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Bombardier’s EcoJet Program: Advanced Aerodynamics and Digital Simulation

Bombardier is embarking on the second phase of testing for its EcoJet program, the company announced at the recent European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE). (Photos: Bombardier)

Bombardier is aligning its engineering expertise with its environmental commitments in its innovative EcoJet program. In an interview with Avionics International, Benoit Breault, Bombardier’s Director of Research and Technology, shared insights into the company’s bold plans to align its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy with the wider industry goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. The company is leveraging its expertise in aerodynamics technology to reimagine the shape and systems of future aircraft for a more sustainable future.

The EcoJet program is a testament to Bombardier’s commitment to environmental responsibility. Born from a forward-thinking group of Bombardier engineers a decade ago, the initiative is about exploring the long-term future of aircraft design for business aviation, Breault explained. The team concluded that blended-wing technology could substantially reduce the aircraft’s drag, cutting down friction against the air, and in turn, decreasing fuel consumption. This substantial reduction in fuel consumption would lead to an equivalent decrease in emissions, a significant stride towards achieving the net-zero emissions goal.

“Just with aerodynamics, we can reach 15% to 20% of fuel burn reduction and, therefore, emissions reduction,” Breault said.

Testing and validation have been crucial in the initial stages of Bombardier’s EcoJet program. The company opted for scaled flight testing, a common practice in the industry, especially when dealing with unconventional airplane configurations. This method, Breault explained, minimizes risks associated with high-stakes testing and potential failures. The first phase involved experimenting with smaller vehicles, about 7% the scale of a Global 6500 airplane, resulting in a model with a wingspan of approximately six to seven feet. This phase provided crucial insights into the flight dynamics and flight controls integration with new aerodynamic shapes.

“Our biggest discovery is that we’ve been able to mostly match our simulations from our flight controls engineers,” he said. Engineers at Bombardier used sophisticated computer programs to create digital representations of their designs, thereby simulating the flight controls and airplane behavior in advance. These digital simulations, while not quite “digital twins,” aided in the development of flight control laws for the plane’s onboard computers. The completion of these initial tests and their close alignment with the simulated models provided the green light to proceed with larger-scale testing.

Bombardier announced at the recent European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) that they are embarking on the second phase of testing. This involves a larger, more advanced model with a wingspan of around 18 feet. To support this effort, Bombardier has partnered with Siemens as their Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) partner, harnessing the company’s suite of tools to handle multiple aspects of product development, including CAD and simulation.

Breault emphasized the importance of this digital-physical synergy, highlighting how the EcoJet program has not only paved the way for revolutionary aerodynamic advancements but also set a precedent for product development at Bombardier. This digital evolution, running parallel with physical progress, promises to shape the future of the company’s engineering, driving further breakthroughs and innovations.

A significant aspect of the EcoJet program is the evolution of aircraft control architecture. Breault traced this evolution back to the historical switch from cable-based flight controls to fly-by-wire systems. The transition began with the CSeries, now known as Airbus 220, and the Global 7500. These aircraft marked the inception of what Breault refers to as the “first generation” of control architecture.

Looking ahead, Bombardier plans to leverage its expertise from the EcoJet program to shape the “next generation” of flight control architecture. This involves a balance of technological advancements, such as aerodynamics, and integration of the PLM platform. As the team navigates through these complex terrains of innovation, they are laying the groundwork for a radically different and more advanced aircraft control system. The insights gleaned from the EcoJet program are poised to redefine the company’s systems and flight controls architecture, setting new standards in aviation technology.

The cockpit of the Global 6500 business jet

Collaboration is a cornerstone of Bombardier’s EcoJet program and its broader research initiatives. Breault highlighted the company’s diverse network of partnerships, spanning more than 20 university research institutions and numerous small and medium enterprises both domestically and internationally. This strong academic-industrial nexus has notably influenced Bombardier’s research landscape, with several major research projects eventually contributing to the EcoJet configuration.

“We’ve worked with nine or ten major Canadian universities that have aerospace programs,” Breault noted. “We work closely with the NRC (National Research Council) of Canada, and specifically their Aerospace Research Center,” as well as other international institutions.

Bombardier’s team conducts collaborative research at the company’s flight test center in Wichita, Kansas. The company also recently expanded its research capabilities by opening a London-based engineering office at its Biggin Hill Service Center. With this multi-site approach, encompassing Montreal, Toronto, Wichita, and London, Bombardier leverages a global research perspective to drive forward its objectives.

Bombardier’s EcoJet program embodies an ambitious strategy toward achieving substantial emission reduction targets, aiming at a 50% reduction, according to Breault. This reduction strategy includes leveraging improvements in aerodynamics for a 20% reduction; advancing propulsion technology for another 20%; and finally, precise simulation for the final 10%.

“With SAF [sustainable aviation fuel], we believe we can get another 40% of emissions,” he said, adding that the remaining gap to the 2050 Net Zero goal could then be bridged by market-based measures such as credits.

EcoJet’s impact goes beyond the research labs and manufacturing floors. Breault speaks passionately of the program’s transformative impact on the company’s workforce and the wider public. The EcoJet program has not only stoked enormous internal engagement and positivity, making Bombardier a sought-after destination for both engineers and interns, but it has also piqued considerable public interest.

Breault underscores that the EcoJet is not merely a single project, but rather an umbrella of innovative and transformative technologies poised to evolve Bombardier’s entire portfolio. EcoJet’s influence will permeate short, medium, and long-term projects, refining and maturing various technologies to enhance the company’s aircraft offerings. Moreover, the research portfolio extends beyond the technical realm to potentially revolutionize operational procedures. Concepts such as increased pilot autonomy, single pilot operations, and eventually, optional pilot operations, signal a radical rethink of traditional operational methods.

“The EcoJet really is our research portfolio that will generate lots and lots of future opportunities,” Breault said.

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Air Company’s Mark Rumizen Talks Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Air Company has worked with the U.S. Air Force to demonstrate that its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can replace traditional jet fuel as a 100% drop-in fuel. (Photos: AIR COMPANY)

In the quest to address the aviation industry’s substantial carbon footprint, AIR COMPANY has emerged as a trailblazer. The company’s groundbreaking sustainable aviation fuel, AIRMADE SAF, has recently shown tremendous promise as a 100% replacement for traditional jet fuel for which modifying existing flight equipment isn’t necessary. Now, with the appointment of Mark Rumizen—an expert in aviation fuels and regulatory affairs—as Director of Regulatory Affairs and Quality in Aviation, AIR COMPANY is taking a significant step towards complete regulatory certification.

Rumizen began his career at the Federal Aviation Administration as an aviation fuel specialist. During the early years, aviation fuel—particularly jet fuel—was widely considered safe. However, as Rumizen shared in an interview with Avionics International, the landscape changed in the mid-2000s. This was driven primarily by the military’s interest in finding alternative sources of fuel for enhanced supply security and geopolitical considerations surrounding oil dependency. This marked the inception of the alternative jet fuel industry, which later gained momentum due to growing environmental concerns.

Mark Rumizen, the chair of ASTM and the Director of Regulatory Affairs and Quality in Aviation at Air Company

As the need for evaluating and regulating new aviation fuels emerged, Mark Rumizen played a pivotal role in establishing a framework for their assessment. “My job, being the only aviation fuel person at the FAA, was really to figure out how we evaluate these new fuels,” he remarked. “I played a big role in that, working with industry.”

“When we talk about SAF, there’s always a lot of discussion about getting ASTM approval,” he explained. “The evaluation of the performance and safety of these new fuels is done through this industry group at ASTM, which is made up of all the stakeholders in aviation.”

Rumizen worked closely with engine and aircraft manufacturers, whose expertise was critical in vetting candidate sustainable aviation fuels. The stringent evaluation process prioritized the safety and efficiency of the fuels before considering their sustainability and environmental benefits.

Over the last 18 years or so, thanks to the dedicated efforts of ASTM International, seven different pathways for SAF have received approval. This accomplishment is a testament to the industry’s commitment to finding environmentally responsible and safe alternatives to conventional jet fuel.

In the past two years, the aviation industry as a whole has been focused even more on reducing carbon emissions, Rumizen observed. “It’s really unprecedented,” he said. “The level of interest from the government, investment organizations, airlines, companies making fuel from alternative feedstocks… That level of activity and interest is at a height now that I’ve never seen before, which is extremely encouraging.”

The potential of the technology developed by Air Company was one of the reasons Rumizen was interested in joining the company. “I felt they had a winning technology,” he shared. He emphasized the logistical challenges associated with growing and harvesting crops to convert the feedstocks into fuel. That method of SAF production requires a large amount of land. In comparison, Air Company’s AIRMADE SAF can be made from carbon dioxide or CO2, which is readily available.

Rumizen also commented that Air Company has a differentiated product mix. “They’re involved in producing consumer products along with a commodity: jet fuels. With a differentiated product mix like that, you increase the probability of growing a company and [having] a successful future.”

Because SAF is essentially the same as jet fuel, there is no need for limitations on the use of SAF as the industry scales up. It’s what’s known as a “drop-in” fuel, and it doesn’t need to be handled differently than conventional fuel. “You drop it in to the supply chain and the airplane; there’s no need for additional approval,” he remarked.

The challenges of the SAF industry are centered around producing it at scale, according to Rumizen. He noted that Air Company is aligned with the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge, a collaborative effort created by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Agriculture, and other federal government agencies.

The objective of the SAF Grand Challenge “is to produce 3 billion gallons of SAF by 2030,” he said, “or about 10% of the jet fuel usage in the U.S. Our plans are aligned with that. We’re planning right now for a small-scale production facility for the near term. Later on, we plan on larger production facilities that will be able to contribute to that 3 billion gallons in 2030.”

“By 2050, the goal is to have 30 billion gallons a year of SAF produced. We’re also working toward that to scale it up.”

Although Air Company is not involved in developing electric-powered aircraft, Rumizen noted that there is a lot of good work happening in the industry around eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft). “The challenge is to develop batteries that have a long enough life to make those products economically viable,” he said. “That’s one advancement that I think we’re all kind of waiting for”—to accelerate the aviation industry’s transition to using more sustainable energy sources.

“We rely on renewable electrical energy, and there are a lot of advancements happening in that right now relative to the supply of energy,” he commented. “That’s part of the evolution of our product—to be able to have evolutionary improvements in the availability and the efficiency of renewable electrical energy, to be able to support what we’re going to do. We’re working in parallel with those types of advancements.”

Air Company announced a strategic collaboration with Air Canada last week. The companies plan to accelerate efforts around power-to-liquid SAF that could offer a 94% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. “Air Canada joins JetBlue and Virgin Atlantic as part of Air Company’s airline ecosystem to help develop and deliver sustainable aviation fuel into North America,” the company shared.

In February, Air Company announced a $65 million deal with the Department of Defense to continue developing its technology. The objective is to produce fuel for the U.S. Air Force directly from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Last September, Boom Supersonic signed an SAF offtake agreement with Air Company. The agreement includes the annual purchase of up to 5 million gallons of AIRMADE SAF for Boom Supersonic’s Overture flight test program.

PHASA-35: High-Altitude UAS Offers Game-Changing Potential

PHASA-35 recently completed its first successful stratospheric flight. (Photos: BAE Systems)

Engineers at BAE Systems have recently achieved a remarkable milestone in the aerospace industry with the successful completion of a stratospheric flight trial of the High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) known as PHASA-35. Designed by BAE Systems’ subsidiary Prismatic Ltd, PHASA-35 represents a pivotal step in the evolution of aviation electronics and unmanned aerial technologies. BAE Systems began collaborating with Prismatic’s team on the PHASA-35 program in 2018, and the company was acquired in 2019.

Over a 24-hour period, PHASA-35 soared to heights surpassing 66,000 feet, reaching the stratosphere before landing back on Earth. This trial, which took place in the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, has opened new possibilities for cutting-edge aerospace capabilities with implications across the defense and commercial sectors.

The PHASA-35 program, initiated in 2018, envisions the creation of an innovative platform designed to operate far above conventional air traffic and weather systems.

With its 35-meter wingspan and carrying capacity of 15kg, PHASA-35 utilizes a suite of world-leading technologies, including advanced composites, energy management, solar electric cells, and photo-voltaic arrays, to harness the power of the sun during daylight hours. The stored energy in rechargeable cells enables the aircraft to sustain flight overnight, thus providing a persistent and stable platform for a wide range of applications.

Unlocking the Stratosphere

PHASA-35’s distinguishing feature is its ability to operate in the stratosphere, an atmospheric layer above the troposphere where conventional aircraft and even satellites do not frequently venture. The stratosphere offers unique characteristics, including stable weather patterns and low wind speeds, which make it an ideal environment for extended aerial missions. Most airplanes fly at altitudes of around 35,000 to 38,000 feet, whereas PHASA-35 operates at 60,000 feet or more.

The PHASA-35 team endeavors to exploit the stratosphere’s unique features to achieve extended flight durations. By harnessing solar energy during the day and efficiently managing energy consumption, PHASA-35 aims to fly for prolonged periods—potentially for months at a time. While battery technology poses some challenges, ongoing advancements driven by industries like mobile phones and electric vehicles hold great promise for extending PHASA-35’s endurance and capabilities.

As Phil Varty, Business Manager of UAV Systems at BAE Systems, told Avionics International in an interview, “If you can get up there, and—in our case—use the sun to power some batteries and recharge each day, you don’t need a lot of energy to stay there.”

“On the way up, we’re testing the performance of the engines and the aerodynamic drag of the aircraft to check that it’s performing as we expect,” he remarked. “We were really pleased to see that the aircraft did match all of our predictions and indeed exceeded some of them.”

The successful flight trial marks a significant advancement in the PHASA-35 program’s development, bolstering its potential applications in both defense and commercial markets. The platform’s primary mission of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) is just the tip of the iceberg for this versatile UAS. PHASA-35 can support disaster relief efforts, border protection, and even serve as an alternative to traditional airborne and satellite systems.

Moreover, PHASA-35’s capacity to provide 4G and 5G communication networks from the stratosphere makes it an appealing solution for remote or under-connected regions. With the ability to remain stationary for extended periods, PHASA-35 “acts like a giant lamppost at 60,000 feet,” beaming communication signals to vast areas below. This opens up possibilities for improved connectivity, especially in areas where ground-based towers are not feasible or cost-effective.

“With one of our aircraft, we can stay over a spot for as long as the batteries allow us to,” Varty said, highlighting one of the differences between PHASA-35 and traditional satellites or conventional UAVs. He believes that there will be increased use of UAVs to provide connectivity over the next five to ten years.

“For some things like communications, there is a fractionally smaller delay with the HAPS than a satellite—that’s important in some applications,” he noted.

FalconWorks

The PHASA-35 program operates under FalconWorks, a cutting-edge center for advanced research and development within BAE Systems’ Air sector. FalconWorks is dedicated to delivering a wide range of combat air capabilities to the UK and its allies. As one of the flagship projects within FalconWorks, PHASA-35 represents a leap forward in aerospace technologies and lays the groundwork for future advancements in unmanned aerial systems.

FAA Outlines Advanced Air Mobility Implementation Plan

The FAA releases a plan for the implementation of advanced air mobility, including piloted eVTOL aircraft. (Photos: FAA)

The Federal Aviation Administration recently outlined its new plan to implement advanced air mobility (AAM) into existing air traffic infrastructure in the United States. This category of aviation is defined as transportation methods that use new technology to transport people and cargo between two locations and includes concepts like electric aircraft and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. However, this category refers only to aircraft in which a pilot is onboard and involved in operating the flight.

As this new technology continues to develop, the FAA is implementing a crawl-walk-run approach to implementing AAM technology into the national airspace system. It first aims to integrate this new technology with minimal change by utilizing existing infrastructure to accommodate AAM. The agency also initiated a program named Innovate28 (I28), which involves collaboration between private firms in the industry and the government to create an ecosystem designed to allow these new, efficient methods to thrive.

The FAA’s overall implementation plan is tentative and will shift based on feedback from various stakeholders of the new technology. Periodic updates will occur to ensure the plan protects the safety of both the operators and the flying public. Despite the document’s flexibility, the FAA has outlined how it plans to integrate AAM into existing infrastructure through its I28 program. The I28 will outline what the operating environment will be in 2028 based on projections made from the technology’s current pace of development. It will also set several goals for the FAA and stakeholders to meet, along with key milestones that must be achieved to maintain a successful program.

In terms of airspace usage, AAM operators are expected to comply with many of the requirements that existing air traffic follow, including regulations around communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS). Aircraft in this class are expected to fly at 4,000 feet above urban and metropolitan areas and major airports. This means AAM will operate primarily in Class B and Class C airspace.

I28 AAM routes will be designed to be used for VFR conditions exclusively. When possible, it will use existing or modified low-altitude VFR routes. Though these routing constructs don’t always supply the needed separation of AAM traffic, they do help pilots in avoiding major traffic flows dominated by larger aircraft. These routes might include both VFR flyways, VFR corridors, VFR transition routes, and special flight rule areas.

In addition to routing, AAM will be provided air traffic control (ATC) services when necessary. AAM operators are expected to comply with the appropriate CFR and to conduct operations with flight schedules that are predetermined. This way they can be coordinated with local ATC and other stakeholders.

Despite some planned integration with existing infrastructure, new accommodations will also be needed for the new technology. Things like adequate parking zones for activities like loading and unloading will be important for successful integration. These must be separate from the pad used for take-off and landing for safe parking. Other added infrastructure the plan highlights includes charging stations, weather stations, and fire management services.

On aircraft certification, the document states, “New AAM aircraft are expected to offer capabilities ranging from single-pilot, recreational eVTOL aircraft, to piloted, powered lift, multi passenger short range aircraft. The type certification of AAM aircraft is possible because the FAA can leverage the current regulatory framework, which allows development of project-specific requirements tailored to fit the unique aspects of novel designs. The flexibility to tailor requirements can come in the form of special conditions or unique airworthiness criteria under a special class, depending on the AAM design (airplane, rotorcraft, or powered lift).”

As AAM technologies continue to develop, proactive planning to accommodate these new modes of air traffic is key for allowing safe integration into U.S. airspace. This tentative plan ensures the safety of passengers, operators, and other stakeholders.

Lilium Arranges $192M Capital Raise

Lilium has raised a total of $292 million this year following the latest capital raise of $192 million. (Photos: Lilium)

Lilium has coordinated a capital raise totaling $192 million, the eVTOL developer announced this week. After receiving $100 million in funding in May, Lilium has now raised $292 million in 2023 to continue developing its aircraft. The team expects to conduct the first crewed flight of its type-conforming aircraft in the latter half of 2024.

In November 2022, Lilium closed a $119 million capital raise for continued aircraft development.

Earlybird Venture Capital, BIT Capital, UVC Partners, repeat Lilium investor Frank Thelen, several institutional investors led by B. Riley Securities, and E-vestment B.V. all participated in this most recent capital raise along with some of Lilium’s senior executives and board members.

“Our continued mission is to support the decarbonisation of the aviation industry with our revolutionary Lilium Jet,” remarked Klaus Roewe, CEO of Lilium. “We’re thrilled to have such strong support to continue that mission from existing and new investors, including in our own backyard here in Germany.”

“We believe Lilium offers multiple advantages in terms of safety, flight comfort, low noise levels, total cost of ownership, as well as climate impact via their zero emissions,” commented Earlybird co-founder and partner Dr. Hendrik Brandis. “The commercial case is clear and stands to expand inter-urban transportation.”

According to the announcement, Lilium is raising the $192 million in gross proceeds via three transactions:

An underwritten public offering of shares raising gross proceeds of about $75 million
A concurrent private placement raising gross proceeds of about $42 million, led by Earlybird, includes UVC Partners, BIT Capital, Frank Thelen, and E-vestment B.V. (in addition to board members and senior executives from Lilium)
Aceville (an affiliate of Tencent Holdings Limited) is funding $75 million to partially prepay against the total exercise price of the warrants issued to them in May 2023, and this funding is expected shortly.

Lilium and Air-Dynamic SA, a private jet and helicopter company, signed an agreement in May that includes pre-delivery payments for up to five eVTOL aircraft. Around the same time, the eVTOL developer also signed an agreement with ASL Group, a European business jet operator, for six of Lilium’s Pioneer Edition Jets. This followed an MoU that ASL Group and Lilium signed last year.

In March, the Phoenix 2 tech demonstrator aircraft hit its targeted maximum speed during a flight test. It flew at approximately 155 mph, or 136Kts (250+ km/h).

RDC Aviation to Add Spire Data to its Platform

Spire will supply its satellite and terrestrial ADS-B positions to provide flight, aircraft, and airline metadata to RDC. (Photo: Spire)

RDC Aviation, a tech and data services provider for the air transport industry, is a new customer for Spire Global’s aviation data. In a deal announced Tuesday, Spire will supply its satellite and terrestrial ADS-B positions to provide flight, aircraft, and airline metadata to RDC for its airport data product.

RDC’s AirportCharges product covers 3,000 airports and analyzes airport user charges and en-route navigation costs including landing fees, passenger charges, and taxes. Spire’s data will also be used in RDC’s market intelligence product, Apex, to provide actual departure data and route profitability calculations.

“Having been aware of [Spire’s] data and capabilities for some time, we knew there was the potential to enhance our applications, core data, and back-office processes. However, once we started working with the team at Spire, we quickly discovered a number of unique and exciting customer-facing use cases that will allow us to provide powerful insights for our airport and airline clients,” commented RDC CEO Peter Hind.

Spire satellites use ADS-B signals to capture global aircraft movements from space, providing coverage during most flights where there is no ground-based tracking available, such as over oceans, deserts, or mountains.

Philip Plantholt, general manager of Aviation at Spire, remarked, “The ongoing digital transformation and data-centric approach of the aviation ecosystem has created a large market of aviation-related technology companies benefiting from integrating Spire’s global flight analytics and insights. Our partnership with RDC Aviation is a testament to the transformative potential of real-time and actionable data, and we look forward to driving innovation in the aviation industry together.”

Spire recently signed a similar deal with airline industry platform ch-aviation, for access to Spire’s daily Flight Report.

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 >>

United Introduces Wireless Charging for First-Class Seats

United First passengers will soon have access to wireless charging, along with other upgrades coming to the domestic first-class seats. (Photos: United)

Those traveling in first class with United Airlines this summer may be able to use a wireless charging station. A new domestic first-class seat was introduced by United last week. It will be installed on more than 200 planes by the end of 2026, according to the airline. The seats offer three kinds of charging docks—a wireless charging station in every armrest, an AC household-style outlet, and USB-C. In addition, United First passengers will have larger 13-inch seatback screens and Bluetooth connectivity.

Customer feedback and extensive market research influenced the design choices for the new United First seat. “In any product innovation like a new seat, significant amounts of customer and market research is leveraged,” a United spokesperson told Avionics in a written statement. “In addition to comfort, we also considered what the modern traveler is looking for, like more charging options, privacy, and better seatback entertainment.”

In response to a question about the wireless charging technology, the representative from United commented, “The wireless charger can accommodate any device that has the ability to charge wirelessly (within the confines of the unit size).”

The new domestic first-class seat offers three kinds of charging outlets, vegan leather upholstery, larger seatback screens, Bluetooth connectivity, privacy screens, and an ergonomist-designed cushion.

United partnered with various experts and design firms to develop the new seat, including the University of Michigan biomechanics researcher Dr. Matthew Reed and design firm Priestman Goode. “We leveraged a variety of experts both internally and externally,” shared United’s spokesperson. “Working with a variety of expertise ensures we’re approaching development with a critical and innovative eye, versus a place of homogenous thinking.”

Astronics is one of the companies that has developed wireless charging modules, or WCMs. Eventually, passengers will expect wireless charging on every flight, believes Mike Hettich, Vice President of Cabin Electronics at Astronics AES. “Astronics envisions the WCM as an additional method of charging PEDs [portable electronic devices] along with the existing EmPower products,” he remarked. “It’s one more convenient option for airlines to consider when making decisions to support their passengers’ power requests.”

OPINION: The Need for Airlines to Update Aging IT

This article discusses the outdated technology that airlines often use and how companies and travelers could benefit from advancing artificial intelligence within the industry.

Legacy aviation technology has worked well for forty years but the cracks are showing. Airlines need to break away from outdated systems, implicated in several recent costly “fails.”

“How Southwest failed the holidays” screamed the CNN headline, the kind of publicity that could send any airline boss into a tailspin. In December 2022, CNN was not the only US media outlet demanding blood over a Southwest Airlines meltdown that halted operations and stranded passengers. Alongside the headlines were stories of brides missing their weddings and abandoned children. What could have been worse—except perhaps the timing? The incident even earned its own entry in Wikipedia.

Sadly, while Southwest’s cascading failures last December were arguably the highest-profile to date, they are not isolated. The last few years have witnessed an increasing number of system failures for global airlines, widespread cancellations, and criticism. In a recent incident, BA was forced to cancel 43 flights out of Heathrow shortly before the late May Bank Holiday, causing criticism and passenger anger.

In April, a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) placed most of the blame on factors within airlines’ control. At the heart of most of the problems is outdated IT. While legacy technology provided a solid foundation for airlines for decades (the clue is “decades”), many systems are showing their age—the “shameful open secret behind Southwest’s failure” to which the New York Times referred.

Demand for travel has started to bounce back after the pandemic but the technology has not kept up. If airlines are to keep passengers happy and avoid future fiascos that rain down bad publicity and financial costs, they need to embrace innovation and make urgent improvements.

A few major incidents lately include:

BA’s cancellation of 43 flights, or 5% of its services out of Heathrow, on 25 May 2023. This was blamed on an IT issue. A series of incidents for the airline included dozens of long-haul cancellations in the week before Christmas 2022, and cancellations of flights in February 2023 due to technology problems.
Southwest. From December 21–26, 2022, Storm Elliott brought severe blizzards and high winds to parts of the US. A few carriers were affected, but Southwest struggled to recover. More than 15,000 flights were cancelled and by the end of December, 87% were Southwest’s. The crisis cost the airline around $800 million.
Lufthansa. In February 2023, thousands of passengers were stranded when an IT fault caused delays and disruptions across Germany’s flagship airline group. Baggage handling, check-ins, and dispatch were all affected. Images from several German airports showed chaos, and Lufthansa shares fell 1.5% in a few hours.
In January 2023, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) shut down air traffic after a “notice to air missions” system failed—the first complete shutdown since 9/11. More than 1,300 flights were canceled and 9,500 were delayed.

The common denominator in these and less spectacular cases is technology—in Southwest’s case, its 1990s airline scheduling system that hindered its ability to track crew and pilots following Storm Elliott cancellations.

Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) said the December 2022 events came as “no surprise.” Shortcomings in adapting, innovating, and safeguarding operations had led to over a decade of repeated system disruptions. Southwest conceded that technology played a role. “Our technology struggled to align our resources due to the magnitude and scale of disruptions,” its spokesman said. In the FAA “fail,” the cause was a corrupted database. The FAA system involved is more than 30 years old and six years away from any update. Lufthansa said its problems were caused by damage to Deutsche Telekom’s fiber-glass cables.

Other factors, of course, can contribute: bad weather, say, post-pandemic staff shortages, or security threats. According to the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), more than a third of all UK flights were delayed in 2022. Having serviceable technology, however, dictates how airlines mitigate unavoidable disruptions and how fast they recover.

Before founding JourneyHero, I witnessed firsthand increasing failures in existing travel systems since 2010, and the difficulties these “outages” caused my corporate employer at the time. They were also hurting passengers. Revenue Management Systems that once served the travel industry well are now unable to accurately forecast future demand based on the past and to regulate pricing accordingly, because of extreme disruptions to supply during the pandemic.

Looking beyond legacy technology, JH set out to provide airlines (and other parts of the travel industry) with reliable alternatives that better align their interests with those of customers. Many airlines have issues with their ticketing and aviation infrastructure systems that can cause travel disruption. Whereas legacy systems rely on aging infrastructure, JH technology is designed around the latest technology advances, making it less susceptible to an outage.

JourneyHero’s technology is one illustration of the sort of advanced thinking required if carriers are to keep abreast of change and meet consumer expectations. According to McKinsey, outages and cyber incidents around the world demonstrate even the biggest airlines need to upgrade their IT and operational technology systems, including architecture and underlying infrastructure to reduce risk and build resilience into their digitised operating models. Airlines themselves need to take responsibility for lack of systems maintenance and/or outdated technology—and soon. If they do not begin to invest in the fragile technology space, I believe this summer could see more operational failures that have already cost airlines dear and dented their public image.

This article was provided by travel tech entrepreneur and CEO of JourneyHero, Shane Batt.

The Financial Side of the eVTOL Industry: Insights from the CFO of Opener

Opener, developer of the BlackFly eVTOL aircraft, recently appointed a new CFO—Jon Campagna. (Photos: Opener)

Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) developer Opener has designed a Part 103 Ultralight Personal Aerial Vehicle. Called the BlackFly, the eVTOL is a fixed tandem-wing aircraft with eight fixed propulsion units and fly-by-wire electrical controls. The BlackFly’s range is 20+ miles and it can cruise at 60 miles per hour.

The company is led by Ken Karklin, who was appointed as Opener’s CEO in 2022. Just last month, Jon Campagna joined the company as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). “Jon is an exceptional financial leader with a proven track record,” Karklin remarked in the announcement. “His wealth of finance and strategy expertise, combined with his deep understanding of the aviation sector, will be immensely valuable to Opener.”

Jon Campagna, CFO

Campagna recently spoke with Avionics International about his previous experience, his goals as the new CFO, and his perspective on the larger eVTOL industry. Check out our Q&A with Opener’s CFO below:

Avionics International: Can you share some details about your previous experience as CFO at Virgin Galactic and Capella Space Corp? How have these experiences prepared you for your role at Opener?

Jon Campagna: I was at Virgin Galactic for about five and a half years. I focused on building the company to scale as we got closer and closer to commercial operations and on setting up the foundation for the accounting and finance organization. Obviously, Virgin Galactic went public, so I was really focusing on getting the company ready to be a public company, looking for investments, [handling] investor relations, and some of the other things that go along with a public company. Essentially, I was tackling the key financial aspects and then thinking about strategically how to move forward with some of our initiatives.

Similarly, Capella—a synthetic-aperture radar [SAR] satellite company—started commercial operations in January 2021, shortly before I started. I focused on building out the finance organization, putting in new systems, and getting that company ready to scale as they continued to deploy additional assets in space.

Avionics: As the new CFO of Opener, what are your top priorities and strategic goals for the company in the near future?

Campagna: We’re sort of on the cusp of sales kickoff, and starting to do deliveries to customers. We’re not announcing when we’ll do that yet, but we’re getting closer and closer. For me, it’s focusing on scaling the business as we ramp up our production side, as we start to do more customer deliveries, and that’s a core main focus. There are a lot of other strategic opportunities for the company. Our focus right now is selling to individuals, but I think there’s a lot of vision beyond that like selling to municipalities, and other commercial applications are huge. We’re making sure we’re in a position to start to take advantage of those, looking at it from a finance angle, and seeing how we can continue to grow the business and scale.

How do you plan to leverage your financial expertise to support the growth and expansion of Opener’s eVTOL aircraft for various applications, including recreational, commercial, and public service?

As we expand the scope of what type of products we can offer, there are going to be different regulatory aspects that we need to think about. Making sure that we’re aligned with that, from an insurance perspective and other risk management perspectives, is going to be key. We’ll be opportunistic about raising money when it makes sense to do so—when it’s the right thing to do for our shareholders—in order to take advantage of another segment of the market. We’ll continue to scale the business, [for example] if we have additional product lines, making sure that we have the infrastructure in place to be able to handle that. We’ll also make sure that the team is in place to be able to support those functions as they grow and as the business continues to become more and more complex.

What are some of the key challenges and opportunities Opener may face as it continues to grow?

I’m relatively new to the eVTOL space. I think regulations are a big challenge for the eVTOL space, and I think that we will definitely get there. We’re in a unique position because we don’t have the same regulatory requirements, given that we’re Part 103 Ultralight. That gives us a huge competitive advantage because it allows us to get more flight time; we’re the first and only fixed-wing eVTOL that has human flight hours. We’re able to do that because we have some of the opportunities to continue to fly, and that’s really where we have a huge advantage.

As we get into some other types of applications, there could be future regulatory requirements that we have to make sure we’re complying with. Right now, getting that training experience in is huge. That’s where we really have a competitive advantage.

In general, for eVTOL, our capital requirements are not as significant as others. I think a lot of that lends itself because of the simplicity, although it’s a very safe vehicle but it’s relatively simplistic. We’re vertically integrated, so that also helps from a cost perspective. But to build these things to scale for other eVTOL companies takes a lot of capital. Hiring—obviously you want to hire the top talent, which is one of the reasons we relocated the company to Silicon Valley; we’re in Palo Alto now, because of the hotbed of engineering and other talent in the area, I think that helps us significantly.

Becker Avionics Announces Updates to Next-Gen Digital Intercom System

Becker Avionics’ digital intercom system, the AMU 6500, is getting some key updates, including 3D audio and Bluetooth capabilities. (Photos: Becker Avionics)

Becker Avionics just announced some of the new features that will be offered in its updated AMU 6500, a digital intercom system. These include 3D audio, Bluetooth capabilities, and the ability to use the AMU (Audio Management Unit) 6500 in combination with Becker’s Digital Voice Communication System, the DVCS 6100, as a hybrid system. The addition of the Antenna-Receiver Unit (ARU) 6510 enables the expansion of the AMU 6500 from three to 15 intercom positions.

The DVCS 6500

In a statement to Avionics International, David Oglesbee, Director of Sales and Marketing, commented, “We have had the AMU in the marketplace for about a year, and as we fielded the system, we listened to the customer. Their suggestions have led to these updates making a fantastic audio panel an even more amazing system. We are very excited to meet with operators and show them how this is truly industry-altering technology.”

The native Bluetooth capabilities of the AMU 6500 enable the integration of tactical handsets and cell phones onto a switched position on the system’s control panel. Following the pending expansion of its capabilities, the AMU 6500 can integrate with a Bluetooth-capable wireless headset as well, allowing the rear cabin crew to operate the system from the back of the aircraft.

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