VTOL programmes see opportunity for better maintenance using data

The heads of several US Navy and Marine Corps helicopter and tilt rotor programmes see an opportunity to use data for better preventative maintenance.

However, the USMC and USN are currently limited in their ability to monitor and predict part failures within its fleet of aircraft by a variety of issues, including lack of funding, limited aircraft sensors and insufficient computing power, the programme managers said at AHS International's Annual Forum & Technology Display conference in Phoenix, Arizona on 16 May.

“Absolutely there is an interest,” said US Navy Capt Craig Grubb, who manages the MH-60 helicopter programme. “The likelihood of funding of putting something more in the aircraft then what we have today is unlikely.”

He also noted that there are limited opportunities to do prognostic, conditions based maintenance on the MH-60 fleet today due to the current placement of sensors on the aircraft.

Other programmes are not limited by sensors, but by the inability to make sense of the trove of data available to them.

“Our problem is, at least on the H-1 side, we’ve got all kinds of data; we’ve got tons of data. Our budget hasn’t supported the reduction of that data into [a] useful tool,” said David Walsh, programme manager for the UH-1. “Until we can bridge that gap or industry can help us through an automated AI system or something like that we are going to be limited in what we can do.”

The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey programme said it faces similar problems.

These issues are front and center as the Marine Corps adds its input to the Future Vertical Lift programme, said Walsh.

“That’s going to be one of our core tenants: How do we take advantage of a HUMS (Health and Use Monitoring System) or HUMS-like system?” he said, explaining the value in a hypothetical scenario: “That bearing is going to be dead in 30h, so at 25h the bearing is going to be on your doorstep. You can install it [and] you’ll be good to go.”

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US Marine Corps takes delivery of first CH-53K

Sikorsky delivered its first of an expected 200 CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters to the US Marine Corps on 16 May, with the King Stallion due to achieve initial operational capability next year.

To be stationed at MCAS New River, North Carolina, the lead example of the three-engined rotorcraft will be used during a supportability test activity. "US Marines will conduct a logistics assessment on the maintenance, sustainment and overall logistics support of the King Stallion," according to Sikorsky.

The Lockheed Martin-owned company says there are "18 additional aircraft in various stages of production already", with its second CH-53K due to be delivered in early 2019. It adds that it is preparing to commence production at its Stratford site in Connecticut "this summer".

The King Stallion fleet will replace the USMC's CH-53Es, which have been in service since 1981. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows 142 examples as remaining in operational use.

Sikorsky's incoming model has demonstrated its ability to carry an underslung load weighing more than 16,300kg (36,000lb) – three times that of the previous model – while its maximum speed is in excess of 200kt (370km/h).

Potential export opportunities for the type include a German requirement to replace an aged inventory of CH-53G-series transports. A King Stallion made its international debut at the ILA Berlin air show late last month, with Sikorsky facing competition from the Boeing CH-47F Chinook.

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Uber sees air routes making eVTOL safer than helicopters

Uber believes established air routes above cities will make electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft operations safer than the way conventional helicopters are flown today.

The company sees the predictability that comes with established routes as eliminating many of the unexpected situations that overwhelm and endanger helicopter pilots today, said Mark Moore, engineering director of aviation with Uber.

“One of the reasons why helicopter safety is not as good as other [aircraft] safety is because there is a high degree of operational uncertainty,” he said. “They’re not always flying on the exact same route, from one sky port to another, which is what we’re doing.”

By establishing dedicated air lanes eVTOL operators would be able to study and reduce risks along those paths, said Moore.

“We have a huge operational advantage in terms of safety where we are always repeating the same thing – a trip from a sky port to a sky port,” he said. “The geography is well known; the structures are well known; the support and sky port is known, and part of our integrated network structure.”

The addition of autonomous flight controls to assist and eventually take over eVTOL flight may also help prevent pilots from losing situational awareness or becoming overwhelmed, said Moore.

Initially, Uber envisions its urban eVTOL networks will serve a region with a 52nm (96.6km) diameter. The company would like aircraft in its network to cruise at 130kt (241km/h).

Uber plans to launch its eVTOL networks in three cities by 2023, including Los Angeles, Dallas and a yet-to-be named international city.

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Just Aircraft Introduces Single-seat Ultralight

Walhalla, South Carolina-based Just Aircraft, makers of the SuperSTOL extreme short field performer, is developing an Ultralight for the Part 103 market. Named Just 103, the single-seat Ultralight is expected to be available as a kit or a complete aircraft later this year.

The flying prototype of the open fuselage Just 103 is a high-wing design constructed of steel tubes and an aluminum tail boom. But Troy Woodland, who also designed the SuperSTOL, is reworking the tail to incorporate a steel truss. Other than a small windscreen, the cockpit is completely open leaving the pilot to fully enjoy the sights and scents of the flying environment.

The Just 103 is powered by an Italian engine, the 37-horsepower Polini Thor 250. There are also plans to power the 103 with a Rotax 582 engine, but with that configuration it would no longer qualify under the Ultralight rules, which limit the aircraft to 254 pounds and 55 knots. Instead, the Rotax-powered version would be introduced as a Light Sport Aircraft. Unlike the LSA standards, Part 103 requires no pilot certificate, age limits or medical requirements.

Just Aircraft will continue to test fly and make modifications to the Just 103 and plans to launch the final design at EAA’s AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, at the end of July. The price point has not yet been finalized. However, the company said the Just 103 is expected to be very affordable as the cost of the Polini engine is only $4,000.

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JetSuite commits to launch Zunum hybrid-electric aircraft

Premium charter operator JetSuite has committed to become the launch operator for a Boeing-backed, hybrid-electric aircraft now in development by Seattle-based start-up Zunum Aero.

A memorandum of understanding announced on 21 May commits JetSuite to order up to 100 of the six- to 12-seat commuter aircraft once they become certificated by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

The launch commitment demonstrates growing commercial airline demand for alternatives to conventional, gas-powered aircraft on short routes. In addition to Boeing’s financial support, Zunum also is backed by JetBlueTechnology Ventures. Alex Wilcox, founder of JetSuite, also was a founding executive for JetBlue in 1999.

JetSuite’s commitment also follows a move by European low-cost carrier last September to team up with US start-up Wright Electric to collaborate on the latter’s proposal to develop a large, electric-powered passenger jet within a decade.

By contrast, Zunum Aero’s approach seems far less aggressive. The company plans to begin flight tests in mid-2019 with a flying testbed for the six to 12-seater, says chief executive Ashish Kumar says. The twin-engined testbed will be converted to a hybrid-electric powerplant gradually, beginning with one electric motor replacing one of the aircraft’s gas-powered engines. Both engines eventually will be replaced with electric motors powered by electricity generated by a 1,450shp-class turboshaft engine.

By the early 2020s, Zunum plans to start producing a certificated aircraft with a 1MW-class propulsion system, putting it in roughly the same size class as a Pilatus PC-9 or Cessna Denali. But the still-unnamed Zunum aircraft should be far more fuel efficient. Kumar says that Zunum is targeting a cost per available seat mile around the same as a 70-seat Bombardier Q400.

Zunum also has proposed to deliver a 4MW-class, hybrid-electric airliner with about 50 seats before 2030. Such a vehicle poses several major technical obstacles, including the transmissions cables. The 1MW-class aircraft can use existing 540V cables to transmit electricity from the turbo-generator to the motors. A 4MW-class aircraft, however, could need cables with voltages of 1,000 to 2,000V, which may be susceptible at high altitude to a disabling condition known as the Corona effect. Zunum is working on solutions to resolve that problem for the 50-seater, Kumar says.

Meanwhile, work continues on freezing the configuration for the six- to 12-seat aircraft. Later this summer, Zunum plans to select a supplier for the turbogenerator, with Honeywell, GE Aviation, Rolls-Royce and Safran Aircraft Engines among the candidates, Kumar says.

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Historic Biplanes Recreate First Airmail Flight

Unless you’re a stamp collector, word that the U.S. Postal Service recently began selling stamps commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first scheduled airmail service in the United States might well have flown right past you.

On Sunday morning however, the anniversary took on new life when Darryl Fisher, founder of Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation, and two other pilots began retracing an early airmail route between San Diego and Seattle. The six-day tour began from Gillespie Field (SEE) on the south end with a flight of three Stearman Speedmail bi-planes like those used in the early days of airmail service. Of the 41 Speedmail aircraft built, only seven are still flying.

After departing from Gillespie Field on Sunday, the flight of three aircraft stopped in Los Angeles, before heading on to Bakersfield and an overnight stop in Fresno. Between Tuesday and Friday, the flight also stopped in Concord and Redding California before continuing north with stops at Medford, Eugene and Portland, Oregon, and Olympia, Washington before reaching their final destination, Seattle’s Paine Field (PAE) late Friday afternoon. Combined, the tour is expected to take about 12 hours of flying time to complete. At each mail stop, a USPS portable post office is set up to sell historic covers and commemorative stamps.

History buffs can track the remaining elements of the flight live. Crewmembers for the commemorative flight include Addison Pemberton, Ben Scott, Jeff Hamilton, Larry Harmacinski, Ilse Harmacinski, Darryl Fischer, Jay Pemberton and Katie LeFriec.

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FAA Accepts ASTM Standards for Part 23 Aircraft

The introduction of new aircraft might have just become a lot easier. The FAA has accepted ASTM International standards as a means of certification for Part 23 aircraft. A new rule published by the FAA on May 11 allows for 63 Means of Compliance based on 30 ASTM consensus standards related to general aviation aircraft. The standards for general aviation aircraft were developed by ASTM Committee F44, which includes 250 members from 22 countries.

The committee came out of the Part 23 Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), which aimed to streamline certification standards to reduce the regulatory burden on the industry and reduce the cost of aircraft certification.

Part 23 regulations will continue to be used as a means of certification, but the administrator has deemed the ASTM standards to provide “at least the same level of safety as the corresponding requirements in part 23, amendment 23-64.”

For the past few years, the FAA has allowed ASTM consensus standards as a means of certification for Light Sport Aircraft. The agency has also made provisions within part 23 to streamline the certification of safety components such as angle-of-attack indicators. The catalyst for these changes was the Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013.

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