The cracks were discovered by a technician at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (KWRB), Georgia, who noticed a persistent leak on a C-130H propeller during a post-depot operation engine run check. 

“When the propeller assembly was removed and turned into the WR-ALC Prop Shop, a technician noted a crack in the propeller barrel assembly,” a spokesperson for Air Mobility Command (AMC) told FLYING in a statement. 

Additional inspections revealed that two other propeller assemblies had the same issue, prompting the command to issue an order for a field level visual inspection on all C-130H aircraft with installed 54H60 props.

• READ MORE: Tenacity Helped This C-130 Pilot Earn Her Wings

“After additional review, including metallurgical and detailed stress analysis, the command released an immediate-action [Time Compliance Technical Order] TCTO directing replacement of a variety of specific suspect propellers,” the AMC spokesperson said.

The order targets aircraft with older propeller assemblies and not the entire fleet. “C-130H aircraft that have the NP2000 upgraded propeller assembly are not affected by the TCTO, nor are any C-130J models,” the Air Force said.

As many as 116 C-130Hs could be grounded during inspections, AMC spokesperson Maj. Beau Downey said, Air and Space Forces Magazine reported.

The post Prop Cracks Prompt Air Force To Ground Some C-130H Cargo Transports appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

For all of the ire and criticism directed toward the “billionaire space race” sparked by Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, humanity is getting closer to delivering not just people, but cargo through the farthest reaches of the atmosphere.

• READ MORE: Billionaire Space Race: Does it Matter?

Investors seem to think so, at least, after they poured $29 million into Swiss startup Destinus SA in a seed funding round announced on Wednesday. The latest venture from serial Russian entrepreneur Mikhail Kokorich, who previously founded and headed up space infrastructure company Momentus (NASDAQ: MNTS), Destinus plans to build an autonomous, hydrogen-powered hypersonic aircraft capable of delivering cargo anywhere in the world.

The seed round included participation from Conny & Co., Quiet Capital, One Way Ventures, ACE & Co., and other investors who seem to be open to the possibility of hypersonic delivery.

“I was an investor in Mikhail’s previous company, and his development pace is incomparable,” commented Conny Boersch of Conny & Co., who joined the Destinus board as part of the funding round. “The team began flight testing with a prototype less than six months after the company’s foundation. In addition to his technical and engineering experience, Mikhail is also one of the most organized and structured founders I have ever met.”

While the ambitious project is still in its early stages, it would add a previously unexplored mode of transport to the growing world of transportation and logistics, if it comes to fruition. Currently, Destinus is working on a prototype, the Jungfrau, which would be considered a hyperplane, meaning that it doesn’t quite go to space but gets close to its vacuum conditions.

The aircraft would be powered by liquid hydrogen, which is incredibly costly to produce and transport but also purports to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, at least according to some––others disagree.

Destinus is aiming to have the aircraft fly as fast as Mach 15––that’s more than 11,500 miles per hour in standard conditions––at a cruising altitude of around 37 miles (195,360 ft) high, placing it in the upper reaches of the Earth’s atmosphere. The company plans to begin operations with a payload capacity of about 1 ton (2,000 lbs).

“We are excited about the broad support for Destinus, which further validates the potential for clean, hypersonic travel to anywhere in the world in one to two hours,” Kokorich said. “We plan to use the funding to continue the development of our hydrogen air-breathing and rocket engines and test the first supersonic flights powered by hydrogen engines in the next 12 to 18 months.

“We have already made significant progress and have designed and filed patents for the unique subsystems, such as a hydrogen active cooling system, enabling a highly reusable hyperplane flying at almost the speed of a rocket,” he added.

According to Kokorich, Destinus flew a smaller prototype, about the length of a car, in 2021 near Munich and plans on testing out the larger Jungfrau this year. In an interview with TechCrunch, the billionaire entrepreneur said the company has already received permission to fly at subsonic speeds, with permission to fly at supersonic speeds hopefully coming when Destinus begins work on a third prototype after Jungfrau.

Regulations will play a role in limiting the speed at which Destinus can bring its new solution to market. With cross-border flights an essential function for its hypersonic aircraft, the company will need to navigate the complex international legal frameworks surrounding air travel.

First, though, the company needs an aircraft to fly, and $29 million in investments could go a long way toward making the hyperplane a reality.

The post Destinus Wants to Bring Air Cargo to the Edge of Space appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The FAA is asking airlines for data on their experience shipping COVID-19 vaccines to understand lessons learned that could be disseminated as best practices or inform development of regulations, minimum standards or guidance, for the safe and efficient transport of these medical supplies. 

The interest stems in part from the need for some vaccines to be transported with larger amounts of dry ice than is normally carried on board aircraft.

According to the notice in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the FAA wants to know:

• Has the volume of vaccines transported per pound of dry ice increased over the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic? 
• Were there observed lower sublimation rates—the speed at which carbon dioxide breaks down from a solid to a gas—owing to improved packaging technology or other factors, and to what factors can these lower sublimation rates be attributed? 
• What risk mitigations have been utilized to enable safe and efficient air operations with larger-than-normal quantities of dry ice? 
• Was there anything that limited the ability to transport COVID-19 vaccines efficiently while maintaining aviation safety? 
• What are key takeaways or accomplishments from the COVID-19 vaccine transportation effort over the past year that show the value of working closely with shippers, airframe manufacturers and the FAA for data-driven safe and efficient operations?

Why This Matters

Both passenger and all-cargo airlines have been critical to the effort of governments and humanitarian groups to distribute coronavirus vaccines around the world. They have moved billions of doses from pharmaceutical makers within countries and across borders to areas of need.

DHL Express, for example, recently said it has delivered more than 2 billion COVID vaccine doses to more than 175 countries.

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Many COVID vaccine shipments kept at ultra-cold temperatures required more dry ice to maintain safety and efficacy. That is especially true for the product developed by Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and German partner BioNTech, which required vaccines be kept at minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 70 Celsius). 

Vaccines moving by air are typically packed in large insulated containers with compartments for dry ice, although some types of equipment use battery-powered refrigeration systems instead. Major cooler manufacturers include Csafe, Envirotainer, Opticooler and SkyCell.

Initial concerns about spoilage because of insufficient refrigerated facilities and equipment at airports and logistics centers turned out to be a Y2K event that never materialized, because of extensive planning by the air logistics sector and less stringent needs for subzero storage than originally expected.

A team of FAA specialists has closely worked with air carriers, logistics companies, and other aviation stakeholders to address unique safety matters associated with the vaccines, such as changing packaging configurations, use of data loggers that monitor temperature, and increased dry ice limits. A government-industry working group meets periodically to share ideas, successes and challenges related to transporting COVID-19 vaccines.

In late 2020, the FAA gave passenger airlines permission to carry more dry ice than normally permitted when operating in cargo-only mode, but also cautioned carriers to be careful about amounts allowed onboard because of the danger from CO2 gas being released and incapacitating the crew. 

Voluntary responses should be sent to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain within 30 days.

The post What the FAA Wants to Know about Flying COVID Vaccines appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Bristow Group and Electra.aero signed an agreement Thursday that commits the two companies to collaborate on Electra’s hybrid-electric short take-off and landing (eSTOL) aircraft.

Electra expects to deliver 50 of these low-emission aircraft to Bristow.

“Just as Bristow pioneered the vertical transportation market some 70+ years ago, this [agreement] sets the stage for early collaboration and development between Bristow and Electra for a new class of aircraft that will allow us to take advantage of the unique capabilities of electric and hybrid power generation technologies to substantially lower carbon emissions and operating costs,” Bristow President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Bradshaw said in a statement.

The aircraft will be able to operate from runways as small as 300×100 feet using a proprietary blown-lift technology where eight engines provide additional wing lift. Hybrid-electric power will also provide internal recharging capabilities for aircraft batteries, eliminating the need for new ground infrastructure.

It is being designed to transport up to 1,800 pounds of cargo or move five to seven passengers about 400 to 500 miles. It’ll be able to operate in a variety of environments ranging from busy urban areas to remote landing strips, and fly missions including:

• On-demand intracity flights to medical missions
• Cargo transportation
• Scheduled passenger service

The two companies will collaborate on safety and operational features to ensure the new eSTOL aircraft’s final configuration, specifications and design features meet customer as well as FAA, EASA and Transport Canada certification and timeline requirements.

They’ll also explore new markets for Bristow operations. A focus will be put on “middle-mile” logistics for retail distribution.

Bristow currently operates a fleet of about 240 aircraft for air mobility transport, including for: *Oil and gas customers*Search and rescue (SAR)*Government and civil organizations

“This will allow us to expand our expertise providing sustainable, innovative and efficient vertical lift and aerial transport solutions into new potential end markets like moving time-sensitive cargo and passengers regionally,” Bradshaw said.

John Langford, founder and chief executive officer of Electra.aero, also expressed excitement about the union.

“Bristow’s deep experience operating aircraft across a variety of missions is an excellent complement to the Electra team’s extensive experience in designing and building innovative aircraft,” Langford said.

“This collaboration will lead to a more rigorous aircraft capable of addressing operators’ needs across a variety of use cases and will help Electra develop and certify an eSTOL aircraft in as short a period of time as possible.”

The post Bristow, Electra to Develop Hybrid eSTOL appeared first on FLYING Magazine.