensive noise testing in partnership with NASA on the 2020 ecoDemonstrator, an Etihad Airways 787-10 Dreamliner.

Boeing is collaborating with many organizations around the world to reduce aircraft noise through improved operational procedure concepts for our current aircraft as well as advancing new lower noise technologies for future aircraft.

The certification noise levels for all aircraft are published and publicly available. New aircraft families have smaller footprints than the aircraft they replace.

For example, the noise footprint of the 737 MAX is 50% smaller than that of a 737NG.

The cumulative certified noise levels for the 787 (introduced in 2011), which is created by an aggregate of three separate noise measurements on approach and takeoff, is roughly 60 dB lower than the comparable value of the 707 (introduced in 1958). While it is difficult to put this into percentages, this equates to approximately a 90% reduction in the noise footprint area.

737 MAX

Avionics International: What advancements in aircraft technology might be coming in the next decade? How will these advancements impact the efficiency and performance of aircraft?

Boeing continues to advance its four strategic pathways to reduce emissions: fleet renewal, renewable energy, advanced technologies, and operational efficiency.

Fleet renewal

New airplanes provide significant efficiency gains, and each generation of fleet renewal reduces fuel use and emissions. Some examples:

737 MAX: Powered by CFM International LEAP-1B engines and incorporating an optimized aerodynamic design, the 737 MAX reduces fuel use and emissions by 20% compared to the airplanes it replaces.

787 Dreamliner: The 787 has best-in-class economics, including 25% lower fuel consumption and emissions than the airplanes it replaces.

777X: With new breakthroughs in aerodynamics and engines, the 777X will deliver 10% lower fuel use and emissions and 10% lower operating costs than the competition. With advanced technology from the new 777X and proven performance from the 777 Freighter, the new 777-8 Freighter offers the highest payload and lowest fuel use, emissions, and operating costs per tonne of any large freighter.

Renewable energy

We are doing everything we can to enable the use of 100% SAF [sustainable aviation fuel] as soon as possible.

Advanced technologies
Electric propulsion: In this decade, battery technology will enable electric aircraft for urban air mobility, such as the self-flying, battery-electric aircraft being certified by Wisk. Boeing will continue to pursue and increase electrification on our platforms when these systems provide an opportunity to optimize energy management on the aircraft and increase overall airplane performance and efficiency.

An example of this is the more-electric architecture introduced on the 787 Dreamliner, which produces 1.45 megawatts of electrical power, more than five times the power on a current 767.

Operational efficiency

Boeing is working with air traffic controllers in multiple regions to optimize an airplane’s flight path, from takeoff to touchdown.

Boeing partnered with air navigation service providers in Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and the U.S. on a test demonstration in June 2023, called multi-regional Trajectory Based Operations (MR TBO) to improve operational efficiency with its first ecoDemonstrator Explorer, a 787-10 Dreamliner.

UK Flights Delayed After Air Traffic Control System Outage

On Monday, because of a technical issue with the flight planning system used by air traffic control, NATS put traffic flow restrictions in place that led to delays and cancelations of flights in the UK. (Photo: NATS)

NATS, the UK’s leading provider of air traffic control services, made a statement on Monday that an ongoing technical issue was affecting its flight planning system. Traffic flow restrictions were put in place as of 12:10 UK time. Thirty minutes later, NATS clarified, “UK airspace is not closed, we have had to apply air traffic flow restrictions which ensures we can maintain safety.”

By 15:15 UK time, the issue was located and fixed. NATS explained, “The flight planning issue affected the system’s ability to automatically process flight plans, meaning that flight plans had to be processed manually which cannot be done at the same volume, hence the requirement for traffic flow restrictions.”

According to BBC’s coverage of the situation, “Several airports across the UK, and airlines including Ryanair, EasyJet, Wizz Air, Loganair and Aer Lingus have all warned passengers of delays or cancellations to flights.”

“Bank Holiday Monday is one of the busiest days of the year, as many people return from long weekend trips abroad,” travel journalist Simon Calder told BBC News.

Sune Engsig, VP of product development at software automation platform Leapwork, made the following comments on the situation:

“Aviation, like many industries, relies on a patchwork of old and new technologies and software components that have evolved over time. With every update and new technology that comes along, entire processes and workflows need to be re-tested to check things work as they should, and the result is that thinly stretched IT teams have a lot to juggle. While we can’t be sure [of] the exact nature of an outage, more often than not they are caused by human error because quality assurance teams don’t have the right tools available to them to help manage all these tests quickly and efficiently.

“As we continue to digitize the world around us, industries like aviation—where there are a lot of mission-critical processes—need to take a deeper look at how automation tools can help them stay on top of day-to-day quality assurance so routine updates don’t cause outages, and allow their skilled teams to focus on the most high-value tasks.”

Juliet Kennedy, Operations Director at NATS, made a statement on Monday evening. “The issue earlier meant that our automatic system, which provides controllers with details of every aircraft and its route, wasn’t working,” Kennedy said. “Instead, to manage safety, we had to limit the number of flights we could manage.”

She added, “It will take some time for flights to return to normal, and we will continue to work with airlines and airports to recover the situation. Our absolute priority is safety, and we will be investigating very thoroughly what happened today.”

Juliet Kennedy spoke with Avionics International a few years ago about how the ANSP sees space-based ADS-B as a game changer for traffic management in the North Atlantic airspace. “Aircraft flying across the Atlantic have to follow prescribed routes at set speeds and heights because we only receive position reports from them every 14 minutes,” she commented. “As a result, separation standards have to be far greater than over terrestrial airspace, with at least 30 nautical miles separating aircraft laterally and 40 nautical miles longitudinally.”

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