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Easter Sunday 2200 on BBC Four, @McgColin and @mcgregor_ewan take you through the key events of The Battle of Britain.
A great piece of film and a must-see.
A great piece of film and a must-see.
lørdag 31. mars 2018
GA - FAA Fact Sheet - Engine Failures - FAA
fredag 30. mars 2018
Trump: F-52 to Norway - UAS Vision video
Fra min våkne korrespondent i Vanse (Red.)
Is This the Real ‘F-52’ Fighter jet?
President Donald Trump recently told reporters that the United States had delivered the F-52 to Norway. The statement was obviously a mistake; there is no such thing as an F-52 yet.
The aircraft only exists in the context of a video game called “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare”—however, there was once a real world concept that looks similar to the fiction jet.
“In November we started delivering the first F-52s and F-35 fighter jets,” Trump said. “We have a total of 52 and they’ve delivered a number of them already a little ahead of schedule.”
The aircraft that appears in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is clearly based on early 1990s-era Lockheed Martin concepts for the Naval Advanced Tactical Fighter and the later A/F-X—both of which were based on the YF-22 demonstrator aircraft that eventually became the F-22 Raptor.
Source: YouTube
Atta boy - Curt Lewis
Pilot
fired after reporting possible FAA violations is reinstated
Aviation Regulation Workers Comp Coverage
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered a small Boston-based airline to reinstate a pilot who lost his job after complaining about what he believed were violations of the Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the department announced Wednesday.
The pilot was stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford in December 2015 when he voiced concerns to his employer, Jet Logistics Inc. and New England Life Flight Inc., doing business as Boston MedFlight, his apprehension about whether a new scheduling policy would provide pilots with required FAA rest time, according to a press release.
A month later, in January 2016, he contacted the FAA to register his concerns and was terminated in March 2016 after he declined two flight assignments because he believed he had not been given the time to rest mandated by regulation.
An OSHA investigation concluded the pilot was terminated for reporting safety concerns, a protected activity under federal law.
In addition to reinstating the employee, and clearing his personnel file of any reference to the issues involved in the investigation, OSHA also ordered the airline to pay the pilot $133,616.09 in back wages and interest, $100,000 in compensatory damages, reasonable attorney fees and to refrain from retaliating against the employee. The employers must also post a notice informing all employees of their whistleblower protections under federal law.
"This pilot should be commended - not penalized - for raising legitimate safety concerns that can affect him, his co-workers and the general public," Galen Blanton, OSHA Boston-area regional administrator, said in a press statement.
Officials with Boston MedFlight could not be reached for comment.
Aviation Regulation Workers Comp Coverage
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered a small Boston-based airline to reinstate a pilot who lost his job after complaining about what he believed were violations of the Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the department announced Wednesday.
The pilot was stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford in December 2015 when he voiced concerns to his employer, Jet Logistics Inc. and New England Life Flight Inc., doing business as Boston MedFlight, his apprehension about whether a new scheduling policy would provide pilots with required FAA rest time, according to a press release.
A month later, in January 2016, he contacted the FAA to register his concerns and was terminated in March 2016 after he declined two flight assignments because he believed he had not been given the time to rest mandated by regulation.
An OSHA investigation concluded the pilot was terminated for reporting safety concerns, a protected activity under federal law.
In addition to reinstating the employee, and clearing his personnel file of any reference to the issues involved in the investigation, OSHA also ordered the airline to pay the pilot $133,616.09 in back wages and interest, $100,000 in compensatory damages, reasonable attorney fees and to refrain from retaliating against the employee. The employers must also post a notice informing all employees of their whistleblower protections under federal law.
"This pilot should be commended - not penalized - for raising legitimate safety concerns that can affect him, his co-workers and the general public," Galen Blanton, OSHA Boston-area regional administrator, said in a press statement.
Officials with Boston MedFlight could not be reached for comment.
USAF om Air Combat 2030 - UAS Vision video
US Air Force Vision of Air Combat in 2030
As part of a broader initiative to invigorate its advanced science and technology work and promote increased partnerships with academia, the U.S. Air Force has released a short video depicting how it thinks aerial warfare might look by the end of the next decade.
It’s a futuristic, but in many ways incomplete vision full of advanced stealthy manned jets, semi-autonomous unmanned combat air vehicles, lasers and other directed energy weapons, and a potentially artificial intelligence-enabled network backbone that brings it all together.
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), one of the service’s top research and development arms, put the clip online earlier in March 2018 as a “call to action” for the Air Force 2030 project. Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson first announced this plan at the Air Force Association’s main annual convention and exhibition in 2017, which also marked the Air Force’s 70th year in existence.
“We will listen broadly and engage those who are on the cutting edge of science so that we can focus our research efforts on the pathways that are vital to our future as a service,” she said in her keynote address on Sept. 18, 2017. “At a time when federal research funding may be uncertain we want the United States Air Force to be the sponsor of choice for research scientists.”
But it’s clear that AFRL, and the Air Force as a whole, already has some understanding of the kind of capabilities it is most interested in pursuing. After giving a brief overview of the service’s already significant history of science and technology research and development work, the Air Force 2030 video cuts to a computer generated montage of advanced air warfare concepts.
Loyal Wingmen
The first scene depicts an F-35A Joint Strike Fighter working together with six stealth unmanned combat air vehicles, or UCAVs. For years now, the Air Force, and AFRL in particular, has been working on this type of manned-unmanned teaming, which it has referred to as the “Loyal Wingman” concept.
In 2015, Lockheed Martin, in cooperation with the CalSpan Corporation, demonstrated the ability of a two-seat Block 50 F-16D Viper to safely fly in formation with a modified unmanned F-16 test bed, known as the Variable stability In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft, or VISTA. At times during that test,known Have Raider, the drone Viper also broke off, followed a pre-determined route independently, and then re-entered formation with the manned aircraft.
Two years later, during a follow on experiment called Have Raider II, the pair of aircraft actually went through the motions of a simulated strike mission. The pilotless F-16 attacked simulated targets on the ground autonomously based on an established set of parameters, but also modified its flight pattern in response to mock threats and other changing environmental conditions.
AFRL has since released concept art of a more purpose built drone wingman under a project called Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology (LCAAT). That design looked very similar to the XQ-222 Valkyrie, a multi-purpose unmanned aircraft from drone maker Kratos that the U.S. Air Force also calls the XQ-58A.
Kratos recently received approval to export its less advanced UTAP-22 Mako drone, which it has tested in a loyal wingman role in the past with a U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier, which suggests that there could be more advanced designs from that company or others in a relatively mature state already available to the Air Force. With some notable exceptions, the United States is typically not inclined to make military systems available even to allies that are directly equivalent to its own top-end capabilities.
Stealthy unmanned attackers
The March 2018 video shows much more advanced loyal wingmen with completely tailless, low-observable planforms, internal weapons bays, and an in-flight refueling receptacle on top of the fuselage. Both the Air Force and the U.S. Navy have demonstrated the ability to refuel an unmanned aircraft in mid-air and the former service may have actually deployed drones with this capability.
Coupled with mid-air refueling, such a force could potentially penetrate deep into denied enemy areas full of integrated air defenses and advanced hostile fighter aircraft to destroy critical or time sensitive targets. The group would also be able to strike at those defenses, helping open up a safer path for subsequent strikes by more vulnerable non-stealthy aircraft.
In the video, the pilot in the F-35A uses the aircraft’s advance sensor suite to detect a surface-to-air missile site and orders some of his drone companions to attack it with what appears to be a GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) glide bomb. This combination of a manned low-observable plane directing stealthy UCAVs to hit a target with a stand-off weapon shows just how much distance a pilot might be able to put between themselves and a threat with this operating concept.
Similar operating concepts could apply in air-to-air combat, as well, with the drones acting as missile trucks, engaging targets based on information from the controlling F-35 or another manned or unmanned asset loaded with sensors. It could also potentially help with the Air Force’s chronic pilot shortage by significantly expanding the capabilities a single manned aircraft can bring to bear across a broad area.
Source: The Drive
Helikopter - Siste nytt om AW169 - R&W
Leonardo Delivers AW169 for HEMS Operations in the UK
By S.L. Fuller | February 8, 2018
Photo courtesy of Leonardo
Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance Trust (KSSAAT) now has two Leonardo AW169s. It took delivery of a second aircraft recently during a ceremony at Leonardo’s Vergiate factory in Italy.
“Our first aircraft has amply demonstrated the capability shift that KSSAAT has been seeking in terms of patient care with its extra performance and specially designed medical cabin,” said Adrian Bell, CEO of KSSAAT. “So we are delighted to extend this capability across the rest of our operation with a second AW169.”
The air medical interior is to be installed in the U.K. by Specialist Aviation Services (SAS), which will also operate the aircraft on behalf of KSSAAT.
KSSAAT was SAS’s U.K. launch customer, with the first AW169 entering service last year. The new aircraft is set to enter service in the second quarter of this year.
Leonardo said SAS has placed orders for 12 AW169s. It is also an authorized service center for the model in the U.K.
More than 160 AW169s are on order. So far, Leonardo has delivered about 50.
KSSAAT was the first air ambulance provider in the U.K. to fly 24/7, according to Leonardo.
Helikopter - Airbus navngir H160 launch customer - R&W
Airbus Helicopters Names H160 Launch Customer
By S.L. Fuller | March 1, 2018
Airbus, Airbus Helicopters, Babcock, H160, HeliExpo18, EMS
Image courtesy of Airbus Helicopters
The global launch customer for the Airbus Helicopters H160 didn’t buy a single unit to start out with. Babcock signed a five-year frame agreement for a fleet.
Airbus said Thursday at Heli-Expo in Las Vegas that Babcock’s fleet of H160s would be used for EMS and other critical services missions. The aircraft would start working in Europe, to be deployed progressively across Babcock’s worldwide bases.
“The H160 was a natural choice for Babcock’s operations as its large cabin and low vibration levels and its state-of-the-art technology will make it a safe and comfortable environment for mission critical services to work in” said Roger Hardy, chief executive of aviation for Babcock International Group. “We are sure that the innovations that the H160 brings to the market will help us deliver our high standards of quality, safety and cost-effectiveness.”
According to Airbus, the H160 has 68 patents. It features sound-reducing Blue Edge blades and Helionix — the manufacturer claims this aircraft to be its first with a true digital, connected focus.
“We are proud that the largest civil helicopter operator has selected the H160 to become its next generation solution for saving lives. As the H160 launch customer, Babcock inaugurates a new era for helicopter operators,” said Ben Bridge, EVP of global business at Airbus Helicopters. Bridge is also a new member of R&WI’s editorial advisory board. “In every aspect, from industrial production, to maintenance and fleet management and of course mission readiness, the H160 represents the new standard in helicopter capabilities for the next 30 years.”
GA - Cub på flottører - AVweb
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XCub
Now Available On Floats
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Mary Grady
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CubCrafters
is now offering factory-installed floats for its Part 23-certified XCub
two-seater, the company announced this week. Wipline 2100 floats,
manufactured by Wipaire, are available in both amphibious and seaplane
versions. Float operations were “a design objective from the outset,” said
Randy Lervold, president of CubCrafters. The floats are available for new
XCubs, or as a retrofit on aircraft that have already been delivered, the
company said.
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Flygermangel USA - Regionalt flyselskap legger ned - AVweb
Regional
Airline Cites Pilot Shortage In Shutdown
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Mary Grady
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Great
Lakes Airlines, a regional carrier based in Denver, has canceled all of its
scheduled flights as of Tuesday, citing a lack of pilots, the Denver Post has
reported. The airline posted a notice on its website noting the company has
not entered bankruptcy and will continue to operate scheduled service as
Great Lakes Express between Denver and two cities in South Dakota. Great
Lakes had flown to Los Angeles, Phoenix and several other regional
destinations. “It’s just plain, fundamental draining of availability of
pilots,” Great Lakes CEO Doug Voss told the Post. “At the end of the day,
it’s about the pilot-supply issue and how government is managing the
consequences of it.” The shutdown will leave Cheyenne and Telluride without
air service from Denver.
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torsdag 29. mars 2018
F-35 software oppgradering - Les mer om C2D2 her - AW&ST
What F-35 Can Learn From F-22 Upgrade Hiccups
F-22: USAF
Before there was “C2D2,” the Star Wars-evoking acronym for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 upgrade program, there was the F-22 Raptor’s “Scaled Agile Framework,” or SAFe.
The F-22 was the first Pentagon weapon system to implement “agile” software and hardware development methods. The Raptor modernization program transitioned from a more traditional approach to the SAFe method in 2014, in an attempt to reduce the number of deficiencies encountered during flight testing and to deliver capabilities to the warfighter faster.
Now, as the F-35 shifts to an “agile” development approach for its own modernization road map, the Joint Program Office (JPO) may do well to take some lessons learned from SAFe.
Instead of developing software in one large package, or block, SAFe uses 12-to-14 week periods to develop smaller portions of software that contribute to the final product. Under SAFe, software developers perform integrated testing during the development process, which they hope will reduce the number of deficiencies identified during flight testing and the number of unplanned software updates.
The upgrade program, which was established in 2003 and will run until 2026, will add critical capabilities to keep the F-22 relevant over its lifetime: Link 16, the tactical communications data link used by most fighter aircraft; enhanced friend-or-foe identification capabilities; sensor enhancements; a Helmet Mounted Display and Cuing System for improved tracking, targeting and weapons controls; and better defenses against jamming.
But the Pentagon’s Inspector General was critical of the U.S. Air Force’s management of the F-22 modernization program in a March report, particularly the contracting approach
So far the program office has awarded two contracts for F-22 modernization: one in 2003 for up to $6 billion and another in 2013 for up to $6.9 billion. Both contracts are indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts with primarily cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery orders, according to the IG. The program office plans to award the next order in spring of 2018.
The Air Force’s failure to find an appropriate contracting strategy for SAFe is part of a wider problem in the Pentagon, the IG report claims. Neither the office of the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics or the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition have issued policy for implementing agile software development methods on weapon systems acquisitions.
“Without an appropriate contracting strategy, the Program Office may not deliver F-22 modernized capabilities necessary to sustain air superiority against rapidly evolving U.S. adversaries,” the IG wrote.
It is “imperative” that DOD address this problem by updating acquisition guidance, particularly as the use of agile software development methods increases, the report says.
The F-35 will likely feel the impact of any DOD policy changes. The JPO’s latest plan for F-35 follow-on modernization, called Continuous Capability Development and Delivery (C2D2), relies heavily on agile software development—smaller, incremental updates to the F-35’s software and hardware instead of one big drop, with the goal of speeding follow-on upgrades while still fixing remaining deficiencies in the Block 3F software load.
F-35 program executive officer Vice Adm. Mat Winter has compared the C2D2 approach to downloading iPhone apps.
“Envision in your head: the pilot jumps in a jet, fires it up, the panoramic cockpit display comes up,” said Winter. “Envision a little window that pops up that says ‘your latest EOTS [electro-optical distributed aperture system] software update is ready for download: yes or no?’ Similar to what you do on your smartphone.”
The JPO envisions C2D2 as consisting of a six-month enhancement and improvement software delivery cycle and a 12-month interval for modernization, according to Winter’s written testimony provided to the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee. The approach includes a sequence of two capability drops aligned with a cycle of “Technology Insertions,” which are designed to leverage rapid commercial off-the-shelf computer upgrades to keep pace with technology and minimize obsolescence while solving diminishing manufacturing source issues.
On a longer-term cycle, C2D2 also includes a “Technology Refresh” every eight to 10 years “to capture the next level of computing capacity,” Winter said. The JPO hopes this timeline will maintain “viable warfighting capability” throughout each cycle—a decision that was based on experience from the F-22.
The JPO is planning to award a Systems Engineering Phase II contract for C2D2 in spring 2018, according to Winter. The contracting vehicle the JPO uses could indicate whether the Pentagon is finally getting its arms around the right approach for agile software development.
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