At BusinessWeek.

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I think the political games over this deal have only just begun.

A McChord Air Force Base, Wash., C-17 Globemaster III airdrops containerized delivery system bundles to the South Pole. The C-17 is part of 13th Air Force-led Operation Deep Freeze, a unique joint and total force mission that has supported the National Science Foundation and U.S. Antarctic Program since 1955. By validating the C-17’s capability to complete airdrop missions at the geographical South Pole, Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica demonstrated its ability to provide mid-winter emergency re-supply and flexible support to the National Science Foundation and U.S. Antarctica Program. (Courtesy photo/B.K. Grant)

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Containerized delivery system bundles are recovered by a ground crew member at the South Pole. The bundles were airdropped by a McChord Air Force Base, Wash., C-17 Globemaster III supporting Operation Deep Freeze. The 13th Air Force-led Operation Deep Freeze is a unique joint and total force mission that has supported the National Science Foundation and U.S. Antarctic Program since 1955. By validating the C-17’s capability to complete airdrop missions at the geographical South Pole, Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica demonstrated its ability to provide mid-winter emergency re-supply and flexible support to the National Science Foundation and U.S. Antarctica Program. (Courtesy photo/B.K. Grant)

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Full Article at Air Force Link.

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The Boeing Press Release:

EVERETT, Wash., Feb. 28, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today delivered its 1,400th 747, a 747-400 Freighter delivered to GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) for lease to AirBridgeCargo Airlines, a subsidiary of the Volga-Dnepr Group.

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“We are honored to receive the 1,400th Boeing 747,” said Gennady Pivovarov, senior vice president of Production, AirBridgeCargo Airlines. “The 747 is a high-quality, reliable airplane that plays a critical role in our success.”

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The 1,400th 747 is the seventh 747 freighter in the AirBridgeCargo Airlines fleet, joining five 747-200/-300 Freighters and a 747-400 Freighter. The Volga-Dnepr Group also has ordered five of Boeing’s new 747-8 Freighters, the highly efficient and more capable next model in the 747 freighter family.

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“This milestone speaks to the strong foundation laid at the very beginning of the 747 program,” said Ross R. Bogue, vice president and general manager, 747 program and Everett site. “Boeing has delivered seven times more airplanes than the initial market estimate of 200 units, which was projected when the 747 entered service. This is a tribute to the hard work and dedication that our Boeing employees, suppliers and the community have put into this program.”

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The 1,400 747 airplanes assembled at the Everett site have established a strong track record. The 747 has completed more than 17 million flights through 2007. It has logged approximately 89 million flight hours or more than 10,000 years of flight time. The airplanes have flown approximately 42 billion nautical miles (78 billion kilometers), which is equivalent to making nearly 203,000 trips to the moon.

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The airplane’s accomplishments will continue to grow as the program builds out the remaining industry-leading 747-400 Freighters and begins production of the new 747-8 family. Boeing will deliver the first 747-8 Freighter in late 2009 and the first 747-8 Intercontinental in late 2010.

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Sikorsky Press Release:

HOUSTON, Texas - Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. today unveiled its X2 Technology™ Demonstrator at the George R. Brown Convention Center at Heli-Expo 2008. Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX)

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The X2 Technology Demonstrator is designed to demonstrate a helicopter can cruise comfortably at 250 knots, while retaining desirable helicopter attributes including excellent low speed handling, efficient hovering and autorotation safety, and a seamless and simple transition to high speed.

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“The X2 Technology Demonstrator is an integrated suite of technologies intended to advance the state-of-the-art, counter-rotating coaxial rotor helicopter. As we continue to work to prove out and mature the technologies that will allow the X2 Technology Demonstrator to become a viable product, we are focused on testing its limits and finding out where this technology will take us,” said Jeffrey P. Pino, Sikorsky President.

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“This could be a ‘game changer’ in the industry. We are diligently pursuing this as a research project. We are testing the limits and pioneering this exciting innovation.”

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Among the innovative technologies the X2 Technology Demonstrator employs are:

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* Fly-by-wire flight controls

* Counter-rotating rigid rotor blades

* Hub drag reduction

* Active vibration control

* Integrated auxiliary propulsion system

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Peter Grant, Sikorsky Senior Manager of Advanced Programs, noted that the X2 Technology Demonstrator has continued to make progress toward first flight. “Throughout 2007, the aircraft made excellent additional build and subsystem test progress, re-entering vehicle ground testing in November 2007. Extensive test instrumentation is also being installed as preparation for its first flight,” Grant said.

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A few more details from Jets.ru (they appear proud of Russian born Sikorsky)

“We want to break the paradigm of 160 knots,” said Sikorsky President Jeff Pino. “With fly-by-wire, we can keep the rotor blades apart and stop the flapping. The control rods run inside the shaft of the rotor blade.

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“At 210 knots, the main rotor blades start slowing, at the 265-knot design speed, the retreating blades are 80 percent in reverse flow with 90 percent of the thrust going through the [aft-mounted] six-bladed propeller.”

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“This is not an airplane that we’ve taught to hover; it’s a true helicopter that will exceed 250 knots. We are not going to let [Sikorsky Aircraft founder] Igor [Sikorsky] down.”

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This thing is apparently on display right now at Heli-Expo in Houston. If anyone gets pictures of this thing, send them to me if you would. Thanks. dmc

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Feb. 25, 2008) The amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4) crosses the Atlantic Ocean during a scheduled deployment as part of the Nassau Expeditionary Strike Group supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrew King

The Air Force Times has a few details about the crash of the B-2 bomber “Spirit of Kansas” on Saturday.

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Feb. 23, 2008) Sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) gather around the rails to watch a Hawker-Hunter training aircraft fly by the ship. Mustin is deployed with Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Derek J. Hurder

If you’ve been around here for long, surely you’ve caught one of my rants about ADS/B, and how it needs to be implemented yesterday. Well, the official comment period for the new ADS/B regulation is ending next Monday, so now is your chance to let the FAA know what you think.

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Unfortunately, the proposed rule is a mere shadow of what I think could, and should, be done to implement the next generation of aircraft navigation. The ADS/B rule shouldn’t just be an augmentation for radar and transponders like it appears to be. ADS/B by all rights should be the foundation for a completely new paradigm about how aircraft make their way from point A to B.

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Just for a few minutes, erase what you think you know about aircraft navigation and let’s go back to the beginning. How did the airspace system get to be what it is?
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The answer is because the old aviators could not 1) determine exactly where they were at night or in clouds, and 2) could not always see other aircraft. If Wiley Post could have had GPS, wireless data communication and embedded computers in the Winnie Mae, then ATC and the airspace system we have today wouldn’t exist. And knowing the old barn stormers, that hardware would have only cost a couple hundred bucks in 2008 dollars.

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Wiley would have built something like this:

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What you’re looking at is a GPS (contained inside the black “puck” antenna), and an APRS radio, which stands for “Automatic Position (or Packet) Reporting System”. It uses Amateur Radio downlink sites to track the airplane location in real time on the internet. Total cost was $185 bucks, and was built by Pete Howell, see details here.

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All that’s missing is a display in the cockpit (I’m assuming this is a transceiver, but it’s not hard to make it one if it isn’t), and this would be a fully functional ADS/B system that Wiley and his buddies would have used to fly anywhere, anytime, with complete safety against collision with other airplanes.
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What else would they have needed?

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Ok, yes you would need to have formal “highways in the sky“, and pre-defined methods of collision avoidance when using them. But that’s easily imagined with modern embedded computers in the airplanes negotiating traffic avoidance. No ATC required.

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The biggest problem with existing ATC is that it’s the One, controlling the Many. It operates by the One verbally telling the Many individuals what to do. One… At… A… Time…

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Another thought experiment…. Imagine you have some people on a basketball court, with boxes over their heads containing a compass so they can only see what direction they’re pointing. Then you tell Jim “walk 310 degrees for 10 paces”, and tell Jane “walk 180 degrees for 5 paces, then turn right to 250 degrees and walk 15 paces. And so on. How many people do you think you could move about the room without a risk of two people colliding? Probably not many. The “radio frequency” would become too crowded after maybe 15 people.
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So change the experiment. Put people on the basketball court without the boxes on their heads, and tell them to walk around on their own, never touching anyone else. How many people could the basketball court hold with no danger of collision? My bet is it would get dramatically more crowded, and/or get dramatically safer if traffic was the same as before.

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Change the experiment again, and provide some way people could avoid one another by going over and under each other in three dimensions like airplanes in the airspace, then how many people could the basketball court safely hold? I think the number would be staggering.

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The point is that the One controlling the Many is the wrong paradigm. This was the only possible method in the old days, originating with guys up in wooden towers shooting flare guns to “clear” someone to land. But we now have the technology for the Many to safely control themselves, and do it much better than the other way round. It’s past time for the paradigm to change.
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Giving pilots eyes and the ability to avoid their own traffic is what ADS/B *could* accomplish, if the FAA establishment would allow it. But for lots of reasons, mainly political and for job security, they aren’t willing to do that.
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Other places like AOPA can opine about costs and schedules of ADS/B, but let me talk about a few technical details.

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The proposed system uses two incompatible methods of data link. The first, for airlines and high performance jets, is the transponder based “Mode S Extended Squitter“. The Squitter, is a technology envisioned decades ago expressly to enable an ADS/B system by sending data between aircraft. But it appears to be a complete technical failure in that role. Back when I was on the ADS/B committee at ARINC 10 years ago, the Mode S squitter was tried with a couple of aircraft operating in the LA basin with prototype ADS/B systems. But even though ground radar sites could pick up the data, the aircraft often could not see data between each other, mainly because of blocking the signal by a wing getting in the way, etc.
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To allow ADS/B to operate with it’s original concept, no ground radar sites required, the FAA is proposing a parallel method of data link with a 978mhz “Universal Access Transceiver” or UAT. This does the job the Mode S squitter was supposed to do, allowing aircraft to swap GPS location data directly aircraft to aircraft. *This* is key to the solution of a problem that’s plagued pilots for 100 years. A real method for pilots to navigate without hitting terrain, and without hitting traffic.

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By proposing the dual system of squitter plus UAT, the FAA is locking themselves into a job. Their ground based systems will still be required, operating like an internet router, moving data packets between aircraft using the two incompatible systems. The airlines like this, because as long as pilots have to depend on FAA and ATC bureaucracies for flight in IFR conditions (and maybe pay User Fees in the future), they know that there will never be large numbers of inexpensive aircraft, flown by their owners as a practical alternative to airline travel.
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For years, a few people have talked about systems that might make ATC irrelevant. But most pilots believe that such ideas are pure fantasy. What we have here is a failure of imagination, and a fear of doing things different and against “the rules”. Most pilots can’t imagine that “the rules” could be changed, or imagine the advantages it could bring, if only there was a desire to do so.

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The FAA web site has the proposed ADS/B rule, and you can comment before next Monday by following the link at the right. I’m not sure what I’ll say, and I don’t have a good suggestion for you. All I know is I’m deeply disappointed that the future that could be… won’t.

At Indystar.com (H/T Gary Lynch)

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A “source” says the Air Force tanker decision has been made. But no announcement yet. No doubt a few a few people are turning blue in Chicago, Seattle and Wichita.  Story at Kansas.com.

In the Air Force, we called this “Hot Pit” refueling.

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Feb. 20, 2008) A CH-53 Sea Stallion hovers while an MV-22 Osprey refuels on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4). The Nassau Strike Group deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Rustum Rivera

PACIFIC OCEAN (Feb. 22, 2008) Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11, led by the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), steams in the Pacific Ocean after recently completing exercises with several Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force ships. Nimitz is operating in the western Pacific and Indian oceans as part of the U.S. 7th Fleet. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class John Scorza

With company execs on board, pilot buzzes the runway with brand new Triple Seven and gets fired. Story at Timesonline.

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Video at YouTube.

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What’s interesting is that he’s in level flight here, or perhaps descending a bit, but still quite nose high. Apparently this is a normal flight attitude for this speed. If he were flying a Lancair, this flyby would appear to be very conservative. But with a heavy, it looks much lower than it really was.

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Now *This* was a low flyby.

I got an e-mail forwarded via Mike Thompson at SARL from Eric Whyte, the lead mover and shaker at AirVenture Cup. Hopefully they won’t mind me reposting here.

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Hi Mike,

If you want to make an announcement, we finally have all the approvals in from, EAA, the FAA etc. We have decided to make a major change to the AirVenture Cup Race. Starting in 2008 we are going to have a West to East Race on Even years, (2008 and 2010) and an East to West Race starting in Dayton on odd years (2009 & 2011). After much discussion we have decided to hold the 2008 race start in Mitchell, SD. Mitchell was chosen for several reasons, mainly its location is approximately 420 nm from the fnish line and there are no major airspace obsticles in a direct line between Mitchell and Oshkosh. Also it has two long paved runways, a big ramp, and a supportive FBO and airport manager. Depending on how things go we may try something else in 2010, but that is still up in the air. The good news is, in talking to Tom Poberezny he is in favor of the plan and sees it as a way to keep the race going on a long term plan with EAA’s support.

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We are hoping to have a great race this summer- and strong tailwinds! Details and Applications will be available on the website as they are finished. (www.airventurecup.com)

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Eric Whyte

Press Release from BAE Systems:

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JOHNSON CITY, N.Y., Feb 21, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE)  BAE Systems has installed a remotely operated defensive weapon system aboard a U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey in preparation for ground-fire and flight testing. The hardware installation and ensuing fit-check, completed in January, follow the company’s recent selection to develop an interim all-quadrant defensive weapon system for the Osprey.

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The U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), which awarded the contract to integrate and test the weapon mission kit on the CV-22, is currently performing ground testing, with flight testing to follow. SOCOM oversaw the successful installation of the system hardware aboard the aircraft in January at Hurlburt Field, Florida.

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Using a GAU-2B mini-gun mounted to the belly of the aircraft, the weapon is designed to provide 360 degrees of accurate, sustained suppressive fire throughout the CV-22’s flight envelope. The weapon is based on BAE Systems’ Remote Guardian System(TM), a company-funded effort to develop a common airborne defensive capability for the V-22 and other special-mission rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft. BAE Systems designed the hardware and precision control systems without access to aircraft drawings or solid models, relying in part on its knowledge of the CV-22 as provider of the platform’s flight control system.

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You know, a CV-22 might make an awesome Spooky. Able to operate from very remote fields, fly to an area quickly, and carry a fairly decent load of ammo. But it will need more than one mini-gun. Here’s a time-exposure image from an AC-47 Spooky operating in Plaiku Vietnam in ‘69.

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