HATFIELD BRANCH NEWSLETTER

DECEMBER 2020

December LectureAircraft Galleys

by Adina Caraba, Director of Engineering, Collins Aerospace

Wednesday 9th December, 6.30pm, online.

See back page for details

From the ChairmanWelcome to the December newsletter. As we approach the end of a traumatic year, I hope that you and your families remain safe and will be able to enjoy the festive season.

Last week, Keith Gowland and I attended the latest online brief from the Branches Committee of the Main Society. After an introduction from the President, Professor Jonathan Cooper, Chief Executive Sir Brian Burridge gave an interesting update on the state of the Society and the Aero Industry in response to Covid.

The Society has not escaped from the economic impact of the pandemic. Almost half the Society’s revenue comes from conferences and other events at Hamilton Place. Without this income, the Society has had to make some hard choices and has reduced headcount by 13 staff – to just 36.

The impact on the airline industry has been cata-strophic. Summer revenues for European Airlines were just 25% of those in 2019 and this has had an inevitable impact on the manufacturing side. Over the next 10 years, deliveries of commercial aircraft are projected at 16,000, a 30% reduction from pre-pandemic levels. The impact is greater in long-haul aircraft. Even assuming that we get a successful vaccine programme in 2021, airline traffic is not expected to fully recover until 2024.

Although Airbus and Boeing are looking to reduce headcount by about 15% and the downturn will have significant impact in the supply chains, all is not doom and gloom. CEOs of Airlines and OEMs have confirmed their commitment to pursue the development of carbon-friendly systems which include synthetic aviation fuel and hydrogen and electric power. In September, Airbus revealed three concept aircraft, all with hydrogen power.

Defence projects have been less impacted by Covid and the recent UK defence funding review included continued funding for Tempest, the UK next-generation fighter. Interestingly, the team include lots of companies from outside the traditional defence sector, including F1 and gaming companies.

Coming back to branch business, I hope that you will be able to join us for our next lecture on 9th December when Adina Caraba will talk on aircraft galleys. For the last two lecture some members have had problems connecting. Hopefully, this time, we will have more success.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas and trust that we can look forward to a more normal 2021.

Steve Rogers

HATFIELD BRANCH NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020

Lecture Report – A Brief History of Handley Page & Radlett Aerodrome, Chris ScivyerFor the November Lecture, we were delighted to welcome Chris Scivyer, the chairman of the Handley Page Association, to talk on the history of Handley Page and Radlett Aerodrome. Chris grew up in Frogmore and he spent many happy hours in the garden pressed up against the back fence – on the other side was the Radlett Aerodrome. The southern end of the runway was 150 yards from the fence. He had Victors at the bottom of the garden! Chris still lives in the same house today and he was able to point out the house in a number of the aircraft pictures. It is now 50 years since the airfield closed.

Frederick Handley Page was born in 1885 and in 1909 he founded the first aeronautical company in the UK. Originally established in Barking, in 1912 they moved to Cricklewood. During the First World War, they were building O/100 and O/400 bombers for the war effort. After the war, some O/400s were converted into airliners for Handley Page Transport and operated the first regular flights from London to Paris in 1919. By the late 1920s, Cricklewood Aerodrome was being encroached on all sides by new housing and the company was looking for a new airfield. One of Handley Page’s test pilots, James Cordes, remembered an occasion when he had been forced by bad weather to land in a field near Frogmore, alongside what was then the Midland Railway Line, and suggested this as a suitable location for a new factory and aerodrome. The company opened the new airfield and manufacturing plant at Radlett in 1930. The factory at Cricklewood continued to produce parts until 1964.

In the inter-war years, the company produced a range of biplane airliners, including the luxurious

four engine HP42, used by Imperial Airways and seen here with some horse-drawn mowing machines for maintaining the runway.

During the Second World War, Handley Page turned to building bombers and built Harrow, Hampden and Halifax bombers in great numbers. The Hastings military transport went into service in 1948 and immediately joined the Berlin Airlift, some aircraft even being delivered unpainted from the factory to join the round-the-clock effort to keep Berlin supplied.

The Victor was the last of the three V Bombers to fly, making its first flight from Boscombe Down in 1952. In 1957, test pilot John Allam achieved M1.1 in a shallow dive, creating a sonic boom over Hertfordshire. Handley Page also developed the HP115 research aircraft, which was used to test the low-speed characteristics of the slender delta wing being developed for Concorde.

By the early sixties, the government were encouraging aircraft companies to merge. Sir Frederick resisted the merger with Hawker Siddeley and the result was a lack of government contracts. Handley Page decided to go it alone and build the Jetstream airliner. But by 1970, even with a new US owner, the money had finally run out. At the end of the 1960s, a number of Victors were parked up at Radlett awaiting conversion to tankers. The contract never came and was given to Hawker Siddeley after Handley Page went into voluntary liquidation in March 1970. The Jetstream project moved to Scottish Aviation at Prestwick.

When Handley Page first moved to Radlett, they needed to move sheep off the runway before aircraft could take off. Now looking over the garden fence, Chris can see sheep grazing in the fields where aircraft once operated.

This was Chris’s first online lecture and he commented how strange it was not to get any

HATFIELD BRANCH NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020

feedback from the audience during the talk. Neverthe-less, he succeeded in delivering a most entertaining and informative lecture.

Unfortunately, some of our members were unable to log into the online lecture. However, the St Albans Museum, in conjunction with the Handley Page Association, has mounted an exhibition on the history

of Handley Page. This excellent exhibition opened in February, just in time for lockdown, but is now available online at:

https://www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/explore/exhibitions/handley-page

Steve Rogers

2020-21 Lecture ProgrammeConfirmed lectures (Wednesdays):

21st Oct: Geoffrey de Havilland Lecture: PrivateFly Air Charter Operations, Adam Twidell 18th Nov: Handley Page & Radlett, Chris Scivyer 9th Dec: Aircraft Galleys, Collins Aerospace Thursday 21st Jan 2021: Space Lecture, Howard Nye 17th Feb: Student Lecture Competition 17th Mar: TBA 21st Apr: GASCo Safety Evening, Keith Thomas 19th May: Lecture TBA, preceded by AGMAll lectures are online. Please contact hatfield@aerosociety.com for an invitation

Members’ competition

8

Email the name of this trophy to hatfield@aerosociety.com for a chance to win the mug shown below.

Wishing all of our members a Healthy and Prosperous New Year

HATFIELD BRANCH NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020

Heading for the new normalInspired by recent (October/November) Aerospace magazines on the theme of electric aviation, I decided to find out how zero emission flight is maturing. You may be interested in a personal review of some of the possibilities and constraints for electric flight.

While, for many years, propulsion options were limited to petrol or diesel powered engines, these days electric motors are increasingly being considered. They may sometimes be used to completely replace their predecessor, the combustion-powered engine, resulting in an electric vehicle. In other cases, two different technologies may coexist within a single vehicle: these are hybrid models which have various levels of interaction depending on the charging and energy storage systems chosen.

What are the main differences between hybrid and electric?

Operational differencesElectric vehicles are less noisy, odourless, and provide a smooth acceleration. In terms of cost, “fuel” expenses are greatly reduced, as electricity is much less expensive than petrol or diesel. In terms of range, current developments have achieved one hour of continuous operation. Charging time remains a challenge but is improving.

Hybrids have a greater range than traditional combustion-powered aircraft because they are fuel-powered with two electric batteries as backup. Electrical power reduces fuel consumption (up to 40% equivalent.) When the vehicles are running on electric power, the ride is just as silent and comfortable. When the combustion engine powers the vehicle, it feels much like a traditional vehicle. With this arrangement, take off and climb using the main engine may be followed by cruise using the electric motor.

100% electricElectric aircraft are the most advanced and most affordable solution available in today’s market to respond to environmental issues related to global warming and air pollution. What makes them unique? The combustion engine, fuel tank, and exhaust pipe are all gone, and in their place is a battery-powered electric motor. With a potential range of several hundred kilometres, they run silently, consume no energy when stationary, and produce no exhaust fumes. Due to the lack of combustion and moving mechanical parts, electric motors are exceptionally reliable. This means that maintenance is kept to a bare minimum.

HybridsThese have both a fuel-powered engine and an electric unit designed to work together. The electric motor serves as backup for the combustion engine, decreasing the stress on the latter and thereby lowering fuel consumption. So how are hybrid aircraft charged? The small onboard battery recharges during descent or deceleration by converting speed into energy.

Rechargeable hybridsRechargeable hybrids use a battery with a larger capacity integrated into the airframe. A socket is added to allow for independent charging. In this way, the electric motor becomes a true alternative to the combustion-powered engine for the majority of everyday travel. Nevertheless, the use of the combus-tion-powered engine remains an option for covering long distances. The difference between hybrid vehicles and rechargeable hybrid vehicles is that only the latter can be charged at an outlet, allowing for more use of electrical power and therefore a longer electric range.

Hybrid vehicles with range extendersAnother option is to use an electric motor and battery, and to add a small combustion-powered engine designed to maintain the charge. This is called an extend-ed-range electric vehicle. The hybrid is much closer to being 100% electric than 100% combustion-powered: electricity is the main source of ‘fuel.’ For vehicles of this type, the battery has a large capacity and can be recharged at a charging station. These aircraft are able to run on electrical power for everyday use, without producing any exhaust fumes. The combustion engine acts only as a support, operating in a manner similar to that of a power generator. Its only purpose is to extend the range by recharging the battery; it doesn’t provide power directly to the motor.

HydrogenThere is such a thing as a 100% electric aircraft that uses an alternative form of power: hydrogen. Hydrogen fuel cells make it possible to generate electricity from the gas, produced by the decomposition of water or methane. Within each cell, the gas is converted into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen present in the surrounding air. It is fed by a tank that contains the gas stored at high pressure (250- 350 bar).

The manufacture of fuel cells requires rare metals as well as an energy source, which may or may not be renewable. Large-scale adoption would also require setting up infrastructure for the production and distri-bution of hydrogen.

HATFIELD BRANCH NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020

Electric and hybrid vehiclesElectric power has made enormous strides since the days of nickel-cadmium batteries. Modern lithium-ion batteries are safe and, at the end of their life cycle, are handled through increasingly efficient recycling processes. They are lighter, more compact, and have a higher capacity, increasing the range. This technology is good for up to 2500 charging cycles. Dynamic inductive charging is another promising lead, as it could enable charging while in motion.

These developments stem from the environmental impact of aviation. In 2019 it was estimated to be 1 billion tonnes of CO2, which is about 2.5% of global emissions. Leading these initiatives are Airbus, Rolls Royce, Hybrid Airships and ZeroAvia with technology demonstrators. Will they meet expectations and become a new normal for aviation?

New infrastructure and skills will be needed to enable this technology to mature over the expected life of an aircraft. Currently it takes 5-10 years to design a new aircraft, and another 3-5 years to bring it into operational service. Therefore, larger organi-sations are leading development of mass transit zero emissions capabilities. However, smaller organisations off-set this high-risk approach by equipping existing airframes with proof of concepts. One such example of this approach is ZeroAvia, who announced, at Cranfield on 25 September 2020, that it had made the first flight of a six-seat Piper M350 powered with hydrogen fuel cells. Working on the government-backed HyFlyer programme to advance zero-emissions aviation, ZeroAvia intends to have a 10- to 20-seat aircraft

certified with hydrogen propulsion within three years, and a 50- to 100-seat model by 2030. By 2040, it believes it could be possible for aircraft carrying 200 passengers to make flights of more than 3,000 nm. The HyFlyer programme is supported by the UK government’s Innovate UK and Aerospace Technology Institute research and technology projects. Its aim is to replace conventional propeller engines in medi-um-sized passenger aircraft for regional airline operations. The Piper’s single piston engine has been replaced by a powertrain consisting of an electric motor, hydrogen fuel cells, and gas storage. This combination is expected to offer a significantly more efficient energy-to-weight ratio than battery-based all-electric propulsion. ZeroAvia intends to make a flight of almost 300nm from Cranfield in southern England to the Orkney islands in the north of Scotland. This is where the company’s partner, EMEC Hydrogen, is based and where it is working on infrastructure to use renewable energy to produce so-called green hydrogen to fuel aircraft. ZeroAvia believes that by 2023 it could have a hydrogen-powered aircraft ready to start commercial operations carrying up to 20 passengers on trips of up to around 500nm. It says that operating costs

Airlander 10Six-seat Piper M350

HATFIELD BRANCH NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020

will be lower than for an all-electric aircraft, in part because the technology does not require batteries to be replaced. ZeroAvia is also partnered with Intelligent Energy, which is adapting its evaporatively cooled fuel cell technology for aviation use.

Hybrid Air Vehicles is working on an electric version of its Airlander airship, in partnership with Collins. A hybrid airship, filled with helium, has secured a funding injection of £1 million to develop electric propulsion. The funding from the UK Aerospace Research and Technology Programme of BEIS and Innovate UK aims to support the project which is thought to accelerate the UK’s journey to zero-emission transport. The Airlander 10, which claims to be the ‘world’s first full-scale hybrid aircraft’, uses aerostatic and aerodynamic lift technology, to carry up to 90 passengers or ten tonnes of cargo, and even has a dining room! The E-HAV1 project, which was launched in April 2019 by the supplier Collins Aerospace and the University of Nottingham, will deliver a full-size prototype 500kW electric propulsor for ground testing. This technology will replace Airlander’s fuel-burning engines as the first step to an all-electric Airlander by 2030, using hydrogen fuel cell only. With four fuel-burning engines, Airlander 10 currently produces 75% fewer emissions than other jets of similar standards - replacing the two front engines with electric motors will further reduce emissions. The hybrid-electric Airlander 10 is expected to produce 90% fewer emissions from 2025. However, this underestimates how this capability is being explored by general aviation and the UAV market.

If we look back at what has been achieved in the late 1880s the concept of an electric-powered airship was demonstrated in France and proved that power density was a limiting factor. 100 years later, the first flight of an electric aircraft with nickel cadmium batteries (MB-E1) lasted 15 minutes. By the 1980s lithium-ion batteries were used to power Solar Impulse 2. Starting in 2015 this aircraft took 16 months to travel around the world at an average speed of 30 miles per hour. Electric planes have been around for some time,

but is this the next technology to disrupt the aviation market? One of the limiting factors is the technology; battery power density is not as good as fossil fuel. A battery’s efficiency or ability to hold energy is measured as specific energy. Currently, batteries are about 250 watt-hours per kilogramme. Estimating an equivalent capability, batteries will need to be about 800 watt-hours per kilogramme for a small aircraft and 12,000 watt-hours per kilogramme for a jet airliner. This will require a bigger battery to an aircraft than the current engine and fuel tank configuration for the same power density.

Another consideration is the certification of the installation. For example, if the battery goes wrong you cannot stop as you would in a car, so the resilience and redundancy requirements are much higher. Pipistrel demonstrated the first two-seat 100% electric light aircraft in 2017 based upon a glider design to aid the

certification process as retro-fitting an electric motor and batteries is a low-risk approach. This approach has also been used to assess a hybrid solution. Ampaire retro-fitted an electrical motor into a 1973 Cessna so both a liquid and electric motor were available. Harbour Air replaced the engine in a 62 year old airframe for a 15 minute test flight of fully electric solution in 2019. However, this limits the electric motor to the existing motor and fuel footprint and weight.

In summary, electric motors are smaller and lighter than equivalent liquid fuel motors. However, if you are confined by the existing weight limitations, you lose range because of the size of the battery. For electric

Alpha Electro G2 plane, built by Pipistrel in Slovenia

Cessna 337 SkymasterMB-E1

HATFIELD BRANCH NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020

planes to be successful in the long term, a re-design is necessary. Israeli company Eviation has taken on this challenge with the proof of concept vehicle, a nine-seater plane – Alice – with an expected range of 650 miles.

Electric vehicles currently have an estimated range of 500 miles – this distance covers more than half of today’s airline tickets sold. Many journeys use larger, less-efficient airliners which are built to fly thousands of miles when smaller, more-efficient planes would be more suitable.

In the last forty years, less-efficient flights to regional airports have become increasingly expensive. At the same time, airlines have reduced operations on less efficient routes choosing to optimise their aircraft for the more lucrative routes. However, the intro-duction of electric aircraft to regional airports could restore overall efficiency by establishing a hub and spoke travel infrastructure with an average cost saving of £500 per flight hour compared to a turbo prop aircraft as well as corresponding reductions in noise and pollution.

Reflecting upon the Geoffrey de Havilland lecture, Adam Twidell may have been correct in his prediction that small efficient electric aircraft may operate from Hatfield aerodrome for short range flights.

Keith Gowland

ReferencesZeroAvia: https://www.zeroavia.comHAV: www.hybridairvehicles.comFuel cell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cellEMEC: European Marine Energy Centre http://

www.emec.org.uk. Intelligent Energy – Evaporatively Cooled

Technology: www.intelligent-energy.com/evaporative-ly-cooled-technology

Innovate UK funded projects 2004 to 1 October 2020: https://assets.publishing.service.

gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/926207/20201001_Innovate_UK_Funded_Projects.xlsx

Results of Competition: UK Aerospace Research and Technology Programme: Batch 28

h t t p s : / / a s s e t s . p u b l i s h i n g . s e r v i c e . g o v.u k / g o v e r n m e n t / u p l o a d s / s y s t e m / u p l o a d s /attachment_data/f i le/852164/Competit ion_Results_-_UK_Aerospace_Research_and_Technology_Programme_Batch_28.pdf

Eviation Alice DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver converted to a 750- horsepower all-electric motor

Cessna Skymaster

BAE-Siemens BAe 146 electric propulsion concept demonstrator

HATFIELD BRANCH NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020

Here to help… MS Teams Live EventA number of members have reported issues with joining MS Teams live events. The committee have discussed this matter and wish to offer the following guidance.

Our lectures will be delivered via the MS Teams Live Event tool, so you will need an internet-enabled/connected device. MS Teams Live is a live streaming tool (so you cannot be seen or heard). Please check that your speakers are turned on so you can hear the presentation.

From an MS Windows-enabled PC/laptop you do not need the MS Teams app or an MS Teams account to join the event. For other devices you may need to install the app, but you still do not need an MS Teams account.

For further information, please see the Microsoft Teams tutorial at: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/attend-a-live-event-d837ad8d-ce34-44d0-9744-9beb50e943ac

How to Join the MS Teams Live EventAfter clicking on the joining link provided (or pasting it into your web browser), MS Teams will launch in your web browser and the screen shown in Figure 1 will appear. You will have the choice to get (download and install) the Teams app or watch on the web (via your browser).

This guide only covers joining through your web browser. After selecting ‘watch on the web instead,’ the screen shown in Figure 2 will appear.

Once you sign in the screen shown in Figure 3 will appear. Please note: if you see ‘The live event hasn’t started,’ you have joined the event successfully so please wait until the event begins.

You can ask questions using the Live Q&A (Figure

4). Like our usual lectures, we will save answering questions until after the presentation has finished.

The committee would like to test this capability and provide feedback for the guidance of members. Therefore, please email hatfield@aerosociety.com to arrange a test connection. However, we do look forward to meeting face to face again soon.

Keith Gowland

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

HATFIELD BRANCH ONLINE LECTURE

Aircraft Galleys

9th December 2020 18:30 Over the years, BE Aerospace at Leighton Buzzard developed an enviable reputation as a leading supplier of seats and galleys to the major aerospace manufacturers. Now part of Collins Aerospace, the Leighton Buzzard facility continues to design & manufacture a wide range of aircraft interiors. In this lecture, Adina will cover the evolution of the company and talk about the development and manufacture of current products.

Adina Caraba Director of Engineering – Collins Aerospace

After gaining a degree in Electrical Engineering in Romania, Adina moved to the UK in 2007 and joined Goodrich Aerospace at Pitstone as a hardware engineer working on electric motors control units.

As a programme manager she led the introduction of electric motors and control system for thrust reversers on the Airbus A350, as well as the electric brake actuator controller redesign for the Boeing 787.

After a spell as Transfer Director managing the transfer of capability prior to the closing of the site in Hemel Hempstead, she is now the galleys engineering leader for Collins Interiors based in Leighton Buzzard.

VENUE: Online Webinar

PROGRAMME: 18:30 – Online Forum Setup 18:40 – CPD Reg and welcome 18:45 – Lecture 20:00 – End

CPD certificates of attendance will be endorsed for CEng, IEng or EngTech registration

Members & non-members are welcome

GET CONNECTED WITH RAeS Search “RAeS Hatfield Branch”, on Facebook

For webinar invites and questions in advance, Please contact the Branch Secretary on: Email: hatfield@aerosociety.com