JET PLANE SOLAR IMPULSE HAS 17,000 SOLAR CELLS, BUILT INTO WINGS WIDER THAN A JUMBO JET17kcellsA COMMERCIAL FEATURE

ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT ARE WAITING IN THE WINGS

THE PLUG-IN AGE COMPETENCE

THE NEW CITATION LATITUDE HAS A MIDSIZE PRICE AND BEST-IN-CLASS OPERATING COSTSAfter eight decades of individually shaping the modern avi-ation industry, Textron Aviation has united Hawker, Beechcraft and Cessna brands, creating aviations most iconic family of aircraft and the industrys broadest prod-uct portfolio and largest company-owned service network. In fact, the Textron Aviation segment is the leading general aviation authority and its Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands account for more than half of all general aviation aircraft flying. Its product portfolio includes five principal lines of business: business jets, general aviation and spe-cial mission turboprop aircraft, high performance piston aircraft, military trainer and defense aircraft, and a com-plete global customer service organization. Its broad range of products include such best-selling aircraft as Citation and Hawker business jets, King Air and Caravan turbo-props and T-6 military trainer aircraft, all of which are backed by the industrys largest global service network.

Cessna, which is the leading designer and manufacturer of light and mid-size business jets, utility turboprops and single engine aircraft, has designed, produced and deliv-ered close to 200,000 aircraft around the globe. This includes more than 6,600 Citation business jets, making it among the largest fleet of business jets in the world.

In June, a major landmark was achieved when the Cessna Citation Latitude was awarded the FAA certification. The new Citation Latitude represents the perfect balance of comfort and efficiency and is the first business jet to combine a roomy, flat floor, stand-up cabin, with a midsize price and best-in-class operating costs. From inception, we looked at every aspect of how we design, build and deliver new prod-ucts to the market with the goal to further improve upon the

key attributes that make the Citation so highly esteemed, said Scott Ernest, president and

CEO of Textron Aviation. Throughout the certification program, the Latitude dem-

onstrated breakthrough results, which are evident in the aircrafts

performance and value proposi-tion. And now, customers can experience firsthand how the Latitude can reduce operating costs, while increasing pro-ductivity and profitability for their businesses. The FAA certification follows the air-crafts first Atlantic crossing and European debut at the

EBACE 2015. Customer recep-tion remains strong as the air-

crafts transcontinental and European performance capabilities

were showcased during a month-long regional demonstration tour. The Citation

Latitude will continue its global debut sched-ule throughout the remainder of the year.

When it comes to the Asia-Pacific region, Cessna fore-sees the demand for small and mid-size planes gathering pace. As far as India is concerned, Cessna believes that since the country continues to be one of the worlds fast-est growing economies, this has led to a greater need for business aircraft in the country. And the company believes that with its unrivalled product range, it is well positioned to meet the pent-up customer demand in India.

In fact, to manage their operations within India and around the world, business leaders need the time-savings offered by business jets but do not necessarily need a long-range aircraft. Products such as Cessnas Citation Mustang, XLS+ and Sovereign offer an exceptional blend of performance, dependability and value. Cessna is seeing increasing interest in these aircraft from Indian customers, particularly from charter operators scaling up to serve cor-porate and leisure demand.

Earlier this year, Textron Aviation showcased its special missions and commercial capabilities at the Aero India in Bangalore. Bill Harris, vice president of sales in the region, had said that having a broad product lineup spanning jets, turboprops and pistons allows us to meet our custom-ers needs for adaptable aircraft solutions. Textron Aviation, in fact, has recorded more than 150 jet and tur-boprop deliveries into the diverse operating environment of India and has an unrivalled product support network across the region to support operators. With nearly 80 turboprops and 70 business jets in the region, Textron Aviations brands are well-known, well-proven and well-sup-ported in India, Harris said. We expect continued growth in business aviation as Indias overall economy continues to prosper, and we have developed aircraft like the Beechcraft King Air 350ER to position ourselves as solu-tion-providers for Indian operators.

The worlds leading aerospace and defence companies rely on Rockwell Collins for smart communications and aviation electronics solutions. Rockwell Collins is a pio-neer in the development and deployment of innovative communication and aviation electronic solutions for both commercial and government applications. The companys expertise in flight deck avionics, cabin elec-tronics, mission communications, simulation and train-ing, and information management is delivered by a glob-al workforce, and a service and support network that crosses more than 150 countries.

In India, the company offers all the breadth and depth of its products and capabilities, as well as an entire international business team to champion sales, marketing, strategy, engineering, operations, services and support. Rockwell Collins established its presence in the country in 2008 with the opening of its India Design Centre in Hyderabad, which enabled it to sup-port local and international governments, aerospace original equipment manufacturers and defence contrac-tors with engineering design services and systems that can help one achieve a shorter time to market, at a lower programme or project lifecycle cost, with innova-tive solutions of the highest quality.

These factors present opportunities to partner, mar-ket directly and develop locally advanced communica-tions, navigation, avionics and electronics products, solutions and services for military and commercial cus-tomers.

The companys Hyderabad facility is dedicated to soft-ware development. It was, in fact, set up to meet the

needs of the companys customers while providing a local, indigenous presence. With it, even Rockwell Collinss worldwide customers have access to top-notch, around-the-clock engineering talent backed by its exten-sive experience in developing innovative avionics, com-

munications, navigation and electronic solutions.The company adds that between its local design cen-

tre in Hyderabad and its facility near New Delhi, it con-tinues to grow and invest in India, transfer technology and provide open, affordable solutions to military and commercial partners and customers.

The company today has approximately 250 employ-ees with plans to grow to around 500 over the next few years in the fields of engineering, sales and marketing.

It provides services such as installing, supervising, modifying, repairing, selling, distributing, researching, servicing and supporting information management, communications and electronics for military and com-mercial aviation customers. These services support a wide range of commercial systems such as: flight-deck electronic products and systems, communications, navi-gation, surveillance, display, automatic flight control and flight management systems, in-flight entertainment, and ground based aviation-related infrastructure.

For military electronics, services are performed for defence communications and electronic products and systems, training, installation, repair, refurbishment, maintenance, consulting, avionics systems integration, management information, holding inventories of spare assets, and more, the company says.

Overall, while the next century of flight presents sig-nificant opportunities and challenges for improving flight operations, efficiency and safety through developments in aviation electronics, Rockwell Collins is addressing these challenges by creating the most trusted source of communication and aviation electronic solutions.

ROCKWELL COLLINS CONTINUES TO TRANSFER TECHNOLOGY IN INDIA AND PROVIDE SOLUTIONS TO ITS MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL PARTNERS AND CUSTOMERS

Flying Keeps Getting Better

AS THE EFFICIENCY OF

ELECTRIC MOTORS RISES,

POSSIBILITIES WILL EMERGE FOR REFINING

THE ARCHI-TECTURE OF

FLYING MACHINES

LEAVING ON A

6

ALTHOUGH ALL-ELECTRIC AIRLINERS ARE STILL A LONG WAY OFF, BUT HYBRID AND FULLY ELECTRIC LIGHT AND BUSINESS AIRCRAFT ARE CLEARLY ON THE HORIZON

By ROHIT JAGGI

ecords have been tumbling to Solar Impulse 2, the zero-fuel aircraft that by early July had reached Hawaii on its round-the-world adventure aiming to

prove the potential of solar power in aviation.Its 17,000 solar cells, built into wings wider

than a Jumbo Jet, feed four electric motors that turn propellers, and charge 633 kg of lithium batteries that power the motors at night. That makes the 2.3 tonne aircraft theo-retically capable of staying in the air forever.

Of course, perpetual motion is just as prob-lematic in the air as it is on the ground main-tenance, breakdowns and the needs of a human pilot limit what the aircraft can achieve. But an autonomous flight of almost five days and nights to reach Kalaeloa in Hawaii on July 3 from Nagoya in Japan certainly makes that case that burning large amounts of fossil fuel is not the only way to stay aloft.

Using such a large and spindly aircraft to fly just one person does not make sense for anything except proving concepts and setting endurance and autonomy records. But that such feats are possible at all is down to vast

leaps in battery technology, propelled by the requirements of portable technology such as mobile phones as well as the needs of electric cars and bikes.

To illustrate, the first all-electric motorcycle from one well-known US manufacturer that I rode was supposed to be capable of 40 miles between charges, but riding it with any spirit at all took the battery from full to empty in

just 16 miles. A mere five years later, though, and the equivalent bike, from the same com-pany, was more than capable of being thrashed for 120 miles between charges.

Despite the advances in batteries, though, the power demands of an aircraft carrying

more than one or two people are such that all-electric craft are still a way off. Much more promising for the near-term is a blend of internal combustion and electric motors, with batteries to store energy. Just like in hybrid cars. Such a solution even offers the attrac-tive prospect of being able to keep noisy internal combustion engines

switched off while close to the ground.The eCo2Avia hybrid helicopter shown a

full five years ago at the Farnborough Air show, by what was the forerunner of Airbus Group Innovations, used diesel engines to charge batteries, which in turn powered electric motors to spin the main and tail rotors. With the right batteries it seemed that takeoffs and landings, which account for the majority of noise irritation caused by helicopters, could be performed on battery power alone.

That design was a non-flying concept, but other similar uses of hybrid technology are working their way more quickly to the market. Spains Axter Aerospace, working with Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, has come up with an electric motor that can be fitted between the engine and propeller of a con-ventional light aircraft, powered by an addi-tional lithium battery. The main aim is to pro-vide an alternative power source if the inter-nal combustion engine fails, in which case

the battery would provide another 20 km of flight. But the electric motors 40 horsepower could also be dialled in by the pilot if more power than the conventional engine can pro-vide is needed, for example taking off in ultra-high temperatures when the air is thin.

And if such an electric motor were powerful enough, and the battery large enough, it could even be used without the internal com-bustion engine for takeoff. German company Siemens has developed just the thing in April it unveiled a 50 kg motor that puts out nearly 350 horsepower.

This jump in output capability beyond exist-ing electric motors even places the possibility of helicopters with separate electric drive to main and tail rotors saving kilos of weight in transmissions and shafts closer to reality than just a concept. As a comparison, the small Rolls-Royce turbine engine in the five-

seat Robinson R66 helicopter is expected to provide just 224 shaft horsepower continu-ously and 270 for takeoff.

As the efficiency of electric motors rises, and the charge density of batteries increases, more and more possibilities will emerge for refining the architecture of flying machines. For example, light and compact electric motors make designing tilt-rotor craft, which combine the vertical-lift capability of helicopters with the high forward speed of airplanes much easier.

Other benefits could accrue from hybrid combined powerplants airfields for light or business traffic returning to city centres, for example, if noise is no longer a factor. The extra levels of powertrain redundancy would also reassure city planners anxious to avoid a single engine failure resulting in an aircraft falling out of the sky.

And some of the more fanciful ideas for aerial travel would also grow nearer to reality plentiful and cheap flying cars, anyone?

Where Airbus and engine-maker Rolls-Royce have been heading with the hybrid idea is developing an airliner from the E-Thrust concept of a single turbine engine generating electricity that powers a number of propulsion fans.

The deadline they are working to is 2050, which looks more and more achievable as time goes by. Much closer, though, is the E-Fan aircraft that Airbus Group Innovations is putting into production. The all-electric E-Fan 2.0, a two-seater with a flight time per charge of about an hour, is aimed at pilot training, where most lessons are no longer than 60 minutes. That is expected to arrive on the market in 2017. The four-seater that follows it will be a hybrid, in which an engine charges the batteries and extends the range to the capacity of the fuel tanks.

E-Fan and Solar Impulse are alike in showing what can be done to make flying not only more efficient but also cleaner and quieter. The real shock, though, is the speed at which gains can be scaled up to bigger aircraft. All-electric airliners are still a long way off. But hybrid and fully electric light and business air-craft are already clearly on the horizon.

The author is the Financial Times newspa-pers aviation columnist

E-FAN AND SOLARIMPULSE SHOW WHAT CAN BE DONE TO MAKE FLYING

CLEANER. WHAT SURPRISES IS THE SPEED AT WHICH

GAINS CAN BE SCALED UP TO BIGGER AIRCRAFT

R

ITS ADDRESSING FLIGHT CHALLENGES BY CREATING THE MOST TRUSTED SOURCE OF COMMUNICATION

TYPES OF AIRPORTS FLOWN INTOBY NUMBER OF AIRCRAFT

1 Aircraft Flight Department

2+ Aircraft Flight Department

Source: Harris Interactive Survey

* General aviation represents, at most, 4 percent of total operations at the nation's top 10 airports (FAA Air

Traffic Activity Data System)

Largecommercial

airport*

Infrequent orno scheduled

airline service48%

46%

18%

23%

Blending Comfort, Efficiency