GE Aviation to build a composite facility to support A350 XWB series ramp-up up to 13 shipsets of wing FTE components per month.

The company has begun the development of a 9,000-square-meter composites production facility at its Hamble, U.K. site as part of a 5-year, $50 million-plus investment at the site to support the company's manufacture of wing components for the Airbus A350 XWB jetliner family.

This facility will enable GE Aviation, Hamble to ramp-up the output of wing fixed trailing edge components for 3 models of A350 XWB, reaching the capacity to deliver up to 13 shipsets per month. The A350 XWB package is the largest production contract awarded in GE Aviation Hamble's 75-year history, comprising more than 3,000 components that include structural composite panels and complex machined assemblies.



"Our new production capability at Hamble is part of investments that contribute to a transformation of GE Aviation's aerostructures business as we meet the program requirements of today and in the future," said Steve Walters, general manager of Mechanical Systems for GE Aviation.

The Hamble composites facility is based on a sustainable building concept that will include a 2,000-square-meter clean room, 2 autoclaves and 4 large curing ovens for out-of-autoclave composites production, 5-axis machine tools, non-destructive testing facilities and offices for administrative and engineering personnel.



The development involves the complete conversion of 2 existing buildings at the historic Hamble-le-Rice aviation production site in Southampton, Hampshire to create the new facility, which is expected to become operational in early 2015.





Based on the article “GE Aviation to build a new composite facility in U.K. to support A350XWB production” published in JEC Composites

EF2 fatigue test at IABG waits for the wings

IABG carries out EF2 –and EW- fatigue test on the A350 XWB on behalf of Airbus.

Objective of the structural tests is the verification of strength, fatigue and damage tolerance of the aircraft’s primary structure which is almost completely made from composite materials.

EF2 test comprises fatigue tests on the middle fuselage section (arrived last June to Erding), including wing box and wings.

In the course of the EF2 test campaign, the aircraft´s structure is stressed with 88 servo-hydraulic cylinders to simulate all substantial stress factors occurring during flight operation. Distributed load introduction into the test structure is ensured via load bearing harnesses. Landing gear, engines and aerodynamic components are simulated by replacement structures.

The test includes the simulation of a total of 86.400 flights. This equates to 3 times the intended lifespan. The simulation will be accompanied by regular inspections and measurement campaigns. As soon as the wings arrive IABG site in Erding (Germany) in coming weeks, the IABG and Airbus experts will begin with the final assembly and complete the experimental setup. First test series are to start at the beginning of 2014.

IABG is using a test hangar (71mx71m length x width) on the premises of the airbase Erding to carry out this structural test campaign. The hangar of 28,5 metres height has modular and mobile panels which allows to carry out the EW and the EF2 in the same test hangar.

France and Germany fighting for the A350-1000 FAL. Toulouse wants current FAL extension while Germany wants the new A350-1000 FAL in Hamburg.

France warned in Le Bourget that it won't accept any deal between the German government and Airbus on the remaining amount that Germany owes toward the development of the new long-haul Airbus A350 unless the agreement suits the 3 other Airbus partner countries - the U.K., France and Spain.

Germany has already paid EUR500 million toward the A350's development cost and is holding back on freeing up another EUR600 million to get assurances that it will get its fair share of work on the next-generation Airbus medium-haul, single-aisle aircraft.

German State Secretary Anne Ruth Herkes said after a meeting of transport ministers from the Airbus partner countries that Germany "is in very constructive talks to see when and under what conditions we are paying the rest. Part of the launch aid has already been paid."

"We are on the final trajectory, and we are in agreement on almost all of the remaining issues," Ms. Herkes said. There will be another meeting after the summer to discuss them."

French Transport Minister Frederic Cuvillier told journalists after the meeting that any decision must be balanced and in the interest of Airbus.

"I am confident that Germany will pay and that an agreement will be found," he said. But he warned that "if that is not the case, we will recognize that there is no agreement. There will be no agreement that is at the detriment of any other party."

At issue is Germany's insistence on getting more work on future Airbus A320 NEO, notably some responsibility for design and research, work that is currently carried out at Airbus's headquarters at Toulouse.



"When you give someone a credit you ask for guarantees," Ms. Herkes said. "It is the same for all partners that want manufacturing, research and technology benefits for their respective countries," she said.

The discussions will stand by because of the German federal election scheduled for 22/Sep/2013 to determine the 598 members of the 18th Bundestag. Opinion polls continue to indicate that a clear win by either the CDU+CSU/FDP coalition or the SPD/Greens coalition remains unlikely so far.







Based on the article “France wants fair deal on A350 launch aid” published in the Wall Street Journal and on the article “L’Allemagne maintient la pression sur le financement de l’A350” published in the Usine Nouvelle.

Daily Mail said GKN is readying a takeover bid for Spirit Aerosystems. “Acquiring only a part of Spirit, specifically wing activities, would make more sense”.

GKN is preparing a cash-and-stock offer valued at $5 billion, according to the Daily Mail report, which cited unidentified dealers. Bank of America Corp.’s Merrill Lynch is advising GKN, according to the report. A buyout would be a boost for investors as Wichita, Kansas-based Spirit struggles to meet financial forecasts.

“Given the lack of profitability on its current development programs and a lack of cash generation, a bid at the reported level would seem extremely generous,” a New York-based analyst at Royal Bank of Canada wrote in a note.

Spirit was previously a unit of Boeing before Canadian buyout firm Onex Corp. purchased it in 2005. Boeing still makes up about 84% of sales at Spirit.



Airbus, its second-largest customer, is considering buying one of Spirit’s factories to limit production risks on its A350 program by monitoring its suppliers and step in early when issues arise, an executive said last month.

 

Spirit struggled recently with its own suppliers on capacity and costs as planemakers around the world boost output similtaneously. About 360 salaried support and management 
employees in Kansas and Oklahoma facilities are receiving layoff notices as Spirit works to cut expenses.

GKN also makes parts for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and is a supplier to the A350, producing composite parts for wings on the long-range jet. GKN has been expanding its aerostructure activities since the purchase in 2008 of Airbus’s Filton production facilities for 136 million pounds.

“I’m sure GKN has more than a passing interest in Spirit, but I’m sure it is entirely platonic,” said Sandy Morris, a London-based analyst at Jefferies LLC. GKN is still digesting Volvo Aero and investors wouldn’t react well if it sought to raise equity to buy the U.S. company, he said.

“Acquiring only a part of Spirit, specifically wing activities, would make more sense”, Morris said, “whereas taking over fuselage structure work the company does for Boeing would hold little value for GKN.

  Based on the article “GKN may buy Spirit Aerosystems plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma: sources” published in Reuters, GKN would be interested in buying a Spirit Aerosystems wing factory in Tulsa, Oklahoma, “and the U.S. company has hired Morgan Stanley (MS.N) to find a buyer, according to three people familiar with the matter.”


The Tulsa factory employs about 3,000 people and produces wing structures and components for Boeing 737NG, 747, 777 and 787 jetliners, Spirit said.


Spirit also makes wing components in Kinston, North Carolina, for the Airbus A350 XWB, and has a factory in Prestwick, Scotland, that supplies many Airbus models, including the A380 superjumbo. A plant in Subang, Malaysia, makes composite wing sub-assemblies.

The broader Spirit wing division is not part of the possible sale, the sources said.

GKN isn’t commenting on the report, a spokesman, Chris Fox, said by phone. CEO Nigel Stein said in February the company was ready to do deals after last year’s purchase of Volvo’s aerospace unit for 633 million pounds ($972 million).
Spirit also declined to comment on the GKN speculation, Ken Evans, a spokesman, said by phone. Spirit started reviewing four units, including divisions in Kansas and Oklahoma, after former Lockheed Martin executive Larry Lawson became chief executive in March, following losses from cost overruns in 2012. In May, Lawson hired Heidi Wood, longtime managing director of aerospace research at Morgan Stanley, as vice president of strategy at Spirit.








Based on the article “Spirit Jumps on Speculation GKN Near $5 Billion Takeover Bid” published in Bloomberg

A350-900R: Singapore Airlines will be the launch customer of the Regional version of the A350-900.

Airbus has been quick to dismiss the merits of Boeing's new 787-10 since its launch at the Paris air show in June, a sure sign that the European airframer considers the new aircraft a serious competitor. Another sure sign is this: Airbus plans to launch a new A350 version to go head to head with the -10.

Although Airbus has been talking with individual airlines about what it is calling the A350-900 regional, and it says some have firmed up commitments already, it plans to formally offer the aircraft toward the end of this year. “[The airlines] have kept it quiet for a while because they want to see how exactly we position it,” Airbus COO-Customers John Leahy says.

The -900 regional is going to be structurally identical to the baseline aircraft, but its engines will be derated to 75,000 lb. thrust, the same as those powering the smaller -800. The regional variant will also be limited to a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 250 tons, compared to 268 tons for the long-haul version.

“There is a slight engine derate, optimizing capacity and payloads for regional routes. We aren’t permanently changing hardware. There will be a software change. Airbus has products that will be at least as cost effective as anything Boeing puts out.”

Airbus is not saying when the aircraft will be ready for entry into service, but some certification work will be necessary.

The move to proceed with the A350-900 regional is not only significant as a reaction to the 787-10. It shows that Airbus is starting to pay more attention to customers that have quietly or publicly been complaining about what they describe as excessive range capabilities built into new long-haul aircraft, which are essentially only needed by the big three Persian Gulf carriers for services to the U.S. West Coast, Australia or Latin America. Such ranges are not needed by European, U.S. and even many Asian airlines.

The A350-900 regional can still easily fly most transatlantic missions and all medium- to long-haul services that would be typical of longer intra-Asian routes. It is also suited for Middle East-Europe and Middle East-Southeast Asia flights.

Airbus says the A350-900 regional “proves to be a very strong competitor to the newly launched 787-10,” arguing that it offers the same payload/range characteristics and “comparable economics.” In other words, it is acknowledging that the A350-900 does not. However, Airbus asserts that the regional variant is actually a more pleasant aircraft than the 787-10 from a passenger perspective. In a nine-abreast configuration, the A350-900 can accommodate seats that are 18 in. wide, while the 787's are just 17 in. wide.

Furthermore, the 787-10 will operate at its maximum thrust level, according to Airbus, whereas the -900 regional will not, leading to reduced maintenance costs.

The variant can be reinstated to full range capability through changes in software and some paperwork (plus a fee to Airbus, as the lighter aircraft has a lower price). That could be an important asset for leasing companies, because it broadens the base of potential customers. It would also offer airlines the flexibility to switch from regional to long-haul flying as their networks evolve.

Singapore Airlines is buying a batch of the de-specified aircraft as part of its follow-on order for 30 A350-900s, which was announced in May/2013 for delivery starting in 2016.

The Asian carrier –which has placed total firm orders for 70 A350-900s- says it “plans to operate the aircraft on both medium and long range routes” but declines to comment on any plans to introduce the lower-weight version. It has also committed to 30 Boeing 787-10s.



Based on the article “Full Circle” published in Aviation Week and based on the article “SIA first in line for lower MTOW A350” published in Flight Global.

Low Pressure Turbine for the Airbus A350-1000´s Trent XWB-97 speaks Spanish

ITP will be responsible for the supply of Low Pressure Turbines (LPT) for the new Airbus A350-1000´s Trent XWB-97



Industria de Turbo Propulsores (ITP) and Rolls-Royce have signed an agreement by which ITP will be responsible for the supply of Low Pressure Turbines (LPT) for two new engines: the Trent XWB-97 for the Airbus A350-1000 and the Trent 1000-TEN for all versions of the Boeing 787. This contract will generate sales for ITP of 4.000 million euros in the next 30 years.

Ignacio Mataix, Chief Executive Officer of ITP said “ These contracts are a very important step in the ITP strategic plan which includes doubling ITP´s sales in the 2011-2015 period, as well as continuing to provide Rolls-Royce with Low Pressure Turbines for engines powering twin aisle commercial aircraft. For ITP this confirms a continuation in the growth path, as well as continuation of investments in leading programmes with high technological content.”



In both agreements ITP will participate as a Risk and Revenue Sharing Partner for the life of the programmes, hence extending ITP´s participation to the complete family of Rolls-Royce engines for twin aisle commercial aircraft.

ITP will be responsible for the Design, Manufacture and Assembly of the Low Pressure Turbine module for both engines. The Low Pressure Turbine Module is one of the main engine modules in modern large turbofans. ITP will perform the complete design of the turbines, including all phases of the design, from conceptual design, to detail design and development utilizing the latest technology In order to produce the cleanest and most efficient turbines.

ITP will manufacture all the key components of the turbines in the facilities of the ITP Group utilizing the latest manufacturing technologies and will perform the module assembly in order to supply a complete assembled module to Rolls- Royce, ready to be installed in the engines.

The Trent XWB-97 is the new engine being developed by Rolls-Royce to power on exclusive basis the Airbus A350 -1000, with capacity for 350 passengers. The engine will have a thrust of 97.000 pounds.

The ITP group, jointly held by Sener Aeronáutica (53.125%) and Rolls-Royce (46.875%), includes among its activities such areas as Design, Research & Development, Manufacturing and Casting, as well as the Assembly and Testing of aeronautical engines and gas turbines. It is also an official maintenance service provider for the majority of the world’s currently active engine manufacturers. The ITP Group has 18 production centres in Spain, Great Britain, Malta, the USA, India and Mexico, and a staff of 3000 workers



Based on the press release “ITP Signs Agreement to Participate in Two New Rolls-Royce Program”

787 prepared for production rate increase with new engineering organization and continuous electrical systems´ missteps.

Electrical bay fire incident in a Qatar Airways 787

After days of stonewalling it has been confirmed that a Qatar Airways 787 caught fire in a rear underfloor part of the fuselage, last Sunday as it was moving into position to take off from Doha airport.

The fire -described as ‘serious’ in some quarters, ‘not serious’ by the airline- had extensively damaged an important panel in the electrical bay that also caught fire in a test flight Dreamliner in Nov/2010, causing an emergency diversion to Laredo where that jet was evacuated. Although the incident was described by Qatar Airways as minor the jet -registered as A7-BCB- has not flown for six days.

“This is a minor issue for us, and not an incident, so we are not commenting,” a Qatar Airways spokeswoman said.

ELT´s spontaneous fire in Ethiopian Airways 787

More defective or incorrectly wired or installed ELTs -crash location beacons developed by Honeywell- are being found in 787s already in service. These discoveries are largely being made by airlines (ANA, United) following a very damaging fire in an Ethiopian Airways 787 at London’s Heathrow Airport on 12/July.

"We have found small damage to the covering of the battery wiring in two Emergency Locator Transmitters," said ANA spokesman Shinsuke Satake.

According to the UK safety investigator, an in flight ignition of an ELT could have serious consequences.

January lithium-ion incidents in Japan´s 787

The US safety investigator, the NTSB, is continuing to seek a cause for the heavy duty lithium-ion battery problems that saw the FAA scramble to catch up with Japan’s decision to ground the Dreamliners in January after 2 serious and high profile incidents in Japan registered 787s.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said in May that the airline had to forego $200 million in lost profit because of the grounding of 787 planes, but has received compensation from Boeing for the losses.

Engineering organization
Boeing announced internally Friday a reshuffling of top engineering executives in the Commercial Airplanes unit. Mike Sinnett leaves his post as chief project engineer for the 787 Dreamliner.

Sinnett, who joined Boeing in 1991 after working on fighter jets at McDonnell Douglas, led the development of all the 787’s airplane systems from the beginning of the program a decade ago.

And it was Sinnett who this year led the effort to design a fix for the main-battery overheating problems that grounded the 787 for almost four months.

After the grounding was lifted, it seemed Sinnett had put the 787’s troubles behind him until the 12/July fire aboard a parked Ethiopian Airlines 787 at Heathrow raised a new set of concerns.

Sinnett now steps sideways to a less stressful position as vice president of product development.

Replacing Sinnett as 787 chief project engineer is Bob Whittington, who previously held that post on the 777 program.

The 787-9 wich is expected to make its first flight within next 2 months after the imminent roll-out will enter service in mid-2014, probably before the A350 XWB. Boeing is dropping the strongest hints yet that it will inevitably push 787 production beyond 10 aircraft per month.





Based on the article “ANA finds damaged battery wires on 787 locator beacons” published in AFP, on the article “Qatar grounds a 787 as glitches pile up on Boeing jet” published in Reuters and based on the article “Boeing shuffles high-ranking engineering execs” published in The Seattle Times