Michael Moses

Meet Mjölnir, named after Thor’s hammer! For those who missed the Space News article, New Frontier Aerospace (NFA) has begun hot fire testing their Mjölnir rocket engine. It wasn’t the first testing, but prior tests were for critical components: the liquid oxygen and natural gas (methane) turbopumps. Hot firing begins the test campaign to qualify the fully assembled engine for a key design goal: namely, demonstrating the reliability and safety features of jet engines. Designed for versatility, Mjölnir aims to enable routine endo-atmospheric hypersonic flight and efficient high delta-v propulsion in space. When paired with an appropriate airframe, it enables routine cost-effective hypersonic testing and when scaled up offers 70% greater range than projected ram/scram-powered aircraft. For space applications, a larger nozzle will provide extreme efficiency for orbital transfer and maneuvers throughout cislunar space. The tests themselves were ignition tests, less than a second long barely spinning up the turbines. But what they demonstrated was the ability to ignite the gas-gas propellants with the reliability and safety of your gas range (or if you prefer your light switch). Yes, a lot more NFA testing is needed to fully validate their goals, but every journey begins with a first step. More steps are coming including steady state operation of Mjölnir, incorporation in an orbital maneuver vehicle testbed, and flight test in an uncrewed aircraft.

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The Center for Aircraft Structural Life Extension (CAStLE) at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is seeking proposals for an Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract under solicitation FA700024R0003. This opportunity is due by October 15, 2024, at 4:30 PM MDT. CAStLE’s mission is two-fold: Conduct a variety of research and technology development projects, focusing on understanding material degradation in aircraft structures and systems. This involves working with Government, academic, and commercial partners to enhance knowledge about aging structures and ensure the safe and economical sustainment of these systems. Educate and inspire future engineers, preparing USAFA cadets for leadership roles in the Air Force, with a focus on Air Force-relevant research and engineering. The contract is aimed at providing solutions, tools, and expertise that contribute to the safe life extension of systems primarily within the Department of Defense (DoD). Additionally, this research feeds back into the classroom to enrich cadet learning and practical experience. @ENGINEERING

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The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) CEO Dan Dumbacher made the following statement: “On behalf of the Institute’s nearly 30,000 professional and student members, we are pleased with the passage of the Federal Aviation Administration #Reauthorization Act of 2024 that authorizes the FAA for the next five years. The legislation will boost the workforce while protecting consumers and modernizing airports. We appreciate the hard work by House and Senate leaders in getting this bill done and President Biden for signing into law. The bill contains provisions intended to bolster air safety, improve consumer protections, and increase flights at the airport closest to Capitol Hill. AIAA looks forward to continuing its support of the FAA as we strive to maintain our nation’s leadership in aviation, while also helping make critical advances in technology development and research to advance safer, smarter, and more sustainable flight.” https://lnkd.in/e3K_zDbx

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At 25 minutes into this video, a loud bang at Dive 8 was detected by acoustic sensors, traced to a strain release. Unfortunately, this warning went unheeded, and the submersible was later lost. A stark reminder of the importance of listening to early signals in high-risk environments. https://lnkd.in/gQW7QpMA #SafetyFirst #RiskManagement #AE #NDT

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Update on the recent RTCA, Inc. SC-227 / EUROCAE WG-85, Standards of Navigation Performance meeting held on May 9-10 in Denver, Colorado, hosted by Boeing.   Working Groups (WGs) 1 and 2 focused on finalizing public comment closure for DO-236E (Required Navigational Performance (RNP) Minimum Aviation System Performance Standards) and DO-283C (RNP Minimum Operational Performance Standards). Meanwhile, WG-3 made progress in revising MOPS to incorporate electronic display information, enabling the integration of digitally derived aeronautical charts.   Follow along to stay informed about our committee’s latest developments!   #RTCA #AviationStandards #NavigationPerformance #AeronauticalInnovation

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https://lnkd.in/eaynzRxv Bristow's background in UAM operations is only rivaled by Blade. When they discuss the marketplace, you should take note and pay attention. This article does a good job describing their thoughts on how the shorter range logisitics market will be the first to take hold and prove useful for the AAM industry. While I agree with their assessment in general, I believe Bristow is looking at AAM from their business model POV. The ease of entry from a certification standpoint is much easier. I believe that the range for logistics will extend to the middle mile (nearly 500nm) where the issues of timeliness and utility of the 3rd dimension come into greater play. I also see the technology allowing for larger payloads that would support Medium Haul Logistics (MHL) market viability. BETA Technology, Mighty Fly, and Elroy Air are all making excellent headway in this area. BVLOS waivers are now being normalized in the FAA so longer range drone cargo delivery will soon be available. I also see the Personal Air Vehicle and electric trainer market as being a strong leader in AAM. These smaller niche sub-markets lead by OEMS like Lift, Pivitol, and Jetson as well as established manufacturer Pipistrel support early public acceptance of electric propulsion. Both of these are outside Bristow's business focus, so this most likely is why they were not highlighted in their assessment. I do like the emphasis they have put on the safety culture that must be embedded in any operations. This is where the US and Europe, despite their lagging position in UAM (behind Asia and the Middle East) will get it right in the long run. #aam #bristow #singleseatconsulting

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Autonomous operations of the UAM eVTOLs has always been the goal for most of the operators/OEMs. Wisk designs it's vehicle from the outset to be uncrewed. Now Joby's partnership integrates the long standing expertise of Xwing into it's camp. This shows that Joby will not simply enter the market and sit on it's position. The article also correctly points out that the DoD customers will be very interested in uncrewed systems that could transport personnel across the battlespace, thereby reducing the need to train more pilots in the future. Joby looks to be continuing their dominance and lead in the UAM market. As this will most likely be the last to provide scaled operations, it is good that they continue to open near term markets like the DoD while looking at long term cost of operations reductions with autonomy. Smart move! #aam #joby #singleseatconsulting

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🚀 Exciting News from the FAA and Boeing! 🚀 The FAA has proposed a new airworthiness directive (AD) that reflects ongoing commitment to safety and quality in the aviation industry. This proposal addresses recent insights into the manufacturing process of the Boeing 787 main landing gear (MLG) and highlights Boeing’s proactive steps in ensuring the highest standards of airworthiness. 📌 Key Points: - Enhanced Safety Measures: The proposed AD follows Boeing’s report on a missed inspection during the production of four drag brace lower link assemblies. The FAA's swift action underscores the industry’s dedication to rigorous safety protocols. - Comprehensive Coverage: Although the initial bulletin targeted specific aircraft line numbers, the FAA's directive will include all Boeing 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10 models. This ensures comprehensive safety oversight across the fleet. - Proactive Measures: The directive is based on Boeing’s November 2023 alert, with no in-service incidents reported. It involves inspections or records checks, which are expected to be efficient and cost-effective, with potential expenses covered under warranty. 🛠️ Looking Ahead: Boeing continues to uphold its commitment to safety and transparency, ensuring that any potential issues are addressed promptly. The FAA's proactive stance exemplifies the collaborative effort between regulators and manufacturers to maintain the highest safety standards in aviation. 🗓️ Get Involved: Stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on the proposed rulemaking until September 16. This is a great opportunity to contribute to the ongoing enhancement of aviation safety. Together, we’re flying towards an even safer future! ✈️ #Aviation #SafetyFirst #FAA #Boeing #AircraftMaintenance #Innovation #QualityAssurance #AviationSafety #aviation #aircraft #boeing #airbus #mro #airline #overhaul #FrontierAirlines #TravelDeals #AviationNews #AirlineIndustry #TravelMore #FlightDeals #LowCostTravel #ExploreMore #MRO #Wanderlust #CheapFlights #EngineAviation #BusinessTravel #VacationMode #Traveling #AirportLife #JetSetter

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Is anyone else wondering how easily UAM can be integrated into the airspace over major metropolitan areas? This considering launch cities like LA, NYC and San Francisco are often blanketed by controlled airspace requiring the operator to coordinate with air traffic control (ATC) for safe and efficient operation. Issues can arise when ATC dictates a change in plans that can mess things up for the individual operator - a scenario that will prove even more problematic with a high tempo of operations expected with UAM at scale. The network of routes recently revealed by Archer for the San Francisco area including Oyster Point as a key hub for service to Napa, San Jose, Livermore, and Oakland will test the ability of the FAA to support the passenger-carrying eVTOL as an intra-urban transportation option. Since Oyster Point lies smack dab in the middle of the Class B airspace that surrounds San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Archer must get approval from ATC for each and every departure and inbound flight using this airspace. And since these flights will be conducted under visual flight rules (VFR) clearance is not guaranteed - authorization often depends on how busy ATC is at the time. I think departures to Napa every 15 minutes as suggested here is a bit ambitious and may exceed the ability of ATC to accommodate a similar level of activity for all routes to and from Oyster Point, totaling 32 flights per hour. This represents a healthy dose of additional workload for ATC who some argue is already stretched to their limit. This situation poses a risk for a well synchronized, high tempo operation which will suffer if access to Class B is either delayed or not forthcoming, probably leading to dissatisfaction on the part of passengers as well as a loss of operational efficiency for Archer. Use of charted helicopter routes or other similar constructs embedded in Class B airspace can help alleviate this situation since this facilitates structured and efficient communication between ATC and the operator, and the mission is more likely to garner quick approval. But unlike NYC and LA, San Francisco does not have any charted helicopter routes as currently published by the FAA. And formally papering these routes is no small feat, requiring the input and concurrence of several groups each with their own interests to promote. Industry focus has recently shifted to the need for construction of vertiports to make the UAM dream come true, but few enthusiasts recognize the need for complementary changes to the airspace as well. Oyster Point may turn out to be the canary in the coal mine in this regard. #eVTOL #UAM #airtaxi

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Oh I like this -- using #AAM for #nonstop routes rather than through a hub. But that means regulatory changes according to Mark Allen at Electra.aero in this Aviation Week Network report. “If you look around the U.S. today, 70% of traffic goes through 30 airports,” Allen said, referring to the hub-and-spoke model dominating U.S. air travel. “What kind of regulatory change is necessary to enable direct aviation?” he asked, pointing to the need for reforms to make point-to-point air travel more accessible to consumers. This is a great stat: “$700 in fuel is equivalent to $17 of electricity, according to Kyle Clark at BETA TECHNOLOGIES. That will dramatically bring down user costs but what don't we know? Still, I'm betting with the size of the #aircraft this will be a permium service as Lilium suggested during the #airtaxiworldcongress last year. It is unsurprising the inauguration of service will depend on current #infrastructure at #airports and #FBOs and I like the thought this will stem the tide of #airport closures, as Allen suggested. Atlantic Aviation Group's Jeff Foland also suggested infrastrcuture improvements at FBOs will go beyond #chargers but will include other energy sources like #hydrogen https://lnkd.in/enTyhRp2. Matt Friedman

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Method Aeronautics Advances to Next Phase in DARPA's ANCILLARY Program, Pioneering VTOL Technologies for Unmanned Aircraft Falls Church, Virginia — April 30, 2024 The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced that Method Aeronautics LLC has progressed to the next phase of the groundbreaking AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) program. This phase aims to further the design and test of an X-plane demonstrator of advanced propulsion and control architectures for Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Adding to Method's reputation as experts in long endurance fixed-wing aircraft design, with this milestone Method has emerged as a leader in vertical takeoff and landing technology for unmanned aircraft systems. Method's design brings a novel approach enabling efficient, robust VTOL capability for Group 3 UAS. Method sees this program as critical technology development to enable wider use of VTOL UAS by U.S. forces abroad, and is actively working to accelerate development beyond the scope of the award. For the ANCILLARY program Method is collaborating with two other industry standouts: Bechamo and SNC. Bechamo was founded in 2020 to provide flight control solutions, and to help aircraft makers create better and more controllable aircraft. Funded also by NASA Phase 1 and Phase 2 SBIRs, Bechamo is using AI and Optimization approaches to provide easier, safer aircraft flight controllers. SNC is proud to partner with Method and Bechamo as part of the DARPA ANCILLARY program. SNC’s long-history in enduring landing systems and aircraft modification and integration is enabling it to generate a state-of-the-art AI/ML landing solution with verifiable statistical safety checks to meet the demands of the ANCILLARY program and the modern warfighter. About Method Aeronautics: Since being founded in 2019 by the team responsible for the creation of Vanilla Aircraft, Method Aeronautics has been engaged in concept development, detail design, fabrication, flight test, and operational support for multiple unmanned aircraft programs. By adopting an entirely fresh approach to unmanned VTOL designs, Method once again aims to redefine the limits of possibility in the industry. Contact Information: [email protected] https://lnkd.in/gtAc2Fxu

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Spoke to the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Advisory Board at its meeting a couple of weeks ago in Colorado Springs. Sponsored by NASA, the Board focuses on GPS and other "PNT" systems. As everyone knows by now, GPS has become essential to our way of life. Increasingly understood as well, at least by anyone reading the frequent stories of GPS outages and anomalies, is the system's vulnerability to interference -- spoofing and jamming are the terms of art for intentional interference -- and that GPS vulnerability represents nothing less than the vulnerability of America’s critical infrastructure. You may be surprised to hear that GPS's capabilities, however miraculous, are now surpassed in important ways by both Galileo and BeiDou, the systems deployed by the European Union and China, respectively. Our Advisory Board is formulating recommendations that call for a revisiting of America's policy and strategy for GPS as well as the system’s governance framework. It may be time to acknowledge that this vitally important system just isn’t getting the attention and the resources that it deserves.

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Boeing is facing challenges as it returns to work after the strike. There are about 1,350 job openings at more than 50 space companies in the Puget Sound region, says Stan Shull, a #spaceindustry analyst and consultant at Alliance Velocity, LLC. Richard Aboulafia of AeroDynamic Advisory agrees. "Manufacturers like Boeing used to count on a large portion of furloughed workers to eventually return to work," wrote Bloomberg. "That pattern was broken when its Covid-era layoffs spurred a permanent exodus, including top-flight engineers and mechanics.  "And these days, workers have more options. Unemployment in Seattle is hovering at 4% and #aerospaceworkers are in high demand, particularly with the region’s booming #spaceeconomy. "Rivals like SpaceX, Blue Origin LLC and Amazon Project Kuiper are all searching for new hires to support rapidly growing operations around Seattle, where Boeing manufactures most of its commercial airplanes, said Shull. The opportunities range from working on Starlink satellites for Elon Musk’s space venture to helping with rockets, #spacestations, #lunar anders and the like for Jeff Bezos’s rival company." And that doesn't even count the thousands of available jobs at other #aerospace and #aviation #manufacturers. The job openings are good news for 5% of workers being laid off at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. https://lnkd.in/e9TaMs9A

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Boeing's recent travails are an object lesson in what not to say when under fire from the #NTSB for failure to cooperate and lax record management: “With respect to documentation, if the door plug removal was undocumented there would be no documentation to share.” Maintaining detailed, comprehensive, organized technical records of the maintenance, repair, inspections and compliance of aircraft and engines is of critical importance in ensuring the safe operations of any fleet. The merest hint of laxity or negligence can have dangerous consequences. For a quick refresher on technical records, read our blog: https://lnkd.in/efCwTC87 For comprehensive Technical Services Support including Records Management for your assets please contact our team of skilled consultants. We work with airlines, leasing companies, OEMs and MROs helping reduce costs, streamline processes, and maintain high standards of safety and efficiency. National Transportation Safety Board #technicalservices #aviation #technicalrecords #documentation #gcc

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🚁 Aligning UAM Airspace and Ground Space for Seamless Operations: Ongoing stakeholder discussions continue to emphasize that UAM airspace design must align and seamlessly integrate with ground space and vertiport infrastructure. This integration is crucial to ensuring seamless urban air mobility operations ✈️ and situational awareness for both cities 🏙️ and regulators 🛂. As the FAA and NASA collaborate with third parties to develop industry-specific solutions for commercial low-altitude airspace management, eVertiSKY’s CTO, Steven C. Philpott Sr. is directly leading and participating in the ASTM WK 85415 NASA UTM FG38 API Specifications Design. Our focus in this work is on developing Software-Defined Airspace (SDA) 🌐 as an open standard, along with the voxelization of city airspace 🌆 and 4DTRB voxel-based frameworks to ensure efficient and safe UAM traffic management 🛫. The SDA framework, built on active digital twins 🧠, public intelligent infrastructure, and our 4-Dimensional Trajectory Airspace Blocks (4DTRB), ensures that commercial low-altitude UAM operations are integrated into the National Airspace System (NAS) 🚦 and, most importantly, into local transportation command systems 🏙️. This sophisticated urban airspace, coupled with regulatory compliance 📋, meets the unique requirements of urban environments, including vertiport identification 🛬 and airspace segmentation. By leveraging voxel-based airspace design, eVertiSKY is helping cities plan for and build confidence 🛡️ in the premise of safe, scalable operations, paving the way for economic impact 💼 as they enable commercial UAM services.

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Apex is kicking off conversations early… Partnering with the Hudson Institute and Defense & Aerospace Report, we’re bringing key conversation topics to industry now, ahead of January 28-29, 2025, so we can support the delivery of advanced capability at speed and at scale. Here is just a sample of the conversations we have already brought to the community. View our website to discover more and register your interest to hear when our next series of engagements are announced. Past Engagements: https://lnkd.in/eYvCKjvu Register Interest: https://lnkd.in/eWrysG7J   NEXT UP Our next series of pre-Apex activities - in partnership with the Hudson Institute - will explore opportunities for non-US owned companies to fill needs in the US defense market, as there are many partner nation companies with US based subsidiaries looking to fill critical capability gaps. We’ll look to answer the following questions: ✅ What current requirements exist? ✅ What regulations help or hurt these endeavors? ✅ How can more partnerships can be forged?   Find out more about Apex: https://lnkd.in/eNqeQpGw   #Apex #EmergingTech #Innovation #DefenseTech #Defense #Adaptability #JointCapability #Acquisition

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That’s my regen engine! First off, I want to say that I’m incredibly proud of the students who helped SLO Propulsion Technologies achieve some great milestones so far this year! As I’ve been handing off presidential responsibilities to the next generation, I’ve started working on new projects within SPT. So far, this has culminated in developing the first regen engine at Cal Poly- design took 1 week, machining it took 4 weeks, and it works! Unfortunately, I erred in Test 4 where I set the regulators when trying to up chamber pressure, resulting in an O/F of 1.5 rather than the cool ratio of 1 I needed, resulting in a hotter chamber temp than I wanted (video shows below what happens next). As a rapid proof of concept and the first regen engine though, getting multiple burps off before melting the chamber (due to my overzealousness) is more than enough. I can’t wait to see where this technology goes in the near future in other SPT projects! I’m excited to have contributed a tangible achievement to SPT’s growing success, while also getting the opportunity to develop this in a rapid manner. That’s what SPT is about- the best engine you can make is one that exists, and the best data you can get is real data. Look forward to what’s coming next for SPT, it’s going to be a lot.

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