Operations

Aviation, News, Operations

Embraer’s E190-E2 Takes to the Skies

Last week, Embraer’s E190-E2 took to the skies several months ahead of the internal schedule, making it the only new airplane program in recent history to be significantly ahead. The E2 is Embraer’s entry into the next phase of the E-Jet development being powered by Pratt & Whitney's GTF engines. A gearbox located within the shaft of the engine permits the compressor to run at a different regime than the fan. Conventional turbofans have both components attached to each other, and hence, running at the same velocity. The GTF engine allows for them to be dissociated and operate at their optimal speeds. Consequently, the turbofan consumes 15% less fuel, pollutes less, and is 75% quieter. In addition to its propulsion system, the airplane has new wings, a new empennage, enclosed main gear,...
Exploring Human-like Automation in Air Traffic Management
Aviation, Operations

Exploring Human-like Automation in Air Traffic Management

Would you prefer to work with automation that solves problems just like yourself? Would such individual-sensitive automation be able to overcome the acceptance issues observed with the introduction of new decision-support automation? This PhD research aims to find out. In the Air Traffic Management domain, automation is expected to enable the necessary traffic capacity that is needed to meet the future demand for air travel. However,  introduction of increasingly sophisticated automation is at risk of being rejected, and threatening the required growth. This article discusses ongoing PhD research that is exploring the benefits of individual-sensitive automation capable to solve conflicts between aircraft as intelligently as an air traffic controller. Exploring automation bias We have re...
Boeing signs $11.3B contract with VietJet Air
Aviation, News, Operations

Boeing signs $11.3B contract with VietJet Air

  Just as the speculations were getting heated about Boeing’s stocks falling in value, the American multinational corporation signed an $11.3B contract with VietJet. The Vietnamese budget airline VietJet Air is looking for a replacement for its aging fleet, mostly comprised of refurbished old Airbus A320 variants. They are also awaiting 85 more deliveries from Airbus, altogether leading to a diverse fleet. Boeing 737 Max 200 was the aircraft of choice for VietJet, with a single-class configuration that seats up to 200 passengers, these birds (100 of them, to be precise) will provide a solid fleet for the low-cost operations. The contract was signed during President Obama’s visit to Hanoi, Vietnam, and the deliveries are expected to roll in from 2019, up until 2023. The Max 20...
Self-Destructible Unmanned Aircraft
Aviation, Manufacturing, Operations

Self-Destructible Unmanned Aircraft

Transporting supplies to emergency personnel and military teams that are based in difficult to access areas has been possible for quite some time. However, contemporary solutions require extra logistic efforts to realize the cleanup and disposal of the unmanned aircraft that accompanies the supplies. In order to eliminate this extra labor, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiated the ICARUS program.   Greek Mythology One might know the name Icarus (Ikaros) from Greek mythology. Icarus was the son of Daedalus, and together they escaped imprisonment by implementing the principles of flight with self-made wings. Unfortunately, Icarus flew too close to the sun, causing the wax in his wings to melt, thereby losing all the feathers attached to it. As a result...
Formation Flight: The effect of trimmed flight
Aerodynamics and wind energy, Aviation, Operations

Formation Flight: The effect of trimmed flight

A flock of birds flies in formation when travelling long distances, due to an energy saving advantage. Research on this phenomenon has been conducted throughout the beginning of the twentieth century, and it focused on how much can be gained using formation flight, where unfavorable effects have only been a topic of research for the last few decades.   Background The phenomenon of birds in formation has been researched since 1914 by Wieselberger (Wieselberger, 1914), who initially identified a benefit. This benefit was defined in aerodynamic theory by Lissaman et al. in 1970 (Lissaman, 1970). Behind a finite lifting surface, a region of upwash and downwash is created. Both regions are separated by the tip vortex, present due to the finiteness of the lifting surface. A grap...
EASA, the European authority for aviation safety
Aviation, Operations

EASA, the European authority for aviation safety

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is the European Union authority for aviation safety. Its mission is to provide the EU citizens safe air travel in Europe and worldwide. Three Delft Aerospace alumni provide an inside on the Agency’s activities. What is EASA? EASA was established in 2002 as an Agency of the European Union (EU). The main activities of EASA include the certification of aviation products, development of common safety and environmental rules on European level, the oversight of approved organizations, the oversight of (standardization inspections) and support to Member States in fields where EASA has shared competence (e.g. Air Operations , Air Traffic Management) and safety management and analysis activities at European level. The Agency staff...
European Airline Market
Aviation, Operations

European Airline Market

Low cost vs Legacy carriers Since the advent of low cost airlines in European Skies, the Airline industry has seen fierce competition. On point-to-point short haul flights, low costs carriers have bled legacy carriers dry. On long-haul services, these same low costs operators are breaking their teeth trying to enter a market, which is owned mostly by well-established legacy carriers. The European aviation market is a very dynamic environment. It is composed of a multitude of airlines, most of which are old national flag carriers, challenged by their own lack of flexibility and new low cost airlines. The sky is littered with failed airlines such as Sabena or Swissair, faltering airlines such as Corsair, AF-KLM, Alitalia or Lufthansa, and flourishing airlines such as Iberia or Ryanair....