In a major milestone for Rolls Royce, UltraFan demonstrator gets ready for tests

Today, Rolls-Royce declared that the construction of its UltraFan® technology demonstrator was complete and that testing was now underway. A significant program milestone was reached when the demonstrator engine was moved from the build workshop to Derby, UK's Testbed 80, where it was mounted in preparation of testing.

Early in the following year, the demonstrator's first test is expected, and sustainable aviation fuel will be used throughout.

Seeing the UltraFan demonstrator come together and getting ready for test in Testbed 80 is a great way to end the year. We have all been waiting for this moment, which is such an important milestone for the programme and for the team who have worked on it. The next stage will be to see UltraFan run for the first time on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel in 2023, proving the technology is ready to support more sustainable flight in the future - Chris Cholerton, President of Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace, said

The UltraFan Demonstrator

The largest aero engine demonstrator in the world, UltraFan features a number of revolutionary innovations that increase fuel efficiency, which reduces emissions and improves sustainability.

Rolls Royce

Fan diameterUltraFan has a 140-inch fan diameter, the large fan and relatively small core is key to its efficiencyGearboxThe UltraFan power gearbox has delivered 64MW on test, an aerospace power recordFuel burnUltraFan offers a 25% fuel burn improvement on the first generation of Trent engineRolls Royce

These technologies are scalable and might be used to construct engines for narrowbody or widebody aircraft starting in the 2030s that have a thrust range of 25,000 lb to more than 100,000 lb.

The UltraFan demonstration has a fan diameter of 140 inches and offers a 25% fuel efficiency improvement over the first generation of Trent engines. It combines a brand-new engine architecture with a suite of technologies to allow sustainable air travel for decades to come.

The UltraFan demonstrator's size and technical complexity were specifically accommodated by Testbed 80, the largest and smartest testbed in the world. Several hours of experimental engine testing have already been done since it was first used in 2020.

For the transition to net zero aviation, UltraFan offers a range of sustainability options. There are alternatives for transferring innovations from the UltraFan development program to the present Trent engines in the near future to provide improved fuel efficiency and emissions reductions. Long-term fuel efficiency improvements for both narrowbody and widebody aircraft of up to 10% are possible because to UltraFan's scalable technology from 25,000 to 110,000 lb thrust.

Representative | Rolls Royce

The UK's Aerospace Technology Institute and Innovate UK, the EU's Clean Sky programs, along with LuFo and the German State of Brandenburg, have all supported the UltraFan technology demonstrator initiative.

SOURCE : Rolls Royce

COVER : Rolls Royce

GMR Airports Infrastructure Ltd said the company received INR 1,389.90 crore by divesting its equity in GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), which was a joint venture between GMR Airports International BV (GAIBV) and Megawide Construction Corporation (MCC).

"The company will continue to operate as the Technical Services Provider to GMCAC until December 2026 and would also be entitled to additional deferred consideration based on the subsequent performance of GMCAC for the same period," it said in an exchange filing on December 16.

Srinivas Bommidala, Business Chairman - International Airports, GMR Group said the decision to divest stake in GMCAC is also in line with GMR Airport's strategy to focus on deleveraging and redeploying capital in high growth opportunities.

GMR Airports received INR 1390 crore by divesting its equity in Cebu Airport

Mactan Cebu International Airport is the second busiest airport in the Philippines after Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. GMR Airports is currently the largest private airport operator in Asia and the second largest in the world, with an annual handling capacity of over 189 million passengers.

Back in September this year, GMR Group said it is divesting its entire 40% stake in Cebu international airport in the Philippines for an upfront payment of INR 1,330 crore.

The airport is being operated by GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) and GMR Airports International BV (GAIBV) holds a 40% stake in the venture.

GMR Airports is currently the largest private airport operator in Asia and the second largest in the world, with an annual handling capacity of over 189 million passengers.

GMR Group won the Cebu airport project in 2014. GMR Group is operating the airports at Delhi, Hyderabad and Bidar (Karnataka), apart from Cebu airport. Among others, it is also developing airports in Greece and Indonesia. GMR Airports International BV (GAIBV) is a step-down subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure Ltd and a direct subsidiary of GMR Airports Ltd.

ALSO READ - GMR Airports officially took over the operations of Indonesia’s Medan airport

Shares of GMR Airports Infrastructure Ltd ended at INR 41.50, down by INR 0.90, or 2.12% on the BSE on September 17.

This is the story of Captain Dhillon and Captain Stergiou. The former an Indian national, the latter a Greek, fly the mighty Boeing 777s from the left seat for an international carrier based out of Dubai. Both are in their mid-50s, have been in command for an excess of 15,000 hours, and both have an inkling to fly for a carrier that is based in India to experience a new adventure. 

But what follows next is something that will leave you enraged if you are a proud Indian. You see when they both expressed an interest to fly in India, Capt. Stergiou was asked to appear for an air law exam, produce minimal paperwork, and pretty much stroll into the captain’s seat of whatever airplane was available next. All of this within three months of their arrival in India. This above-mentioned route is called a FATA or Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorization. Something that saves foreigners a lot of heartache and pain and enables them to fly as Captains in India in the shortest possible time.

Indian CPL ATPL FRTOL Licenses

Capt. Dhillon, however, at the end of eighteen months, is still counting down to the day when he will be handed his license. His journey for getting the Indian license though has been entirely different than Capt. Stergiou. For starters, he had to submit his 10th standard mark sheet, 12th standard mark sheet, 3 copies of identity, and a ton of inane paperwork. This is despite him having the exact same qualifications and experience as Capt. Stergiou. What is his crime, you may wonder? Well, because Capt. Dhillon is still an Indian national; he is unable to use the benefit of FATA. This weird rule in the Indian DGCA discriminates against Indians, giving foreigners an unfair advantage. 

FATA issued by DGCA (Source: Statista)

On further investigation, our team found out that the Indian DGCA is the only licensing authority that differentiates the process of getting a flying license on nationality, that too in a way that puts its own at a massive disadvantage. You see, when you apply for an FAA license (to enable you to fly an airplane that is registered in America) or an EASA license (to enable you to fly an airplane that is registered in Europe), or a license from any other ICAO country (to enable you to fly an airplane that is registered in that particular country) the process is doesn’t differentiate depending on nationality. For example, an Indian, a Brit, and a Portuguese can apply for an FAA license, and they will all need to do precisely the same amount of examinations and paperwork. But in India, any nationality apart from its own can take advantage of the shortcut route that is the FATA and stake claim to the limited jobs in the highly competitive job market. 

This is also the reason why many private jet operators in India continue to have foreigners as crew to man their business jets. 

It is high time that DGCA makes the process uniform for everyone and stops discriminating against Indians. As for Capt. Dhillon, he’s still waiting in anguish, wondering where his patriotism fell short.

Author of this article is a Professional Pilot employed at an International airline. He prefers to be anonymous.

As part of its endeavor to enter the advanced air mobility (AAM) field, Sikorsky is creating a hybrid-electric VTOL demonstrator vehicle, with its Matrix autonomous technology as the core of the new system.

The new vehicle will be our first foray into what the next generation of commercial aircraft will look like. However, it would have applications across different sectors, with the eventual goal of developing an electric propulsion system for both commercial and military applications- said Igor Cherepinsky, director of Sikorsky Innovations

The new technology will produce electricity using a turbine, according to Igor. The Lockheed Martin subsidiary will employ the Matrix autonomy technology as its primary operating system and is on pace to start producing the demonstrator aircraft sometime in 2023.

Recently, Sikorsky has worked with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to further improve their Matrix autonomous technology, which is a crucial component of the Aircrew Labor In-cockpit Automation System (ALIAS)

At the Project Convergence 2022 (PC22) technology gateway exercise, held in October 2022 at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, DARPA and Sikorsky showcased the technology by showing off how an autonomous Black Hawk may carry out battlefield logistical operations. According to Cherepinsky, such applications would be the foundation of any commercial service.

Vertical Magazine

The crux is that the workload is much lower and the machine understands a lot of the basic flying and basic mission parameters. The aircraft can avoid obstacles, and it can pick landing zones. If you think about the commercial space, AAM is also in our sights- Cherepinsky said

One of the strictly commercial clients of Sikorsky that is interested in Matrix is now going through certification processes with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Due to corporate confidentiality, Cherepinsky was unable to go into more detail. Although the technology has the potential to be used in both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, he claimed that this platform is fixed-wing rather than rotary. Any helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft, including those produced by other firms, are subject to Matrix.

SOURCE : verticalmag.com

COVER : Vertical Magazine

ModAir Aviation is proud to announce the induction of the second aircraft under its wings after Tecnam P2006T. This inducted airplane is Diamond DA40, a flight training four-seater aircraft that touchdown at Ahmedabad.

The import of this aircraft is facilitated under the guidelines of IFSC – GIFT City. This aircraft would be leased to an upcoming FTO preparing to commence operations in the Madhya Pradesh state of India. Towards the end of December 2022, the Company would be inducting the third aircraft under their kitty, ready for another lease in the Indian Aviation Industry.

“We are excited to welcome the second aircraft under our Company. We take pride in supporting our Hon’ble PM’s vision. Very soon we would be inducting our third aircraft. Currently, the Company’s concentration is on the Fight Training category of Aircraft for the Indian market by Importing, Finance and Leasing aircraft to various FTO – Flight Training Organization in India.”

Atul Jain, Director, ModAir Aviation

ModAir Aviation is poised to support our Hon’ble Prime Minister’s Vision for Skill Development through importing and leasing flight training aircraft for FTO for Pilot training, which would eventually benefit the ever-expanding Indian Aviation Sector.

The fresh leash of pilots, tomorrow would also be flying for various Scheduled, Non-Scheduled airlines as well as RCS Operators for the most concentrated programme of UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik).

“We extend our sincere thanks to the Government of India & the IFSC Authority for providing the required platform in the form of GIFT City, which surely proved to be a catalyst. Financing & Leasing facility has always been an outcry for the Indian Aviation sector. Earlier this, we used to glare at the facilities of the West, but not anymore now.”

Ashish Jaiswal, Chief Executive Officer, ModAir Aviation

ModAir Aviation IFSC Private Limited is one of the leading Leasing and Finance Companies based out of IFSC GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. ModAir Aviation deals in the purchase, sale and leasing of aircraft from across the world thru their worldwide network.

The company believes in the sourcing of aircraft at the most competitive deals to enable the Clients to keep the cost of acquisition to the bare minimum levels which helps to optimize the cash flow and concentrate on the other essential cost heads. 

Atul Jain, Director, ModAir Aviation

MODAIR is a part of Modish Tradex Pvt. Ltd Has been in business for over 30 years. They offer a wide range of luxury air charter services to suit every need – from chopper rides, helicopter rides, private jet booking and air ambulance services in Delhi, India at Modair.

They are operating across India, Modair provides air charter flights, helicopter charter, joyrides, aircraft leasing, private jet rental, private jet charter, and luxury helicopter charter and helicopter services for religious pilgrims. It also provides pilot training as well in India.

ALSO READ - ModAir launched India’s first tech-enabled air logistics company

Boeing is closing in on an order for as many as 200 of its B737 Max jets and 30 widebody B787s from Air India as the two sides race to wrap up talks before the year-end holidays, according to people familiar with the matter.

ALSO READ - Air India to finalise the deal of 50 B737 MAX for Air India Express

The final deal is expected to include 40 to 50 Max aircraft that were built for Chinese carriers but never delivered due to an extended grounding of the US jet and heightened trade tensions, some of the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are confidential.

ALSO READ - Boeing offers 737 MAX aircraft to Air India

A Boeing spokeswoman declined to comment. Air India and Tata representatives didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment outside of normal business hours.

Air India jumbo aircraft order to include B737 MAX and B787 Dreamliner

Broader negotiations over Air India’s fleet makeover have heated up in recent weeks as the management team eyes sweeping changes, including refreshing the carrier’s long-haul fleet with Airbus A350s and Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner jets and leasing used Boeing 777s to serve on international routes. The talks are complex, involving multiple parties including financiers and engine makers, and could drag into next year, the people cautioned.

With its large and increasingly mobile population, India has become a critical market for planemakers like Boeing and Airbus, even more so given China’s difficulties emerging from Covid. The country’s dominant carrier is IndiGo, the world’s biggest customer for Airbus’s best-selling A320neo family of jets, making it crucial for Boeing to build a better presence in the nation.

It was previously reported that Tata, which bought Air India back from the government for INR 180 billion in 2021, was considering orders for as many as 300 narrow-body and 50 wide-body, or twin-aisle, planes. Boeing is now offering several 737 Max jets once slated for Chinese customers to Air India as the planemaker tries to offload some of the roughly 140 aircraft it’s currently not allowed to deliver, Bloomberg reported in October.

Broader negotiations over Air India’s fleet makeover have heated up in recent weeks as the management team eyes sweeping changes

ALSO READ - Air India to refurbish its wide-body aircraft interiors by investing USD 400 million

Air India, established by Tata’s founder nearly a century ago before being nationalized in the 1950s, hasn’t made a profit in 15 years. It’s now in the early stages of a transformation plan intended to lift its India market share to 30% from about 9%. The carrier said last week it will invest more than USD 400 million to refurbish its wide-body jets as it tries to spruce up its image.

ALSO READ - Tata Group considering integrating all its airlines under the Air India brand

Tata is also consolidating its four airline units, bringing its Vistara, Air India Express and AirAsia India ventures under the national carrier’s brand. The order being considered includes taking some aircraft on lease with options to buy later, the people said.

ALSO READ - Air India to integrate AirAsia India with Air India Express by the end of 2023

Air India will also invest more than USD 400 million to refurbish its wide-body jets as it tries to spruce up its image.

Reuters reported earlier that Air India may order up to 500 jetliners from Airbus and Boeing, citing people in the industry it didn’t identify.

ALSO READ - Air India close to placing landmark orders for 500 jetliners

Reuters also reported that Air India is close to a deal to order more than 200 Boeing jets including 190 narrowbody 737 MAX and 30 widebody 787s - part of a historic fleet shake-up roughly split with Boeing's European rival Airbus. The deal is also expected to include an unspecified number of Boeing 777X long-range jets.

ALSO READ - Air India likely to order up to 150 Boeing B737 Max jets

Airbus is separately moving towards a deal with Air India including at least 200 of its A320-family narrowbody jets as well as dozens of larger A350s, industry sources said.

(With Inputs from Bloomberg and Reuters)