Propulsion

B-52 Re-engine program
Aviation, Manufacturing, News, Operations, Propulsion

B-52 Re-engine program

The iconic Cold-war era Boeing B-52H Stratofortress bomber is getting its 1960s-vintage Pratt & Whitney TF33-103 engines replaced by more-efficient commercial replacements. The re-engine program will keep the colossal aircraft operational until 2050 and meet the high-power demands for next-generation weapons, a fire control radar, and other electrical systems. The B-52 is the most combat capable bomber in the U.S. inventory with 76 units completely operational. Due to its high mission-capable rate, large payload, long range, persistence and ability to employ both nuclear and conventional precision standoff weapons. The B-52s has eight engines in four pods, two under each wing. the Air Force overhauls each TF33 every 6,000 flight hours, as a rule, a process that costs $2 million per ...
Revival of Voyager 1 after 37 years
News, Operations, Propulsion, Space engineering, Space flight, Uncategorized

Revival of Voyager 1 after 37 years

The backup thrusters on the Voyager 1 spacecraft fired up after staggering 37 years. It took 19h and 35 min through space for the signal to reach an antenna in Goldstone, California, US, which is a part of NASA’s Deep Space Network. Voyager 1 was launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, 16 days after its twin, Voyager 2. Both these spacecraft are a part of the Voyager program to study the outer Solar System. On August 25, 2012, Voyager 1 became the first spacecraft to cross the heliosphere and thereby making it the farthest a man-made object has ever traveled.  Voyager 1 traveling past the edge of the Solar System. Source: https://www.nasa.gov/ After staying in dormant for 13 billion miles, on November 28, the spacecraft’s four backup Trajectory Course Manoeuvring thrusters were...
Aurora unveils eVTOL aircraft
Aviation, News, Operations, Propulsion

Aurora unveils eVTOL aircraft

Uber has declared that by 2020 they plan to have a network of ‘flying cars’ in Dallas and Dubai. The new service will be called Uber Air. With Uber Air people will be able to order flying taxis in the same way users of the current Uber app can order car rides. This sounds fantastic and happening so soon! However, during the Uber Elevate summit of April 25-27  2017 in Texas Uber’s chief product officer Jeff Holden admitted that Uber is rushing the Uber Air initiative. Uber Air will consist of electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Although these eVTOL aircraft seem to be a promising concept, the technologies needed are not yet fully developed. The eVTOL aircraft are envisioned to be fully electric with zero-emissions, autonomous and near-silent. It looks like this vision...
The Airbus Zephyr
Aviation, Propulsion, Space engineering, Space flight

The Airbus Zephyr

Authors: Rens van der Zwaard & Max Aalberse, MSc Students Aerospace Engineering, TU Delft Article published in Leonardo Times Magazine, Edition of January 2017.  The Zephyr 8 is a compromise between Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and satellites. It has the ability to fly autonomously in the stratosphere, above all weather and air traffic, the advantage being that it can perform its functions without having to take unexpected weather changes into account. Its endurance at this altitude is in the order of weeks. Therefore, the Zephyr can do the job of a satellite while flying sufficiently close to the surface to make high-resolution images and is inexpensive to use, relative to developing and launching a satellite. Another advantage is that the Zephyr can always stay focused on th...
The Current State of Electric Aircraft
Aviation, Propulsion

The Current State of Electric Aircraft

As the Solar Impulse arrives in Abu Dhabi, it is interesting to examine the electric aircraft on a conceptual level, as well as its current progress. Without judging the Solar Impulse team’s achievements, it is fair to say their main drivers were most certainly adventure and innovation. The latter being a pillar of aerospace engineering. It is the reason why aircraft continue to become more efficient year after year, and allow more and more people to reach distant places throughout the world. Electric aircraft are one of the newest domains upon which innovation is focused. Few can predict how far they will go. This article presents the Solar Impulse along with a history of electric aircraft, their uses and the challenges to come.   Solar Impulse The Solar Impulse adventure wa...
Airbus Pushes Towards High-Speed Compound Helicopter
Aviation, News, Operations, Propulsion

Airbus Pushes Towards High-Speed Compound Helicopter

Helicopters are fantastic. They can easily access remote areas, and are capable of vertical takeoff and landing. However, what they seem to be lacking is speed when in forward flight. A few aerospace companies have taken to combining the VTOL capabilities of rotary aircraft, with the the forward speed that turboprop airplanes offer. Although there are many challenges, one of the biggest is keeping the price down . Three years after ending flight tests of its X3 high-speed demonstrator, Airbus Helicopters has been putting the final touches on a new compound helicopter design that could pave the way for a high-speed rotary-wing aircraft product in the 2020s. The company has completed wind-tunnel tests on the compound helicopter architecture, developed as part of the company’s contribution...
A Nuclear-Powered Passenger Aircraft
Aviation, Propulsion

A Nuclear-Powered Passenger Aircraft

Could the RECREATE cruiser fly us into the future? A thorough rethinking in the working of the aircraft industry is required to cope up with diminishing fossil fuel reserves, including aircraft design, propulsion systems and operation,. The European Commission sponsors the RECREATE research project to investigate the cruiser-feeder set-up, in which cruise-optimized aircraft stay aloft for extended periods while feeder aircraft transport passengers between airports and the cruiser. This study focuses on the design of a cruiser aircraft that uses nuclear power to transport up to 1000 passengers. A nuclear-powered passenger aircraft requires extensive safety considerations to be operated with minimal danger to its passengers as well as the environment. Even though the Cold War era, rese...
Solar Impulse 2: New record
Aviation, News, Propulsion

Solar Impulse 2: New record

Solar Impulse 2 set a new world record for the furthest flight for an aircraft, simply powered by the sun. As a first piece of its trip around the world the Solar Impulse 2 took off in Abu Dhabi and landed twelve hours later in Muscat, Oman. With this the Swiss project has completed its very first objective; it has proven that it works. Since the aircraft is extremely slow, the world trip will have various stops. The biggest challenge for the aircraft and the pilots (Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschbeg) will have to overcome is the trip over the Pacific Ocean, which is expected to be a 5 days non-stop flight. During these stops the team will be able to maintain the aircraft, rest and promote clean technologies, such as the Solar Impulse 2.