Formålet med bloggen er å bidra til informasjon om luftfart av alle slag. Også litt om ubåter og forsvarsspørsmål. Nyheter vil du finne her også, en del på engelsk som er det mest brukte luftfartsspråket. Har du selv noe som bør komme ut, så send meg en mail til per.gram@hesbynett.no
tirsdag 31. oktober 2023
Militær biolab skal etableres på Bjørnøya - The Barents Observer
Putin gjør hva han kan for å skape falske fiendebilder. Legges det opp til militær "intervensjon" på Bjørnøya som egentlig er russisk? (Red.)
Bio-weapon claims
The Russian Geographical Society’s Murmansk conference included a speech by Natalia Belisheva, Head of Department of Medicine and Biological Problem of Human Adaptation in the Arctic. Her department is part of Kola Science Centre, a northern branch of the Russian Academy of Science.
Talking about biomedical research at Svalbard and how humans adapt to life in the high Arctic, Belisheva suddenly changed topic and accused Norway of entering a secret agreement allowing the United States to build a military facility with a biological laboratory at Bear Island.
“It will be a virus-biological laboratory by the Pentagon,” Natalia Belisheva stated.
She added:
“It’s a completely unknown laboratory but it is known that funding will come from the state budget of the country and the entire equipment will be supplied by General Electric and Johnson & Johnson.”
The cost, according to Belisheva, is $100 million and the funding period is from July 2023 to February 2025.
Belisheva is a highly decorated researcher with multiple internationally published science articles.
Where does the Arctic military bio-lab story come from?
Natalia Belisheva is not the first to talk about a secret US military-biological Arctic laboratory at Bear Island, the southernmost island of the Svalbard archipelago.
The story was first planted by Mash, a pro-Kremlin Telegram channel with alleged links to Russia’s security services.
“… the construction of a virology laboratory in the Arctic waters is one of the most important areas of the Pentagon’s specialized units,” Mash claimed with reference to unnamed sources. The story was published on June 16 this year, one day before the Norwegian Parliament’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense visited Bear Island.
Like most Russian false propaganda accusations, the story soon spread from smaller regional media, like Nord-News, to larger widespread national media like the Komsomolskaya Pravda and news agency Rambler.
According to the Svalbard Treaty, Norway cannot use the archipelago for warlike purposes.
Russia’s info-war
Bio-labs accusations became a hot topic soon after Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine in February 2022.
The Foreign Ministry in Moscow posted a tweet (now X) accusing the USA of running a secret military biological program. Russian soldiers invading Ukraine had allegedly discovered “the evidence of an emergency clean-up performed by the Kyiv regime…,” Sergey Lavrov’s diplomats wrote.
Russia soon brought up the issue in the UN’s Security Council and was supported by China.
Ukraine and the United States denied the accusations. US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told the council:
“I will say this once; Ukraine does not have a biological weapons program.”
Interesting with the Mash story on Bear Island is the last sentence, which states:
“For reference: Bear Island was recognized as part of the Russian Empire in the 19th century, but after the 1917 revolution it came under the control of Norway.”
A350 får lengre bein med versjon -1000 - FlightGlobal
Airbus details
range expectations from latest A350-1000 weight increase
By David Kaminski-Morrow27 October 2023
Airbus
expects the range of its A350-1000 to increase by around 180nm following a hike
in the twinjet’s maximum take-off weight.
The
airframer is raising the take-off weight to 322t – an increase of 3t – and says
this will stretch the aircraft’s range to some 8,900nm at maximum passenger
payload.
Airbus’s
previous heaviest version of the A350-1000 was the 319t weight variant known as
WV006.
This version
had been pitched successfully to Qantas for the carrier’s ‘Project Sunrise’
initiative to offer non-stop services to eastern Australia from London and New
York.
Qantas has
12 A350-1000s on order from the manufacturer.
Airbus says
the higher-weight 322t aircraft potentially offers greater flexibility on
long-haul routes.
Source: Airbus
Airbus expects the A350-1000 to have 180nm more range
Middle
Eastern carrier Emirates had been an early customer for the A350-1000 before
Airbus redesigned the aircraft in 2011, to the Gulf airline’s
displeasure – despite the revamp’s raising the original maximum take-off
weight from 298t to 308t.
But Emirates
has since warmed to the A350 and placed orders for 50 of the -900 as part of a
fleet rejig following Airbus’s decision in 2019 to close the A380 programme.
While
Emirates has not yet revisited the -1000, the Dubai-based carrier indicated
earlier this year that it was fleet-planning for the replacement of A380s and
Boeing 777-300ERs.
The airline
is looking at A350s and 777-9s, as well as 787s, to meet its capacity
requirements and an improved A350-1000 performance could help lure the carrier
back to the twinjet.
Airbus is
also developing a freighter version of the A350 which will largely be based on
the -1000’s structure.
It has
previously listed the A350F’s maximum take-off weight as 319t – the same as the
-1000 passenger aircraft before the MTOW hike – and given a payload capability
of 109t.
Airbus has
yet to disclose the extent to which the 322t variant of the -1000 will
influence the performance of the A350F.
A321neo selger godt - FlightGlobal
Korean Air orders 20 more A321neos
By Alfred Chua30
October 2023
Korean Air has
increased its Airbus A321neo orderbook, committing to 20 additional
narrowbodies as part of fleet renewal plans.
The SkyTeam carrier has taken delivery of eight of an initial order of 30 A321neos, deploying them on flights to Mainland China, Japan, as well as Southeast Asia.
Korean Air has
increased its A321neo orderbook.
Korean Air
received its first A321neo in December 2022, marking its entry as the region’s
newest Airbus narrowbody operator.
Its A321neos,
which are powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines, are configured to
seat 182 in two classes. Korean Air also debuted new cabin products for the
A321neo, including lie-flat seats in business class.
With the
additional A321neo orders, Korean Air now has 110 new aircraft in its
orderbook. These comprise Boeing 787-9s and -10s, as well as 737 Max 8 jets.
Delivery of the
existing 30 A321neos are expected to run through 2027, though Korean Air did
not disclose when the 20 additional aircraft will be delivered.
The airline, which is in the process of acquiring compatriot Asiana Airlines, will retire its aging fleet of A330s and 777-200ERs e A321neos
NASAMS utvikles videre - Regjeringen
|
Norge inngår samarbeidsavtale med KONGSBERG og Raytheon for å videreutvikle luftvernsystemet NASAMSNyhet | 31.10.2023 | Forsvarsdepartementet – Vi trenger å styrke og bygge videre ut luftvernet for å bedre kunne beskytte sivile og militære mål mot angrep fra luften. Krigen i Ukraina har synliggjort hvor avgjørende luftvern er i krig. Den samarbeidsavtalen vi nå har undertegnet med norske KONGSBERG og amerikanske Raytheon legger grunnlaget for å videreutvikle det stridsprøvede luftvernsystemet NASAMS mot framtidas trusler, sier forsvarsminister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp). Nyheitsvarsel om: Forsvar |
Cessna Caravan hendelsen i 2022 da flygeren ble akutt syk - Oppdatering fra AVweb
Hendelsen er omtalt her tidligere, men at flygeren som ble akutt alvorlig syk overlevde, er utrolig det og. (Red.)
Stricken Pilot In Caravan Emergency Back To Flying
The pilot whose in-flight medical crisis prompted a non-pilot passenger to land their Cessna Caravan now has his medical back. Kenneth Allen was flying two passengers from the Bahamas to Florida on May 10, 2022, when his aortic artery tore. One of the passengers, Darren Harrison, who had no flight experience, took the controls and, with help from an instructor over the radio, landed the big single pretty much flawlessly at Palm Beach Airport. As Harrison was celebrated for the outcome, Allen was far from being out of danger.
He was taken to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center where doctors diagnosed a tear in his aorta that reached deep into his abdomen. “It really is nothing short of a miracle that he was even able to get to us,” Dr. Nishant Patel told NewsNation. He underwent emergency open heart surgery and Patel was able to repair the damage. After 17 months of recovery and rehabilitation, the FAA reissued his medical. Allen said he’s been through numerous tests and assessments and given a clean bill of health. He said he’s flown almost every day since he got his ticket back. He’s planning to fly Harrison, his wife and their 14-month-old daughter to Charleston next week.
Ukraina - Interessant graph fra X
This is a very interesting map. 15 European countries are helping #Ukraine with a larger share of their GDP than the U.S.
But France, Italy, Spain, and Belgium are doing next to nothing.
What is wrong with them?
Macron, you proclaim the need for European Defense.
Why are you are AWOL?
Helikopter i alvorlig trouble - Reddet av ekstremt gode flygere - Canada -AVweb
Lightning Damages Helicopter Tail Rotor
The Canadian crew of a scheduled helicopter passenger flight is being hailed for a successful emergency landing after lightning almost blew off the tail rotor of the aircraft they were flying. The Helijet Sikorsky S-76 was on its way from downtown Vancouver to Victoria, on Vancouver Island, when it was struck. The lightning took off two of the four tail rotor blades and sent the helicopter into a dive. The aircraft dropped from 4,000 feet to 1,300 feet before the crew could arrest the descent.
They were able to keep the helicopter under control and continued to their destination. It was only after landing that the pilots discovered the damaged tail rotor. The crew and passengers were checked by medics at the Victoria heliport and no injuries were reported. Helijet President Danny Sitnam said the lightning strike was “extremely rare” and one of three strikes reported in the area of Georgia Strait that day. He said the pilots were told to take as much time off as they needed before going back to work.
mandag 30. oktober 2023
Single pilot er veldig kontroversielt og gåes etter i sømmene - AW&ST
Jeg lar denne henge her i sin fulle lengde. Saken er viktig for veldig mange. (Red.)
Single-Pilot Operations Are Under Increased Scrutiny
Sean Broderick Jens Flottau Thierry Dubois October 04, 2023
The A350F could be an early platform to test reduced flight crew operations scenarios.
Credit: Airbus Concept
A push to develop procedures and new flight deck functionality that supplant a pilot even for short time periods is receiving increased attention from global labor groups that fear a direct path to aircraft designed for single-pilot operations.
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations and European Cockpit Association launched a joint campaign against single-pilot operations (SPO) this year without flagging any specific projects. Soon, targets emerged: projects underway at Airbus and Dassault as well as a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) study on extended minimum crew operations (EMCO) and SPO (AW&ST June 13-26, 2022, p. 32). EASA now says nothing will change before 2027, and SPO for commercial airline operations—if they ever happen—are much further off.
While regulators will drive any reduced-crew operations (RCO) timelines, at least two large industry stakeholders have considered plans with far more ambitious timetables than EASA’s latest public statements.
Airbus has pitched two new freighters to FedEx that would leverage having fewer pilots on board, Aviation Week has learned.
The more radical proposal is an A321F that would be type-rated for two pilots at the outset but would attain single-pilot approval over time, documents seen by Aviation Week suggest. The second concept is an A350F approved for EMCO—essentially permitting one pilot on the flight deck during low-workload cruise portions of the flight, which could lead to needing fewer pilots on long-haul flights that require relief crews under current regulations.
The ideas, pitched in early 2022 and dubbed Project Morgan, are not moving forward at the pace Airbus envisioned due primarily to regulatory hurdles. But details in the documents lay out the manufacturer’s thinking on how SPO could evolve.
Under Project Morgan, Airbus would further develop concepts trialed under its Dragonfly program, such as automated emergency descents. These would converge with EASA’s EMCO work, which focuses on evaluating the risks and potential benefits of allowing a single pilot on the flight deck during low-workload periods (AW&ST Jan. 24-Feb. 6, 2022, p. 50).
The A350F plan proposed to FedEx envisioned a formal application in 2022 and entry into service—with at least some RCO approvals—in 2026. This would follow rulemaking and standards development by both EASA and the FAA.
When EASA unveiled its EMCO and SPO study last year, its timeline aligned with Airbus’ FedEx pitch. Its original target was industry consensus on EMCO and some approved operational applications such as single-pilot flight decks during long-range cruise by the middle of the decade. While the broad vision remains in place, both the regulator and the manufacturer have throttled back.
“We have been asked to look at single-pilot operations [for freighters] as industry has been approaching us to look at the viability of the case,” EASA Acting Executive Director Luc Tytgat tells Aviation Week. “We don’t have yet a pre-application, just . . . a partnership agreement with the industry actor. They want to question us [on] whether it is realistic or not. We are at step zero of the process.”
Regarding timing, he adds: “There is not so much activity. We don’t see [entry into service in 2025 or 2026]. Single-pilot operations is not something immediate.”
Airbus has discussed an A321F with single-pilot approvals as a replacement for FedEx’s large narrowbodies. Credit: Joepriesaviation.netAirbus “is constantly looking for ways to improve and advance its range of products to deliver higher levels of safety, efficiency and performance,” the manufacturer tells Aviation Week. “We believe that pilots will remain at the heart of operations for the foreseeable future and that automation can play a crucial role by assisting them in the cockpit and reducing workload. . . . Our studies are based on a minimum of two operating crew per flight and do not involve flights with only one pilot on board. As we do so, we are in constant dialog with our customers and the authorities.”Airbus is developing an A350F that is scheduled to enter service in 2026. It has not launched a new-build A321F.
“We have no further comment about the launch of an A321 freighter version,” the manufacturer says. “There are many studies, but not all of them see the light of day.”
Whether Airbus has shelved its A321F SPO plan or simply set it aside is unclear. But as recently as last year, it was crafting a sales strategy around the concept.
The A321F SPO plan included application to both EASA and FAA in 2023 and entry into service in 2027, according to the documents seen by Aviation Week. In parallel, Airbus would support development of what it dubs the “single pilot/second pilot-optional” certification project that would pave the way for full-mission SPO. FedEx would work with the FAA on operational details, including a pool of pilots trained to fly either alone or in traditional crew pairs. The ambitious project aimed for entry into service by 2030.
Several industry sources said the FAA’s list of near-term priorities does not include any substantial RCO work.
A FedEx pilot union source said Project Morgan has not been discussed with its ALPA-represented membership. FedEx did not respond to Aviation Week’s inquiries.
The increasing activity around RCO and pilot unions’ concerns stem from multiple concepts converging.
Automation’s evolution is bringing capabilities to the flight deck that supplant pilots. Airbus last year selected Thales’ PureFlyt as one flight management system (FMS) option for the A320, A330 and A350. Among the functionalities that Thales is building into the system is a “pilot assist” function, Yannick Assouad, executive vice president for avionics, revealed during this year’s Paris Air Show.
Designed to automate weather-related route changes and other unexpected flight plan diversions, PureFlyt will start as a function pilots must opt to use. Remove that critical step, however, and it becomes part of a truly automated FMS functionality.
“You can easily imagine a system that has [data from] millions of flights integrated—all the failure scenarios that you can imagine in the airplane and procedures to answer them are automatically loaded in that system,” Assouad said. “It can become a flight assistant with no pilot [activation]. It has the power to absolutely do that.”
While true SPO will require a step change in automation, aircraft designs also must evolve.
When industry shifted away from having a flight engineer as the third person on the flight deck, aircraft designs changed. Boeing Chief Pilot and Vice President for Flight Operations Craig Bomben suggests a similar shift would be needed to introduce single-pilot scenarios safely.
Single-pilot operations would require enhancements to current-generation flight decks. Credit: Herve Gousse/Airbus
“As far as I know, there has not been a commercial airplane built yet that was designed for single-pilot operations,” Bomben said at a recent ALPA conference. “Because of that, there are certain things you cannot do from a single seat,” he added, using a jammed control as one example. “Solving that requires both pilots.”
As aircraft designs evolve, industry is exploring more reduced-crew scenarios on today’s aircraft. The concept dates back decades, starting with so-called controlled rest—or planned naps—in the cockpit.
EASA is among many regulators that, under very specific guidelines, allow one pilot to take a nap in their seat while the other stays at the controls. The European air transport industry took advantage of a 1989 NASA study published in the International Civil Aviation Organization’s journal the following year, flight safety consultant Bertrand de Courville explains.
“As a guiding principle, taking some rest in flight helps being in a good shape for critical flight phases, such as approach and landing,” says the French Air and Space Academy member and former Air France captain. “Electroencephalography shows sleep is a physiological need; it is no use trying to fight it. If you do not rest to recover vigilance, you will have a drop in alertness or fall asleep before you know it.”
The idea is to take a nap without settling into deep sleep. The total duration should be around 30 min., including a wake-up phase. Proponents say the practice helps prevent loss of vigilance but has limited impact on fatigue. Loss of vigilance and fatigue are different, even though building up fatigue paves the way for losing vigilance.
“Briefings are key,” de Courville says. Under the framework set by EASA for each operator to create its own procedures, briefings take place before and after the controlled rest period. Before, the crew discusses the situation, upcoming tasks and the possible need to wake up the sleeping pilot. After the rest period, the pilot who stayed awake briefs the other on the situation.
The FAA has studied it and even prepared a draft advisory circular (AC) in the early 1990s that would have allowed it. But opposition from pilot unions, notably ALPA and the American Airlines-affiliated Allied Pilots Association, kept the AC from being adopted, and subsequent guidance has codified the FAA’s position.
“The FAA authorizes inflight naps for flight crew if there is an augmented complement so that two pilots are on the flight deck while the augmented crewmembers are resting,” states a 2010 Basics of Aviation Fatigue AC. “Although a number of foreign air carriers authorized in-seat cockpit naps during flight, the FAA does not authorize such in-seat cockpit naps.”
ALPA President Jason Ambrosi says the union’s position has not changed. “Controlled rest is not a solution for fatigue,” he says. “That should not be a stopgap for proper rules. Our fatigue rules here in the U.S. allow for multiple pilots on long legs. There’s fatigue mitigation through actual rest, not controlled rest.”
ALPA sees controlled rest and EMCO’s allowance of one pilot on the flight deck while a second pilot naps as not just poor regulatory policy, but steps toward true SPO.
“There is no safety argument to be made” for having one pilot on duty at a time, Ambrosi says.
ALPA is backing its stance with contract language. Recently crafted pilot agreements at Delta Air Lines and United Airlines include provisions that require two pilots, for example. United’s contract updated the previous language that specified having two pilots on the aircraft. Now they must be on the flight deck.
Boeing’s Bomben acknowledges that the company’s automation-related research, which CEO David Calhoun has said will be a significant driver in its next clean-sheet airplane design (AW&ST June 19-July 2, p. 42), includes RCO concepts. “This has picked up a head of steam, and we could not ignore it,” Bomben said. “So we’re looking at it.”
Boeing’s approach is straightforward, Bomben said. It is looking at failure scenarios one by one and determining whether automated functionality might assist. It also is examining how the same scenarios would be affected by having one pilot at the controls, even for a short stretch.
So far, the results are sobering. One example is a notional EMCO scenario with one pilot on the flight deck while a second is napping in the crew rest area. The pilot flying has a seizure and inadvertently disconnects the autopilot. “Now you have an airplane that is not being flown,” Bomben said.
Malicious actor scenarios are another category that seems to conflict with permitting only one trained pilot on the flight deck, he added.
“There is a lot of technology being developed out there right now being touted as the technology required to go to reduced crew ops,” Bomben said. “Boeing is not going to support an effort that doesn’t meet an equal or greater level of safety.
“I’m not saying we’re not going to get there at some point,” he added. “But I’m telling you right now there are a lot of questions that need to be answered.”