Airbus Perlan Mission II soars to over 62,000 feet, setting second altitude world record and crossing Armstrong Line

lunes, 27 de agosto de 2018












Airbus' press release




Airbus Perlan Mission II, the world’s first initiative to pilot an engineless aircraft to the edge of space, made history again yesterday in El Calafate, Argentina, by soaring in the stratosphere to a pressure altitude of over 62,000 feet (60,669 feet GPS altitude). This set a new gliding altitude world record, pending official validation.

The pressurized Perlan 2 glider, which is designed to soar up to 90,000 feet, passed the Armstrong Line, the point in the atmosphere above which an unprotected human’s blood will boil if an aircraft loses pressurization.

This marks a second glider altitude world record for Jim Payne and Morgan Sandercock, the same two Perlan Project pilots who soared the Perlan 2 to 52,221 feet GPS altitude on Sept. 3, 2017, in the same remote region of Argentine Patagonia. The 2017 record broke a previous record that was set in 2006, in the unpressurized Perlan 1, by Perlan Project founder Einar Enevoldson and Steve Fossett.

“This is a tremendous moment for all the volunteers and sponsors of Airbus Perlan Mission II who have been so dedicated to making our nonprofit aerospace initiative a reality,” said Ed Warnock, CEA of The Perlan Project. “Our victory today, and whatever other milestones we achieve this year, are a testament to a pioneering spirit of exploration that runs through everyone on the project and through the organizations that support us.”

“Innovation is a buzzword in aerospace today, but Perlan truly embodies the kind of bold thinking and creativity that are core Airbus values,” said Tom Enders, Airbus CEO. “Perlan Project is achieving the seemingly impossible, and our support for this endeavor sends a message to our employees, suppliers and competitors that we will not settle for being anything less than extraordinary.”

Another first-of-its kind achievement this year for the Perlan Project was the use of a special high-altitude tow plane rather than a conventional glider tow plane. During yesterday’s flight, Perlan 2 was towed to the base of the stratosphere by a Grob Egrett G520 turboprop, a high-altitude reconnaissance plane that was modified for the task earlier this summer. Operated by AV Experts, LLC, and flown by chief pilot Arne Vasenden, the Egrett released Perlan 2 at around 42,000 feet, the approximate service ceiling of an Airbus A380.


To soar into the highest areas of Earth’s atmosphere, Perlan 2 pilots catch a ride on stratospheric mountain waves, a weather phenomenon created when rising air currents behind mountain ranges are significantly strengthened by the polar vortex. The phenomenon occurs only for a brief period each year in just a few places on earth. Nestled within the Andes Mountains in Argentina, the area around El Calafate is one of those rare locations where these rising air currents can reach to 100,000 feet or more.


Built in Oregon and home-based in Minden, Nevada, the Perlan 2 glider incorporates a number of unique innovations to enable its ambitious mission:
  • A carbon-fiber capsule with a unique high-efficiency, passive cabin pressurization system that eliminates the need for heavy, power-hungry compressors.
  • A unique closed-loop rebreather system, in which the only oxygen used is what the crew metabolizes. It is the lightest and most efficient system for a sealed cabin, and its design has applications for other high-altitude aircraft.
  • An onboard “wave visualization system” that graphically displays areas of rising and sinking air in cockpits. For commercial flights, following lines of rising air would allow faster climbs and save fuel, while also helping aircraft avoid dangerous phenomena such as wind shear and severe downdrafts.


Unlike powered research aircraft, Perlan 2 does not affect the temperature or chemistry of the air around it, making it an ideal platform to study the atmosphere. The experiments carried aloft in its instrument bay are yielding new discoveries related to high-altitude flight, weather and climate change.


This season, Perlan 2 is flying with experiments developed by The Perlan Project’s science and research committee, as well as projects created in collaboration with organizations and schools in the U.S. and Argentina. Perlan 2 research projects currently include:


- An experiment measuring radiation effects at high altitudes, designed by students from Cazenovia Central School & Ashford School in Connecticut. This project is in coordination with Teachers in Space, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization that stimulates student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics;
- A flight data recorder, developed by Argentina’s Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas para la Defensa (CITEDEF);
- A second flight data recorder, designed by students at Argentina’s La Universidad Tecnológica Nacional (UTN);
- A space weather (radiation) instrument;
- An experiment titled “Marshmallows in Space,” developed by the Oregon Museum of Science & Discovery to teach the scientific process to preschoolers.
- Two new environmental sensors, developed by The Perlan Project.

The Perlan 2 will continue to pursue higher altitude flights and conduct research in the stratosphere as weather and winds permit through the middle of September.

Tune in to live flights of the Perlan 2 on the Airbus Perlan Mission II Virtual Cockpit at http://bit.ly/VirtualPerlan2. Stay updated on flight schedules by following The Perlan Project on Twitter @PerlanProject and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/perlanproject.
For more information about Airbus Perlan Mission II, please go to www.perlanproject.org.

Want a heads up on the next flight? Sign up by email at PerlanProject.org/contact or if In the U.S. text “Perlan” to 57682.

A Press Kit with images, infographic, fact sheet, and videos is available at: http://bit.ly/perlanpress.
About Airbus Perlan Mission II

Airbus Perlan Mission II is an initiative to fly an engineless glider to the edge of space, higher than any other winged aircraft has operated in level, controlled flight, to open up a world of new discoveries related to high-altitude flight, weather and climate change. This historic endeavor is the culmination of decades of research and engineering innovation, and the work of a tireless international team of aviators and scientists who volunteer their time and expertise for the non-profit Perlan Project. The project is supported by Airbus and a group of other sponsors that includes Weather Extreme Ltd., United Technologies and BRS Aerospace.

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Boeing completes autonomous synchronised flight tests in Australia



Boeing's press release



Australian-developed on-board command and control system automatically perceives, processes and reacts in coordination with other unmanned vehicles.

BRISBANE, Australia Aug. 17, 2018 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] has successfully completed the first suite of synchronised unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight tests using new on-board autonomous command and control technology developed by Boeing in Australia.

Conducted at a regional Queensland airfield, the test flights saw five UAV test beds equipped with Boeing’s new on-board system safely complete in-air programmed missions as a team without input from a human pilot.

The milestone comes six months after establishing the company’s largest international autonomous systems development program in Queensland.

“What we’ve created here in Australia has the potential to transform the use of unmanned vehicles for civil, commercial and defence applications – whether that be in the air, on the ground or out at sea,” said Shane Arnott, director of Boeing Phantom Works International.

“This capability will be a huge driver of efficiency and productivity. By safely teaming unmanned systems with human operated systems, we keep people away from dull, dirty and dangerous tasks so they can focus on activities that machines can’t or shouldn’t do.”

Boeing’s partnership with small and medium-sized enterprises helped drive rapid design, development and testing of this autonomous technology. In just two months, Boeing engaged small-to-medium enterprises and vetted and issued AU$2.3 million in contracts with 14 Queensland businesses.

Over the coming months, the Boeing Australia team will incorporate and test more advanced behaviours on high-performance air vehicles before exploring other domains such as unmanned ocean vehicles.

This activity is delivered in partnership with the Queensland Government as part of Boeing’s Advance Queensland Autonomous Systems Platform Technology Project.

For 100 years, Boeing has led manned and unmanned technology innovation and integration from sea to air to space. Visit www.boeing.com for more information. Follow Boeing Australia on Twitter: @BoeingAustralia.

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ESA’s Aeolus wind sensing satellite successfully launched from Kourou



Airbus' press release




Airbus-built Aeolus satellite to map Earth’s wind in real-time



Kourou, 22/08/2018 - Aeolus, the European Space Agency’s wind sensing satellite, built by Airbus, has been successfully launched from Kourou, French Guiana. The satellite will now undergo a series of tests in its operational orbit at 320km before beginning operations.

Built by Airbus, Aeolus is the first satellite capable of performing global wind-component-profile observation on a daily basis in near real-time.

The 1.4-tonne spacecraft features a LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) instrument called Aladin, which uses the Doppler effect to determine the wind speed at varying altitudes.

Aladin fires a powerful ultraviolet laser pulse down through the atmosphere and collects backscattered light, using a large 1.5m diameter telescope, which is then analysed on-board by highly sensitive receivers to determine the Doppler shift of the signal from layers at different heights in the atmosphere.

The data from Aeolus will provide reliable wind-profile data on a global scale and is needed by meteorologists to further improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and by climatologists to better understand the global dynamics of Earth’s atmosphere.

Nicolas Chamussy, Head of Space Systems at Airbus said: “Aeolus is another first for Airbus, delivering a revolutionary Earth observation satellite that will give wind profile data in near real time, improving weather forecasting and helping to bring the benefits of space down to every citizen on Earth.”

Aeolus will orbit the Earth 15 times a day with data delivery to users within 120 minutes of the oldest measurement in each orbit. The orbit repeat cycle is 7 days (every 111 orbits) and the spacecraft will have a lifetime of three years.

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Additive manufacturing: Huge potential, big barriers

  • Need more consistent materials and equipment.
  • OEMs and regulators have to develop AM standards.
  • Design culture has to evolve to reflect AM capabilities.
continue reading. https://leehamnews.com/2018/08/27/additive-manufacturing-huge-potential-big-barriers/

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Russian Navy Beriev Be-12 Amphibian Aircraft Intercepted By RAF Typhoons Over The Black Sea

https://theaviationist.com/2018/08/26/russian-navy-beriev-be-12-amphibian-aircraft-intercepted-by-raf-typhoons-over-the-black-sea/

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Ryanair Reaches Agreement With Pilots' Union

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=0dca7d9f-c9e4-44b4-a66d-899a42dcd21d

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XP-82 Twin Mustang Restoration Update


Project Slowed Due To Complications, Wheels To Be Replaced The years-long restoration of a rare XP-82 Twin Mustang is inching closer to completion, with a goal of having an airworthy airplane at the end of the process.
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=adf8a1a0-ef47-490a-8217-95f8787bb642

http://warbirdsnews.com/warbird-restorations/xp-82-twin-mustang-update-august-2018.html

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Norway’s first electric-powered flight takes to the skies



Avinor's press release



“The Norwegian government has tasked Avinor with developing a programme that paves the way for the introduction of electric aircraft in commercial aviation. It was a great experience to be part of this flight and witness the evolution of aviation,” says Norway’s Minister of Transport and Communications Ketil Solvik-Olsen.

“At Avinor, we want to demonstrate that electric aircraft are already available on the market, as well as help make Norway a pioneer of electric aviation in the same way as the country has become a pioneer of electric cars,” says Avinor’s CEO Dag Falk-Petersen.

Reducing emissions
“Along with energy saving measures, the ongoing modernisation of aircraft fleets and the introduction of sustainable biofuel, electric aircraft can help to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions from Norwegian aviation in the coming decades. As electric engines cost must less to operate than current engines, this will result in lower prices for flight tickets,” says CEO Falk-Petersen.

Avinor and aviation industry partners are working to help Norway become a world leader in electric aviation. The objectives are for Norway to be the first country where electric aircraft account for a significant share of the market, and to electrify Norwegian domestic aviation by 2040. The project is supported by the government, and the project partners are Widerøe, SAS, the Norwegian Association of Air Sports, and climate foundation ZERO.

“We’d especially like to thank the Norwegian Association of Air Sports in connection with this flight. The association has gone to great lengths and played a vital role in preparations for the flight,” says Falk-Petersen.

Evaluating tools and consequences
Avinor does not intend to charge landing fees for electric-powered light aircraft and will allow them to recharge at no cost until 2025. The government has asked Avinor to develop a programme for the introduction of electric aircraft. This will involve an evaluation of the various tools required to make the electrification of passenger aviation a success. In addition, Avinor will consider other key consequences, including possible conflicts between objectives, consequences for the climate and environment, and the effect on competition in Norwegian aviation.

Norway is well-suited to the electrification of aviation
With its vast mountainous regions and huge distances between towns and cities, Norway depends on an efficient aviation sector. The country has many airports spread the length and breadth of the country. This results in sometimes short flights with relatively few passengers.

“The Norwegian short-leg domestic network is ideal for trialling the first commercial electric-powered flights, which are expected to have a limited range and capacity,” says CEO Falk-Petersen.

“There is also a great political willingness in Norway to establish a framework that promotes electrification in other transport sectors, such as road traffic and ferries. In addition, Norway’s capacity for renewable energy makes electrification particularly attractive from a climate perspective,” emphasises Falk-Petersen.




About Avinor

Avinor is a wholly-owned state limited company under the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications and is responsible for 45 state-owned airports.

Twelve of the airports are operated in cooperation with the Norwegian Armed Forces.

In addition to the airports, Avinor operates control towers, control centres and other technical infrastructure for safe air navigation.

The air navigation services is organised as subsidiary wholly-owned by Avinor. Avinor's headquarter is in Oslo.

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[video] Metal with Memory: F-18 Wing Fold




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgpuReoirzk


The 300-pound wing section was removed from an F/A-18 at NASA Armstrong in Edwards, California, enabling the team to prove a full wing section could be folded using a newly developed nickel-titanium-hafnium high temperature SMA torque-tube actuator, capable of applying 5,000-inch-pounds of torque.


https://www.nasa.gov/feature/metal-with-memory-f-18-wing-fold

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