Boeing shared their highlights from Day 3:

Eurocopter shared this video of their EC175 helicopter flight display:

Airbus had a few things to share as well. Like their own Day 3 highlights:

Sharklets and the A320 NEO:

Alternative fuel efforts:

And this one is interesting, IMHO. Airbus and the low-cost airline EasyJet are working together on a new sensor, dubbed AVOID, designed to allow airliners to sense and, well, avoid volcanic ash clouds. You may recall that not long ago air travel in Europe was royally snarled by a volcanic ash cloud from an Icelandic eruption. Since there is no good way to detect the actual cloud and avoid it, and volcanic ash can do serious damage to an airliner (from stripping paint to sandblasting the windscreen opaque to filling the engines with glass and shutting them down), today authorities are forced to use conservative computer models of where the ash might be and shut down large swaths of airspace. If aircraft could sense and avoid the ash on their own the impact of eruptions on air travel could be greatly reduced, as not as much airspace would need to be closed to traffic. It is still early days of course, so this may not pan out. (I do like the way the test rig has been mounted – through the window openings.)

UPDATE: Coming a little late Lockheed Martin share this video from the show with three of the F-35 test pilots describing their perspective on the aircraft:

First and foremost is this one, from the opening of the show. The sole flying AVRO Vulcan, XH588, flying in formation with the UK’s Red Arrow demonstration team. Just awesome, nothing else looks like the Vulcan. I think it is similar to the SR-71 Blackbird in that it just looks like something out of time, completely radical for its day.

And since EADS is good enough to sponsor XH588, I’ll give them the next spot. Besides, this is kind of interesting – Additive Layer Manufacturing. Which is basically a kind of 3D printing on industrial scale. ALM, and other such techniques, have the potential to radically alter manufacturing. Eventually ALM or some form of 3D printing will probably be in most homes, but first it will bring big changes to industrial processes.

I posted a couple of GE’s videos in my last post, on the CFMI CFM56 & LEAP-X, since they directly related to the LEAP-X, but they also touted the success of their new GEnx engine, powering the B787 & B747-8.

Bell Helicopter has this short video promoting the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey. I basically never get tired of watching it do its thing.

Airbus shared their highlights from the first two days of the show:

And if you thought the seeing the giant A380 yanked around the sky in that last clip was impressive, check out the full uncut version:

I found this one interesting. Heeding the call of nature on a flight last week, and noticing for the nth time how small aircraft lavatories are (I’m 6’6″ and generally a big guy), I found myself wondering just how the disabled passengers, or what it seems the industry refers to as Persons with Reduced Mobility (PRM), deal with it. Not very well I’d expect. But Airbus has an interesting new A320 lavatory design called Space-Flex PRM which will help. Basically there are two adjoining lavatories at the rear, as there generally are, but the walls are moving partitions. The flight crew can reconfigure them into one larger lavatory, which can accommodate a passenger in a wheelchair (presumably one of those narrow aircraft-aisle compatible ones). I think that’s an interesting concept, but we’ll see how many airlines adopt it. TAM Airlines is the first.

Boeing also has their highlights from the first day – they posted one for the second day, but for some reason it is private now they’ve reposted day 2:

They’re also touting their environmental designs:

Lockheed Martin jumped into the video fray as well:

They also released this look back at past LockMart Farnborough flight demos – not enough this year perhaps:

There will probably be more videos to come as the show continues. I’ll sort through them, so you don’t have to.

The CFM56 dates back to 1974 and evolved from technology developed for GE’s F101 power plant for the B-1 bomber. The world’s most successful engine was almost stillborn, as it struggled to find customers until the USAF selected it to re-engine a large portion of the KC-135 fleet. With that foundation the CFM56 was used extensively to re-engine commercial B707 and DC-8 commercial aircraft, as well as on other military C-135/B707 variants.

But the big breakthrough came when Boeing decided to re-engine the B737, replacing the old Pratt & Whitney JT8D of the B737-100/200. The CFM56-3 was selected as the exclusive engine for the B737-300/400/500 family, now called the B737 Classic, and after that the sky was the limit. It has powered every B737 since, with the current B737NG family, the -600/700/800/900, powered by the CFM56-7B. Over 6,000 CFM56-powered B737s have been delivered, with over 2,000 currently on order – and counting.

That alone would be an astonishing record, but the B737′s main competitor, the Airbus A320 family, is also powered by the CFM56-5B. Unlike the B737, it isn’t an exclusive arrangement. The A318 is available with the P&W PW6000 and the A319/A320/A321 are available with the International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500, but the CFM56 has a strong market share in the family. This means the CFM56 powers the two most successful airliner families of all time – the B737 & A320. And the A320 isn’t its only Airbus win; the CFM56-5C exclusively powers the four-engine A340-200/300 widebody as well.

What this all means is that if you’ve flown much at all in your life, you’ve probably flown on an aircraft powered by the CFM56. I did just this past week, as I flew on multiple B737s on a trip out to California.

I’ve been an aviation geek most of my life. Way back in seventh grade, which must’ve been 1983 or so, I did an independent study project on gas turbine engines. I got to visit the maintenance facility at the local Air National Guard base, the 109th Tactical Airlift Group in Schenectady, NY, and poke around in the innards of the Allison T56 turboprops from their C-130s. It was awesome, which just shows you I was a tech geek back then. I collected all kinds of diagrams, illustrations, etc., to use in the presentation, but the teenage me would’ve killed to have these videos. These are exactly the kind of thing I was picturing in my head and struggling to illustrate. And yeah, this whole post is just an excuse to post these.

First is the CFM56-7B, which exclusively powers the Boeing 737NG family:

Next, in a very similiar video, is the CFM56-5B, which powers the Airbus A320 family:

So how do you follow up the world’s most successful jet engine, which has been evolving for over three decades? You take a huge LEAP. Where LEAP stands for Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion, of course.

More specifically, the LEAP-X, CFMI’s new engine being developed to power the A320 NEO (LEAP-X1A), B737 MAX (LEAP-X1B), and China’s new COMAC C919 (LEAP-X1C). The LEAP-X is a major, er, leap forward from the CFM56. A design can only be evolved so far before it is time to start with a clean sheet and create a new design incorporating the latest and greatest technologies, which is exactly what CFMI have done. The LEAP-X will provide much greater fuel economy while at the same time being quieter, producing fewer emissions, and requiring less maintenance than older engines. It is poised to be as great of a success, if not greater, than its older sibling. And being the exclusive power plant for the next generation of the world’s most successful airliner, the B737 MAX, and one of the two options for the second most successful family, the A320, is a good start.

I don’t think the Sharklets really look very much like a shark’s fin either. Consider these grabs from Airbus’s own video:


I suppose the leading edge profile is somewhat similar – of course that’s a CG fin which I’m sure was designed to match the Sharklet design. OK, enough harping on the name. It just makes me cringe each time I see it.

So anyway, they’re launching these new wing… er, Sharklets, with the first new build A320 produced with them. They’ve released a couple of videos to coincide with the launch.

But Airbus isn’t the only vendor unveiling a new winglet design, Boeing has unveiled their new ‘dual-feather’ winglet design for the B737 MAX which they’re calling MAX AT (for Advanced Technology) winglets. It’s a fairly different take in winglet design, with two pieces – one up-swept like a traditional winglet, and a second angled downward. It looks a bit like the Blended Split-Tip Scimitar Winglet concept unveiled by Aviation Partners last year, but only superficially. Boeing’s design seems to be a blend of a raked wingtip, as used on the B737-based P-8A Poseidon, with significant added anhedral, and the blended winglet they’ve been using.

They’ve released a video showing the updated B737 MAX design:

The video features the dual-feather winglets, but also reveals a few other details of the evolving design. The fan size of the CFMI LEAP-X1B has been increased, which has necessitated lengthening the nose gear to maintain ground clearance. The longer nose gear wouldn’t fit in the existing nose gear bay and rather than make extensive engineering changes to the nose section they’ve added a small ‘blister’ to enclose the longer gear. The solution is similar to what Airbus did on the A330F, as it required a longer nose gear to level the load floor. The B737 MAX also features a revised tailcone for reduced drag and a number of other detail changes.

They’re also doing tours:

I’ve said it before, but Airbus needs a better video production team. Their videos are so damn dull. The second video, the one with the kid, was kind of cute and it gives us a look at some of the different options for airlines. But how about even some text overlays telling us what we’re looking at? And better music guys, that flight operations video made me feel like I was in an elevator – in the 70s. Boeing’s videos are so much better than this, generally.

It is pretty, but I have to wonder if the timing has anything to do with Boeing about to begin delivering B747-8 Intercontinental’s to airlines. The first B747-8I is expected to be delivered to Lufthansa by the end of April. (They delivered one last month, but it is for an undisclosed VVIP operator – reportedly the government of Qatar. And it is off for a couple of years of customization before entering operation.) One of the claims that pops up in the video is that the A380 is the most efficient wide body. Which I believe is true – until the B747-8I enters service, as Boeing claims it is more efficient.

The A380 has never quite looked right to me. I mean, it is an impressive aircraft and a fantastic feat of engineering, but the height of the double-decker fuselage in ratio to the length makes it look kind of stubby. It reminds me of something you’d see as a super-deformed design in anime. It’ll just take some getting used to.

This video was posted by Airbus, as an A320 was used in this test, but it is really bigger than any one company. Most people don’t realize it, but today’s air transportation system hasn’t changed much from what we had decades ago. It was designed around radar surveillance, simple aircraft transponders, ground-based radio beacons, fixed airways, and verbal instructions to pilots. All of that is outdated, we have the technology to do a much better job.

Satellite navigation provides global coverage with more accuracy than radar or radio beacons. An intelligent broadcast system called ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast) provides more accurate information to air traffic control (called ADS-B Out) than the old transponders, and receives on aircraft (ADS-B In) can provide automated separation and sequencing. Airlines already use datagram communications with their own control centers, but ATC is still using voice. Datagrams provide more information, clearly, without misunderstanding. Computerized systems can maintain flight paths and timing far more accurately than human pilots can.

Combine all of these and you get numerous benefits. Today airliners don’t fly from point A to point B. They fly specific air corridors from point to point, beacon to beacon. Basically ‘highways in the sky’. This concentrates aircraft into limited airspace, which creates capacity issues – especially when bad weather disrupts these routes. Exacerbating this, aircraft need to be kept separated both horizontally and vertically – and due to the inaccuracies in today’s system these distances are inefficiently large.

Updated systems would allow aircraft to fly more directly from point A to point B. This saves fuel by flying shorter distances, which is better for the environment and cuts airline expenses – fuel is often their biggest expense. This can help keep ticket prices down, good for you. And the more direct routing means shorter flights, also good for you. Furthermore, modern systems can fly direct approaches to landing from cruise. Instead of a ‘staggered letdown’ with the aircraft descends in steps, using power at each step to level off and remain there, they can remain at their more efficient cruise altitude longer and then make a smooth, continuous idle-power descent to landing.

That saves more fuel from operating higher, longer (jet engines are more efficient at higher altitudes), and from the idle descent. And it saves more time by operating at cruise speed longer and having a more direct approach. It also reduces nose around the airport as the aircraft stay higher longer, and descend at idle power – meaning little engine noise.

The list goes on and on, not the least of which is increased safety. But there’s a lot of work required to get there. Today’s ATC systems need to be overhauled, or just replaced, with these newer systems, and that takes years. In the US the FAA’s efforts in this area are called NextGen, in Europe it is SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research). They’re very similar. Some of the technologies involved are already in limited use, such as ADS-B, and RNP (Required Navigational Performance) approaches to some airports. This video focuses on a flight test of I-4D (initial four-dimensional), which is basically what is also called RNP/RNAV (Area Navigation).

The fourth dimension is time. The aircraft is given routing information with 4D checkpoints – be at this point at this time – and the FMS (Flight Management System) maintains the aircraft’s speed and course with inhuman precision, hitting these targets within seconds. This precision allows the ATC to closely schedule departures and arrivals, providing more capacity at airports. It can also replace the old ILS (Instrument Landing System) while providing more accurate approaches and new approach paths – like curves – not possible with ILS.

While it may not seem like an exciting area I think it is actually one of the more interesting and exciting areas in aerospace when it comes to the potential global impact of these technologies. But first we need to get them properly funded and adopted. Even in the best case we’re looking at 2020-2025 for widespread use. Not only do all the ground systems need to be in place, all of the aircraft need to have the proper avionics to utilize the new systems.

XWB is a silly marketing thing which stands for eXtra Wide Body. Quick history: Boeing introduced plans for the B787 (after dropping plans for the Sonic Cruiser). Airbus dismissed it as no big deal and said they’d just update the A330. This didn’t go over well with airlines and aircraft lessors, so Airbus steadily revised their stance to increasingly radical updates to the A330, finally giving in and admitting they needed a new aircraft, the A350, to compete. But to try to give it more pizzazz they highlighted the design’s fuselage width with the ‘XWB’. Rolls-Royce jumped on the bandwagon with their engine naming, instead of giving this new model of a Trent family a number like the others.

So, right, the Trent XWB is a new engine being developed specifically for the A350. The A350 is sized between the B787 and B777, overlapping with the larger B787 models, and the smaller B777 models. Boeing and Airbus do that – rather than compete head to head, they stagger their lines. The A320 family overlaps the B737 extensively, but is slightly larger overall. But the single-aisle market is so large that they can afford to split it more directly.

The wide body market is a different story, there aren’t as many sales to go around and no one wins direct shootouts (see DC-10 vs. L-1011). The B767 is the first rung in the twin-aisle ladder, and then the A330/A340 pair are next. Then the B777, the B747, and the A380 fill in the next market segments. The B787 is replacing the B767 in the Boeing lineup, but will be larger – more directly competing with the A330/A340 market. But the A330 is being replaced by the A350, which is also larger, maintaining the staggered pattern. (The A340 is being killed off already due to low sales.)

There’s nothing dramatic in the video, which is good since dramatic test videos mean something bad happened. But it does provide for some nice eye candy of the A380 in flight. As much as I tend to prefer Boeing aircraft, it would be nice to fly on an A380 sometime. And I’m sure the A350 will be a remarkable aircraft when it flies as well. (JetBlue is my favorite domestic airline, and they only fly E190s and A320s.)

The first video is a look at the Airbus Military A330 MRTT. That’s the Multi-Role Tanker Transport based on the A330 wide body twin airliner. It is very similar to the A330-based KC-45A that initially won the USAF’s KC-X tanker competition, before that decision was overturned and the Boeing B767-based KC-46A won the re-competition. Like the earlier B707-based KC-135 and DC-10 based KC-10, the A330 MRTT can serve as a cargo hauler and/or mid-air refueling tanker, as well as carrying passengers with a palletized seating system installed on the main deck, instead of cargo containers.

The aircraft in the video is configured per the RAF’s Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) requirements, which means it doesn’t have a refueling boom but rather has a third refueling drogue in the tail, in addition to two under the wing. The MRTT benefits from the A330′s history in a key way. The A330 and A340 are sibling aircraft and were designed with a lot of commonality – including the wing. But while the A330 is a twin-engine aircraft, the A340 is a four engine aircraft. The A330 simply doesn’t use the two outer engine mounting hardpoints. But the MRTT does – that’s where the refueling pods are hung. Quite convenient, having the reinforcements and plumbing in place, whereas Boeing needed to modify the B767 wing.

The A330 MRTT has been selected by the United Kingdom, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The B767-based KC-46A has been selected by the USAF, while Italy and Japan operate earlier ‘KC767′ models directly derived from the commercial B767.

The second video is a look at the overall Airbus Military lineup from the small CN235, to the medium C295, to the A330 MRTT, and up to the A400M tactical airlifter. Unfortunately, like too many of Airbus’s videos, it suffers from ‘talking head syndrome’. Guys, show the speaker to set it up, then continue as a voice over and show more of what he’s talking about. You don’t need to keep showing the speaker, a person talking isn’t that interesting. Anyway, starting around the 1:30 mark there’s some nice air-to-air shots of the A330 MRTT showing both boom and drogue refueling. There’s nice, if short, clip of the A400M after that.

And now for something completely different. The last video is non-military, in fact it is the other end of the spectrum, the Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ). Both Boeing and Airbus offer corporate and/or private versions of their commercial products. Boeing calls these the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ). The bulk of the BBJ market is B737-based, while the ACJ is mainly the A320 family – from the A318 to the A321. The video has too much ‘talking head’, but in and around that you get a look around the cabin of an entry level ACJ318. For those who need a bit more room than a ‘conventional’ business jet. They get in a little dig on the BBJ too.

I spotted a couple of additional videos in Aviation Week’s Turnaround Time blog. Lufthansa shared a video of one of their new Boeing 747-8 Internationals being painted. This latest member of the B747 family will enter service with Lufthansa in early 2012.

And finally, Delta airlines mounted six cameras in a piece of luggage and flew it from Atlanta to New York. The resulting video gives us a little peak behind the scenes at what happens to our bags when we travel. Of course, I’m sure everyone was briefed on this exercise and were on their best behavior. It is still an interesting little video.

The originally JT8D powered 737-100/200s with the long narrow ‘cigar tube’ nacelles are just 737s, or the 737-200 Advanced for later models. The first major revision was the switch to CFM56-3 high bypass turbofans, in the fat ‘hamster pouch’ nacelles. These 737-300/400/500 models retroactively became ’737 Classics’ when the next generation came out. That next generation is exactly that, the 737 Next Generation, or 737NG. This was a major redesign with a large number of design changes, and newer CFM56-7 engines, and it is produced in four models the 737-600/700/800/900.

Against newer Boeing names like the B787 Dreamliner or the B747-8 International, and lofty names of old like Stratocruiser and Stratoliner, ‘MAX’ just seems like a cold marketing name out of a focus group. And it plays right into the marketing message, which is that it offers “max efficiency, max reliability, max passenger appeal”.

But all I can think of is Pepsi MAX. Other options like B737NE (for New Engine) or B737RE (for Re-Engine) sound better to me. Or how about B737 LEAP, in light of the engine choice? Eh, maybe MAX will grow on me.

Anyway, naming aside, the B737 MAX is Boeing’s answer to the Airbus A320NEO, or New Engine Option. With today’s higher fuel costs, and stricter environmental regulations, airlines are looking for more efficient aircraft to reduce costs and emissions. Boeing had been pursuing a New Small Airplane, or NSA, with service entry around 2020. But Airbus launched the A320NEO as a minor update to the A320 family, with the largest change being new engine options – the CFMI LEAP-X1A or the P&W PW1100G Geared Turbofan (GTF). The NEO is expected to offer ~16% lower fuel burn and ~20% lower maintenance costs than today’s A320 family. The NEO has been a smash success in the market, with a large number of orders, so Boeing was forced to go with a more expedient solution of updating the B737, pushing the NSA out into the future. Most likely we won’t see a new single-aisle until the 2030 time frame now.

As Airbus is updating the A319/320/321 for NEO, but leaving behind the poor selling runt of the litter, the A318, so too is Boeing updating the 737-700/800/900, and dropping the 737-600. The new 737 MAX 7, 737 MAX 8, and 737 MAX 9 are based on the 737-700ER, 737-800, and 737-900ER, respectively. There will be as of yet unspecified aerodynamic improvements to boost efficiency, and the interior is getting a major overhaul with a new look based on the Boeing Sky Interior originally designed for the new B787. But, as with the A320NEO, the biggest change is in the engines.

While Airbus is offering a choice of two engines, Boeing has had great success with the sole-sourced CFMI CFM56 on the B737 Classic and NG, so the B737 MAX will be available with only the CFMI LEAP-X1B. The most visible difference on the new MAX line will likely be the chevron-edged nacelles, as seen in the photo, first introduced in the B787 and also found on the new B747-8. Boeing is claiming that the MAX will offer a 10-12% fuel burn improvement over today’s 737NG and a 16% improvement over today’s A320. Perhaps more importantly, they claim they’ll have a 4% fuel-burn advantage over the A320NEO.

Boeing has been making exclusive engine deals increasingly on newer models. The B737 has always been a single-option airliner. While earlier models of the B777 were available with engines from GE, Pratt & Whitney, or Rolls-Royce, later models are available only with GE90 powerplants. Similarly GE, P&W, and RR offered engines for earlier models of the B747, but the new B747-8 is available only with GEnx powerplants. The major exception is the new B787 which is available with GEnx or RR Trent 1000 power. It has been a good run for GE – they’re a major partner in the CFM International consortium, so they’re basically the sole provider for newer models of B737, B747 & B777, and the majority of B787 customers have specified GEnx.

(Historically this is somewhat ironic. P&W’s parent company is United Technologies. Way, way back, Boeing, United Technologies, and United Airlines were all part of one conglomerate. Vertical integration and all, until they were broken up. But these days Boeing works most closely with GE and P&W isn’t found on any of their latest models.)

I’m a little disappointed that we won’t be seeing a brand new jet in this category soon, at least not from Boeing or Airbus. The Chinese Comac C919 is on the way, but it won’t be anything radically new. And the Bombardier C-Series is a category down from the B737 & A320. It would’ve been nice to see something radical like a blended wing body or open rotor propulsion, but that’ll have to wait for the next generation it seems.

As a bit of a ‘bonus video’, this is how airlines shop for all the bits that go inside their fresh new airliner. Seats, entertainment systems, galleys, lavatories, etc. Well, it is how they shop for the B787 specifically, but this ‘one-stop shop’ approach is expected to spread.

Via Boeing.