Monthly Archives: May 2018

Maintenance Demand Growing For 737

Huge Chinese Seaplane Could Begin Deliveries by 2022

FAA Certifies Boeing 777 Folding Wingtips

Just Aircraft Introduces Single-seat Ultralight

Portugal Air Summit Blends Airshow with Air Racing

Airbus CyberSecurity brings its expertise to EU funded Brain-IoT Project

A European consortium of twelve industry and academy partners from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, including Airbus CyberSecurity, has won the approval of the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 to begin working on Brain-IoT. The focus will be on interoperability and cybersecurity in the context of the Internet of Things (IoT).

As IoT products and services are being deployed more regularly in real life scenarios, concerns have risen in terms of dependability, security, privacy and safety. The Brain-IoT project, funded by the EU with a budget of €5 million, aims to establish a framework and methodology that supports users of IoT platforms, offering model-based tools that will aid the development of innovative, tightly integrated solutions for interoperability and cybersecurity.

As a security work package leader, Airbus CyberSecurity will provide its expertise and latest technologies to the Brain-IoT framework. The company’s experts will work with a particular focus on the areas of secure IoT devices and service provision, with the objective of deploying a state-of-the-art security layer and innovative lightweight mechanisms to secure all kinds of IoT elements. These solutions will apply to unilateral devices, such as sensors, as well as to more complex equipment, such as smartphones. Airbus CyberSecurity will also provide expertise to the IoT working group in promoting and strengthening security solutions for entire IoT ecosystems.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for us to contribute to the most important security topic facing our generation. When it comes to IoT, it’s necessary to address tomorrow’s safety and security issues today”, said Steven Rymell, Head of Technology for Airbus CyberSecurity.

Source: MRO Global

AEI receives EASA approval for CRJ200SF

Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. (AEI) has received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval for the AEI CRJ200 SF passenger-to-freighter conversion. The EASA approval (STC 10061615) allows for the operation of European registered CRJ200 SF freighters. AEI received the original FAA STC for the CRJ200 SF at the end of 2016 and has since amassed over 45 firm orders and commitments for the freighter. Currently, AEI has six CRJ200 aircraft undergoing freighter modification for various customers.

“The EASA approval process progressed smoothly, on schedule, and as planned,” said Eric Wildhagen, AEI Vice President of Engineering. “We are delighted to now offer the many benefits of the CRJ200 SF freighter to our European customers.”

The AEI CRJ200 SF provides a payload of up to 14,574 lbs. (6,611 kg), depending upon the specific aircraft model. The conversion comes with a large 94” x 70” Main Cargo Door and with an ANCRA Cargo Loading System.

Source: MRO Global

LOTAMS Opens Budapest Line Maintenance Base

Pipistrel Unveils eVTOL Concept

Imagine an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle for urban travel that’s quieter, safer, more affordable and more environmentally friendly than a traditional helicopter. At this week’s Uber Elevate Summit, Pipistrel, an Uber Elevate partner, revealed an aircraft the company thinks might fit that bill. The Pipistrel eVTOL concept uses dedicated propulsion systems for cruising and vertical lift and is part of a proposed family of aircraft capable of carrying between two and six people.

The Pipistrel eVTOL will travel longer distances at higher speeds than previous models. Utilizing a new integrated vertical lift system, the vehicle is designed for scalability while offering lower operating costs and an upgraded rider experience.

Ivo Boscarol, Pipistrel’s founder and general manager said: “Pipistrel is not trying to reinvent the helicopter by giving the vehicle many rotors, but is rather embracing dedicated propulsion solutions for cruise and vertical lift with built-in scaling capability.” Pairing an integrated vertical lift system with highly aerodynamic wings results in a new class of eVTOL, according to Boscarol.

Pipistrel’s director of R&D Tine Tomazic said, “We’re also announcing a strategic partnership with Elan, a Slovenian company, that has mastered the production of composite materials and structures in the 50+ years of existence, at massive scales. Together we are developing the design of a eVTOL structure that is scalable while building-in automation, digital manufacturing and high-speed RTM composite construction.”

Mark Moore, Uber’s Director of Engineering, Elevate Vehicle Systems, said: “Pipistrel has been one of the pioneers in electric aircraft development, initiating the age of electric flight. As an Uber Elevate partner, their eVTOL concept is pushing [the industry] toward the next generation of distributed electric propulsion.”

Source: Flying 

One of Europe’s top airlines is in crisis

One of Europe’s top airlines is fighting for its life.
Shares in Air France-KLM (AFLYY) crashed as much as 14.5% on Monday after the group’s CEO quit over a pay dispute and the French government said it would not intervene to help.

France’s finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, told CNN affiliate BFMTV on Sunday that the labor dispute “threatens the survival of Air France

He also said that the French government, which owns 14.3% of the Air France-KLM holding company, would not provide the carrier with a bailout, according to BFMTV.

In a statement on Friday, CEO Jean-Marc Janaillac said he would quit in mid-May after tens of thousands of French staff and pilots voted against a multi-year pay offer.

Air France is the world’s 17th largest airline in terms of passenger trips, according to the International Air Transport Association. The inclusion of KLM, which Air France bought in 2004, makes the airline group one of the biggest in Europe.

The carrier said on Friday that 13 days of strikes by its staff had already cost it about €300 million ($358 million).

Air France-KLM posted a first quarter operating loss of €118 million ($141 million) last week, attributing €75 million ($90 million) of that loss to the strike impact.

Labor unions have scheduled more strikes, leading the French airline to warn that it would cancel about 15% of its flights on Monday.

Analysts said the airline wasn’t in immediate danger of collapse.

“I don’t think there’s the immediate threat of Air France going out of business,” said Johannes Braun, an airline analyst at asset manager MainFirst Bank.

Braun said that while first quarter losses looked bad, the airline has a relatively healthy balance sheet and is expected to turn a profit in 2018.

The unions are seeking a better pay deal because the carrier is in better financial condition than in previous years, he said. Air France has offered workers a 7% pay rise over four years.

“It is pretty generous,” said Braun. “If management … do not have the leverage to put pressure on the unions, at the end I guess we will see an ambitious wage deal, which will increase costs.”

Daniel Roeska, an aviation analyst at Bernstein, said the CEO’s “untimely departure will serve as a wake up call for politicians and the management in France.”

Janaillac has led the company for less than two years.

Air France is no stranger to angry labor disputes.

In 2015, protesters ripped the shirts off Air France executives after the company revealed plans to cut thousands of jobs.

Apart from the French government, other big investors in Air France-KLM include Delta Air Lines (DAL) and China Eastern Airlines, which each own a stake worth 8.8%, according to FactSet data.

Source: Money CNN