APRIL 2015
W W W. AEROSPACE TESTINGINTERNATIONAL .COMAPRIL 2015PUBLISHED BY UKIP MEDIA & EVENTS LTD
NASA ORIONChief engineer Julie Kramer White
reveals her dedication to the next generation of deep space explorationSURVIVABILITY TESTING Exclusive insights from the US Army
Test and Evaluation Command’s Redstone Test CenterELECTRIC AIRCRAFTThe move towards More Electric
Aircraft is irreversible, but full electric and hybrid aircraft remain a challengeAIRBUS CHIEF TEST PILOT • FIRE SCOUT MQ-8 • V-22 OSPREY WEAPONS TRIALS • NDT AUTOMATIONw w w. Aer ospaceTestingInter nationa l.comLANDING GEARDiscover the latest testing developments from a leading undercarriage
systems supplier and the head of landing gear integration at AirbusO
utside it is quite dark – and it is getting
darker. The birds are roosting and cars
have their headlights on, but it is 09:30 on
a spring morning... Friday, March 20, 2015, saw
an amazing partial solar eclipse across northern
Europe. A poignant reminder of the power and
majesty of our solar system. Perhaps it was fate,
then, that ensured this issue of Aerospace Testing
International includes an exclusive interview with
Julie Kramer White, the senior engineer for the
deep solar system manned Orion project.
On December 5, 2014, Orion launched atop a
Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral: a two-
orbit, four-hour flight that tested many of the
systems most critical to safety, including launch
and high-speed re-entry systems such as avionics,
attitude control, parachutes and the heat shield. In
the future, Orion will launch on NASA’s new heavy-
lift rocket, the Space Launch System. The test
flight marks a new era of space travel. It shows a
hugely important commitment to go that further
step. “I joined NASA in the shadow of the 1985
Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy,” says Kramer.
“I saw first-hand people’s dedication to resolving
what went wrong that day, and to making sure it
never happened again. From that point forward,
the passion for what NASA strives to achieve –
engineering excellence and integrity – became the
touchstone for everything I have done. I know
these life lessons aren’t unique to NASA. But take
the ability to take these values, add a focus on
teamwork and persistence, and you can see why
NASA truly excels and continues to draw some of
the best and brightest young people into the
adventure of human spaceflight.” Turn to page 12
to discover the depth of Kramer’s dedication to the
field of manned spaceflight.
We also have an interview with Peter Chandler,
the chief test pilot for Airbus, on page 26, where
he discusses his own milestones and the hugely
important role test pilots still have when it comes
to new aircraft development.
I’m sure both Kramer and Chandler would
have been aghast at the news from just over a year
ago (March 8, 2014) that flight MH370 had gone
missing without a trace. I wrote a detailed foreword
describing my own thoughts and those of others
within just a week or so of the tragedy, fully
expecting the truth to be revealed in a matter of
days or weeks at most. How wrong I was. It is just
over a year since the Boeing 777 disappearedsomewhere in the Indian Ocean. Since then,
conspiracy theories have gone bonkers, while
evidence remains scant. However, some new
details have emerged about the circumstances
surrounding MH370’s disappearance. Chief among
them is the revelation that the battery on the
underwater locator beacon attached to the
missing airplane’s black box had expired in
December 2012, 15 months before the doomed
aircraft took off.
However, this does not explain anything
regarding the crash. The latest investigation states
that the aircraft’s final nine voice transmissions
came from Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah. This
includes the final communication “Goodnight
Malaysian three-seven-zero” at around 1:19am
(local time), a minute or so before the aircraft’s
transponder ceased transmitting.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB),
which is leading the search, has scoured 26,800km^2
of the ocean floor, 40% of the designated search
area, but has so far found nothing.
A year on, it would seem the disappearance
of MH370 remains one of aviation’s biggest
mysteries. At the time, I speculated that the pilots
were overcome by a cockpit fire caused by an
electrical fault, which left them with enough time
to change route, but not to save the plane. I think
I stand by that – but the victims and families of all
those touched by this tragic event deserve more
than theories.Christopher Hounsfield, editorPRODUCTS & SERVICES
92 › Expert Raphael Hallez
highlights latest trends
for the industry94 › Boosting development in
the early project phases96 › Per V Brüel celebrated
his 100th birthday on
March 6, 201597 › CT is the most effective
way to evaluate
composite materials98 › A Test Requirements
Document keeps an
aerospace program simple99 › High-speed data
recording: Why worry
about losing it?REGULARS
11 HEAD-TO-HEAD
Space has traditionally been
the jewel in the crown of the
aerospace testing world. But has
the public lost its appetite for
extraterrestrial achievements?
101 INDUSTRY
BULLETINS
Featuring company news, latest
innovations, case studies, and
the most up-to-date systems on
the market104 AFT CABIN
Interview: the UCAV Taranis
project has moved UAV
development for the UK’s
forces rapidly forward
EDITOR Christopher Hounsfield
([email protected])PRODUCTION EDITOR Alex Bradley
CHIEF SUB EDITOR Andrew Pickering
DEPUTY PRODUCTION EDITOR Nick Shepherd
PROOFREADER Christine VelardeART DIRECTOR James Sutcliffe
ART EDITOR Louise Adams
DESIGN CONTRIBUTORS Andy Bass, Anna Davie,
Craig Marshall, Nicola Turner, Julie Welby, Ben White
HEAD OF PRODUCTION & LOGISTICS Ian Donovan
DEPUTY PRODUCTION MANAGER Lewis Hopkins
PRODUCTION TEAM Carole Doran, Cassie Inns,
Robyn Skalsky, Frank MillardPUBLICATION DIRECTOR
Tom Eames ([email protected])
PUBLICATION MANAGER
Jag Kambo ([email protected])CEO Tony Robinson
MANAGING DIRECTOR Graham Johnson
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Anthony Jamesz Contents | EDITOR’S VIEW
Published byAverage net circulation per issue for the
period 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014
was 9,The views expressed in the articles and technical papers are those of the authors and are not endorsed by the publishers. While every care has been taken during
production, the publisher does not accept any liability for errors that may have occurred. Aerospace Testing International USPS 020-657 is published quarterly, in
March, July, September and December by UKIP Media & Events Ltd, Abinger House, Church Street, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1DF, UK; tel: +44 1306 743744;
fax: +44 1306 742525; editorial fax: +44 1306 887546. Annual subscription price is £42/US$75. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named Air Business Ltd,
c/o Worldnet Shipping USA Inc, 155-11 146th Street, Jamaica, New York 11434. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica, New York 11431. US Postmaster: send address
changes to Aerospace Testing International c/o Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping USA Inc, 155-11 146th Street, Jamaica, New York 11434. Subscription
records are maintained at UKIP Media & Events Ltd, Abinger House, Church Street, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1DF, UK. Air Business is acting as our mailing agent.
Printed by William Gibbons & Sons Ltd, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT, UK.
This publication is protected by copyright 2015. ISSN 1478-2774 Aerospace Testing International
COVER IMAGE: trekandshoot/ShutterstockAll in a name
There has been some debate about what
‘drones’ should be called. To settle this: ‘drone’
is the civilian and media term for unmanned
air systems. The latter term, often shortened
to UAS, covers all systems, ranging from
small (even toys), to larger types, and tends
to refer to civilian versions, rather than large
military types such as Predator or Taranis.
This leads us to the military acronym RPA,
or remotely piloted aircraft – those which still
need a pilot (according to the military), just not
on board. The industry term for these is UAV
(unmanned air vehicle), which seems the most
straightforward. Clear? Yes, as mud! And of
course there’s UCAV... an unmanned combat
air vehicle, etc, etc...02 |^
APRIL 2015
AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM