Podcast appearances and mentions of aurora flight sciences

Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences has wrapped up the conceptual design review for a new high-speed X-plane that can liftoff vertically. So far, the development has been a success, and the concept has been chosen to continue work on a preliminary design review. The X-plane is being developed for DARPA's SPRINT program, which stands for Speed and Runway Independent Technologies. The project aims to design, build and fly an aircraft that is fast and doesn't rely on a runway for takeoff and landing.Download and listen to the audio version below and click here to subscribe to the Today in Manufacturing podcast.

Last month, Boeing and its subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences sued Virgin Galactic, accusing Richard Branson's space venture of skipping on bills and holding onto trade secrets. Now, Virgin has returned fire.The company last week countersued Boeing and Aurora, accusing the struggling aerospace company of “shoddy and incomplete work.” According to Reuters, Virgin Galactic said Boeing is breaching its contract and attempting to unlawfully force the return of intellectual property.Download and listen to the audio version below and click here to subscribe to the Today in Manufacturing podcast.

Boeing and its subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences are suing Virgin Galactic, alleging theft of trade secrets and failure to pay $25 million for their collaboration on a new “mothership”. Ingersoll Rand has announced its intention to purchase ILC Dover for approximately $2.33 billion. Apex has announced a successful demonstration of end-to-end capabilities of the Aries platform, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our weekly intelligence roundup, Signals and Space, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Dr Elaina Hyde, Director of York University's Allan I Carswell Observatory. You can connect with Elaina on LinkedIn and learn more about the observatory at York University on their website. Selected Reading Virgin Galactic Sued by Boeing Over Trade Secrets - RetailWire Ingersoll Rand to buy ILC Dover for about $2.33 billion in life sciences push- Reuters Apex Completes First Payload Commissioning, Downlinks “Satellite Selfie,” as Part of Its Aries Call to Adventure Mission- Business Wire Spire Global Announces Closing of $30 Million Registered Direct Offering- Business Wire SpaceX reaches its 175th Falcon 9 flight from Cape Canaveral with Monday evening Starlink mission – Spaceflight Now Intuitive Machines' historic private moon mission comes to an end- Space CSIRO 3D mapping tech blasts off for International Space Station Momentus Announces Chief Financial Officer Transition- Business Wire Venus Aerospace Achieves Successful Inaugural Supersonic Drone Flight Space For Humanity Announce Support Of Amanda Nguyen Launch To Space. First Vietnamese Woman To Fly To Space T-Minus Crew Survey We want to hear from you! Please complete our 4 question survey. It'll help us get better and deliver you the most mission-critical space intel every day. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to The Vertical Space and a terrific conversation with John Langford, CEO of Electra.aero. We talked about the key drivers for advanced air mobility, and how factors such as market acceptance, use case, certification, tech readiness, and infrastructure requirements dictate what type of vehicles will fly first with commercial relevance. We extensively discussed eSTOL - its advantages and disadvantages compared to other proposed vehicle types of today. John explains why Electra decided to use blown lift, STOL technology and hybrid electric power. Listen to what use cases they're targeting with a soccer field sized operating spaces. We then discuss Aurora Flight Sciences, from the very early days to the eventual acquisition by Boeing. 

Last week, Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences started work on phase three of a DARPA project to make a full-scale X-plane, the X-65, which could change aircraft design as we know it. Well, the X-65 isn't the only experimental aircraft under Boeing's wing. This week, the airplane maker started modifying an MD-90 aircraft, including removing the engines and taking 3D scans. The project is part of the X-66 design collaboration with NASA. After extensive modification, the MD-90 will become the X-66 Sustainable Flight Demonstrator (SFD). The X-66 is NASA's first experimental plane project focused on moving the U.S. towards net-zero aviation greenhouse gas emissions. Download and listen to the audio version below and click here to subscribe to the Today in Manufacturing podcast.

When Wilbur and Orville Wright successfully flew the first controllable aircraft in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the 12-second flight was achieved using wind warping, a system of movable, external control surfaces that nearly every aircraft has used for flight control since. The CRANE project from DARPA and Aurora Flight Sciences could change everything we know about modern flight. Download and listen to the audio version below and click here to subscribe to the Today in Manufacturing podcast.

How close are we to seeing autonomous air taxis? Brian Yutko is CEO of Wisk Aero, an advanced air mobility company dedicated to delivering safe, everyday flight for everyone. Wisk's self-flying, electric vertical takeoff and landing air taxi will make it possible for passengers to skip the traffic and get to their destination faster. Headquartered in the Mountain View, California, with locations around the world, Wisk is an independent company backed by The Boeing Company and Kitty Hawk Corporation. With over a decade of experience and over 1600 test flights, Wisk is shaping the future of daily commutes and urban travel, safely and sustainably.  Prior to joining Wisk, Brian served as Vice President and Chief Engineer for Sustainability and Future Mobility at Boeing, where he led a team that leveraged company's technical expertise in sustainability technologies as well as emerging, advanced aerial mobility applications.  He was the Chief Technologist for Boeing NeXt and sat on the Board of Directors for Wisk following its founding as a joint venture with Boeing.  Prior to his roles at Boeing, Brian was the Senior Vice President of Programs and Vice President of Research and Technology at Aurora Flight Sciences, an industry leader in aviation autonomy and rapid prototyping. Brian was a Research Engineer in the International Center for Air Transportation at MIT after earning a Ph.D. and Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Brian talks about the progress that Wisk Aero is making to develop and deploy autonomous air taxis, including the results of a recent successful air taxi flight demonstration at the Long Beach Airport. 

We welcome Jeanine Boyle, Chief People Officer at Zelis. She oversees all people and culture efforts, including talent acquisition, organizational design, talent management, learning and development, diversity and inclusion, compensation, and policy. She has more than 20 years of experience in HR roles, including senior leadership positions at Aurora Flight Sciences (a Boeing company) and Johnson & Johnson. Host: Marie-Line Germain, Ph.D. Mixing: Kelly Minnis

In this week’s episode we present the second part of the panel discussion on the future of mass transportation and urban mobility with Harj Dhaliwal, Managing Director Middle East and Africa for Virgin Hyperloop One; David Hansell, Global Aviation Policy Lead at Facebook; John Tylko, Chief Technology Officer at Aurora Flight Sciences; Dr. Steven Griffiths, Senior Vice President, Research and Development and Professor of Practice at Khalifa University of Science and Technology; Omar Almahmoud, Chief Executive Officer of ICT Fund and Ivan Gale, Former Associate Director, Government and Industry Engagement, Boeing International. Join the conversation when the Global Aerospace Summit, hosted by the Mubadala and EDGE, returns to Abu Dhabi on 17 – 19 March 2020. For more information, please visit www.aerospacesummit.com#AerospaceSummit2020 #Aerospace #Space #Aviation #Defence #Defense

In this week’s episode we present the first of a two part panel discussion on the future of mass transportation and urban mobility with Harj Dhaliwal, Managing Director Middle East and Africa for Virgin Hyperloop One; David Hansell, Global Aviation Policy Lead at Facebook; John Tylko, Chief Technology Officer at Aurora Flight Sciences; Dr. Steven Griffiths, Senior Vice President, Research and Development and Professor of Practice at Khalifa University of Science and Technology; Omar Almahmoud, Chief Executive Officer of ICT Fund and Ivan Gale, Former Associate Director, Government and Industry Engagement, Boeing International. Join the conversation when the Global Aerospace Summit, hosted by the Mubadala Investment Company and EDGE, returns to Abu Dhabi on 17 – 19 March 2020. For more information, please visit www.aerospacesummit.com#AerospaceSummit2020 #Aerospace #Defence #Defense #Aviation #Space

Drones: A Revolution in Airpower? An interview with Colonel Raymond O'Mara (ret.) by Patrick O'Mara Summary: This podcast will address how the rise and use of drones has changed air warfare. Biography: Dr. Raymond O’Mara is the founder and owner of Pointblank Strategic Analysis, where he provides multidisciplinary analysis and insight at the operational and strategic levels supporting defense and national security concept development for organizations. Dr. O’Mara has extensive experience in the startup and defense aviation sectors, having served as the Director of Strategic Programs for the Humatics Corporation, where he was responsible for developing strategic relationships with key aerospace partners as well as directing defense-oriented research and development, and also the Director of Air Campaign Strategy at Aurora Flight Sciences, a position that he took following his retirement after 29 years in the United States Air Force. During his Air Force career, he completed several operational and operational test flying assignments, amassing over 2,000 hours in the F-15C aircraft, served on the USAF headquarters staff, commanded the USAF’s Air-to-Air Weapon System Evaluation Program, and served as Chair of the Strategy Department at the Air War College. Dr. O’Mara is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the Air Command and Staff College, the School of Advanced Airpower Studies and the Air War College. He completed his Ph.D. at MIT in Technology, Policy, and Engineering Systems.

Funding for Aurora Flight Sciences and PrecisionHawk, drones for first responders, compliance with FCC communications rules, Chinese development of a heavy cargo drone, and a KFC drone promotion.

Additional details of the FAA UAS Integration Pilot Program, Boeing's acquisition of Aurora Flight Sciences, NASA's look at Urban Air Mobility, and drone strikes on manned aircraft.

On this week's episode of the Defense & Aerospace Business Report, sponsored by Bell Helicopter, a Textron company, we preview the Association of the United States Army's 2017 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition, and discuss dueling budget resolutions in the US Congress, the impacts of Catalonia's independence referendum for European defense, Boeing's acquisition of unmanned aerial systems maker Aurora Flight Sciences and more. This week's guests include Byron Callan of Capital Alpha Partners, Ron Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, former Pentagon comptroller Bob Hale (now with the Center for a New American Security)and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners.

The Aurora Flight Sciences unmanned VTOL X-plane, shore-to-ship package delivery, Senate FAA reauthorization bill impacts UAS, more proposed local drone legislation, a new DJI Phantom, and high-altitude sUAS flying. News Aurora Wins Darpa Contract to Build Novel Drone Demonstrator The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded second- and third-phase contract awards to Aurora Flight Sciences for the “LightningStrike” technology demonstrator. Aurora plans to start flight testing the vertical takeoff and landing experimental plane (VTOL X-Plane) in 2018. The LightningStrike features two large rear wings and two smaller front canards. The same Rolls-Royce AE 1107C turboshaft engine used in V-22 Osprey tiltrotor is mounted in the fuselage and powers three Honeywell generators which drive 24 ducted fans on the wings and canards. The wings and canards rotate to direct the fan thrust for hovering, transition, and forward flight. Aurora's LightningStrike VTOL X-Plane http://youtu.be/LylpcttuQ_U Maersk Tankers Claims First Drone Delivery to Ship at Sea A French Xamen Technologies drone dropped a small package onto a Maersk tanker in Denmark as a test to see if drones could be used to deliver spare parts, mail, or medicine to a ship. Compared to traditional means of delivery, the potential cost savings is significant. Bipartisan Senate FAA bill shuns Shuster's ATC proposal The U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has introduced a bipartisan FAA reauthorization bill that does not include any proposal for air traffic control privatization. However, under the Senate bill, the US National Institute of Standards (NIST) and the FAA would “develop risk-based, consensus industry standards on [UAV] aircraft safety.” “The FAA would also establish a process for the airworthiness approval of small [UAVs] based on the consensus standards, in lieu of the more cumbersome certification process used for the approval of other aircraft. These standards … approved by FAA would ultimately improve safety by prescribing which safety technologies would be built into unmanned aircraft systems sold in the United States.” Drone-Mounted Handgun, Flamethrower Reignite Lawmaker Debate Reacting to the well-publicised drone weaponization exploits of a Connecticut teen, state legislators have conducted public hearings and proposed legislation to outlaw certain activity. One bill would make it a class C felony, punishable by one to ten years in prison, to use a drone to release tear gas or other substances, or to control a deadly weapon or explosive device. Another bill would also limit how law enforcement and state agencies can use drones. But Peter Sachs, author of the Drone Law Journal, says one version of the bill exempts police from the ban on weaponized drones. Proposed Utah legislation would allow cops to shoot down drones Utah is not fooling around when it comes to drones. The recently introduced Senate Bill 210 would designate certain drone activity as aerial trespassing, and create guidelines for enforcement, including an option for police to shoot down rogue UAVs. State Senator Wayne Harper wants to address three issues: privacy, non-interference with airports and aircraft, and non-interference with emergency situations. The bill would ban drones within 500 feet of correctional institutions or within three miles of a wildfire, and make it illegal to use a drone in the surveillance of large crowds or for stalking someone in a voyeuristic way. Violating drones could be neutralized by first responders or law enforcement officers. DJI's New Phantom 4 Drone Is Smarter, More Expensive and Available From Apple DJI introduced the Phantom 4 which can dodge obstacles and track humans. The Phantom 4 features two sensors that allow it to react to and avoid obstacles in its path. The TapFly mode lets you tap on the live view on your smart device screen to direct the Phantom 4 in that direction.

Systems that allow drones to avoid obstacles, impediments to package delivery by UAV, the UAS registration task force kicks off and gets some help, and interviews and presentations from the UAS Industry Days conference. News A Drone with a Sense of Direction The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich has demonstrated a multirotor drone that creates 3-D maps of its environment. The first flight must be manual so the drone can build the map. After that, the drone can fly autonomously in that environment. The system uses stereo camera and sensors, and all data collection and processing is onboard the UAV. https://youtu.be/tuUMwcTJx8s New obstacle avoidance tech lets this drone zip through a thicket at top speed MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) has developed an autonomous drone with a detection system that can navigate through obstacles. The software looks ahead 10 meters, detects hazards in the flight path, and adjusts the UAVs trajectory in real time. https://youtu.be/_qah8oIzCwk Here's Why Drone Delivery Won't Be Reality Any Time Soon Package delivery by drone continues to get a lot of attention. Amazon, Google, and even retail giant Walmart are looking at systems that can move items by UAV. But there are many obstacles to be overcome. David Vanderhoof explains some of the challenges in this Time article. Statement: UAS Registration Task Force Day One FAA Administrator Michael Huerta kicked off the UAS Registration Task Force on November 3, 2015. “The FAA briefed participants on the current statutory requirements and international obligations for aircraft registration before the group began initial discussions on a streamlined registration process and minimum requirements for UAS that need to be registered.” LoBiondo and Larsen Outline Priorities for Proposed FAA Unmanned Aircraft Registry House Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (WA-02) sent a letter to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta outlining their top priorities in establishing a national registry for UAS. The letter outlines four priorities that they want the task force to consider: Streamlined Process FAA Access to Data Education and Training Incentives for Consumers to Register UAS Industry Days recordings We have a webpage with the interviews we conducted with speakers, attendees, and exhibitors at the NUAIR Alliance and Empire State Chapter of AUVSI UAS Industry Days conference held September 22-23, 2015. We also have some of the presentations delivered at the conference. The webpage is http://theUAVdigest.com/UASIndustryDays2015 and you can play the recordings right from that page, or download them and listen later. You will also find a link to photos from the event. Interviews include Aurora Flight Sciences, Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, ULC Robotics, and Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions. We have presentations from Lisa Ellman of Hogan Lovells, Mark Aitken who is the Federal Government Regulations manager with AUVSI, and Arland Whitfield, president of The Skyworks Project. Also included are recordings of the agriculture and public safety panels. Video of the Week Stupidest Drone Crash Ever (w/pumpkin) - I'm a moron A DJI Phantom 2 visits a pumpkin farm that happens to have a pumpkin cannon. For more of this “sport” visit https://www.punkinchunkin.com/. https://youtu.be/HC89KRV7l9M    

Industry reacts to FAA missing the UAS integration deadline, lasers on drones, UAS testing at Wallops Island, a million drones for the holidays, and interviews from UAS Industry Days 2015. News Drones Armed With High-Energy Lasers May Arrive In 2017 Predator and Reaper manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is looking at mounting a 150-kilowatt solid-state laser onto its Avenger drone, also known as the Predator-C. This could be ready in 2017. NASA Wallops looks to bump up drone traffic NASA and the state of Virginia are working together on a plan to build a 3,000 foot runway for drones on Wallops Island. This UAS test range is envisioned to support commercial, government, and academic users. FAA Fears That 1 Million Drones Could Be Sold This Holiday Season According to Aviation Week, the FAA's Rich Swayze says the Agency expects as many as one million UAVs to be sold during this year's holiday season. That's a lot of opportunity for misuse of unmanned aircraft. AUVSI and 28 Organizations Mark Missed FAA Deadline for UAS Integration The congressionally mandated deadline for the FAA to integrate UAS into the National Airspace System was Sept. 30, 2015. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and 28 others sent a letter [PDF] to the FAA, stating in part: “While the FAA has hit some milestones in the integration process, it has yet to finalize small UAS rules, let alone facilitate the full integration of UAS that Congress contemplated in 2012. The increasing number of businesses applying for Section 333 exemptions demonstrates the pent-up demand for commercial UAS operations and the immediate need for a regulatory framework.” “In the absence of regulations, American businesses and innovators are left sitting on the sidelines or operating under a restrictive exemption process.” “On behalf of businesses across a wide range of industry sectors in the United States, we urge the FAA to use all available means to finalize the small UAS rules immediately without any further delays and move ahead with the next regulatory steps on the path for integrating all UAS into the NAS. Once this happens, we will have an established framework for UAS operations that will do away with the case-by-case system of approvals, reducing the barriers to commercial UAS operations. And importantly, having more trained commercial operators will create a culture of safety that helps deter careless and reckless behavior.” Interviews from UAS Industry Days We recorded a number of interviews at the NUAIR Alliance UAS Test Site, including these two about testing done at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York: Thomas Washington Manager of Flight Test Operations, Aurora Flight Sciences. The Centaur (DA 42) optionally piloted aircraft was tested previously at Griffiss for their unmanned flight test campaign. John Reade A computer scientist at Quanterion working with AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory) and two Desert Hawk III UAVs from Lockheed Martin doing collision avoidance testing in the “triangle” at Griffiss. Quanterion has also developed simulation software that evaluates the interactions of manned and unmanned aircraft in shared airspace. Videos of the Week Fire Fighting Drone | Flite Test The Firecopter is a custom-made Y-6 multi-rotor equipped with a fire extinguisher for fighting fires from the air. From Flite Test. Esperance whale encounter captures hearts across Australia Beautiful footage of amazing marine mammals, but before you try this, review Approaching whales and dolphins in NSW and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Amendment (Marine Mammals) Regulation 2006.

Package delivery by autonomous drone, drone company management changes, making interfering with firefighters illegal, drone service on demand, North Dakota innovation hub, drone photography contest results, USAF addresses pilot shortage, and accidents increase in Netherlands. News Swiss Postal Service, Air Cargo Carrier Begin Drone Testing Freight carrier Swiss WorldCargo announced on July 7 that testing had begun using the Matternet ONE drone for small package delivery. The quadcopter operates autonomously and can carry one kilogram up to 10 kilometers on a single battery charge. Matternet says the drone uses “secure routes that adapt to weather, terrain and airspace [and] allow Matternet ONE to fly autonomously beyond line of sight, without the need for a human pilot.” The cloud-based routing system … ”guides the Matternet ONE along a secure route at low altitude – between 50-100 meters above ground – adjusting for inclement weather, avoiding tall buildings, mountains and restricted airspace.” Chinese Manufacturer DJI Hires Prominent 'Drone Lawyer' Brendan Schulman, who defended Pirker against the FAA, has left law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel where he was head of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems practice. Now Schulman is Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs at drone maker DJI. Other movements in the industry include: Amazon hired former Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) counsel Ben Gielow in September as its senior manager of public policy. Amazon appointed Sean Cassidy, a former Alaska Airlines pilot and first vice president of the Air Line Pilots Association, as director of partner relationships in March. Last August, Google hired David Vos, a technology entrepreneur and former Rockwell Collins senior director, to lead its Project Wing effort to deliver packages. In April, Francis “Chip” Sheller, the former Aerospace Industries Association vice president of communications and research, became vice president of communications and public affairs for Aurora Flight Sciences. Former deputy director of the FAA's flight standards service, John McGraw, acted as a consultant to video production companies applying for an FAA sUAS exemption. After drone diverts fire-fighting planes, lawmakers want fines and jail time California representative Paul Cook (R-Apple Valley) introduced H.R. 3025 to the House of Representatives, which would make it a criminal offense to interfere with firefighting efforts on federal land. Fly4Me gets FAA approval, launches ‘Uber for drones' Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Fly4Me received a Section 333 exemption to “conduct community training workshops, research and development, and aerial inspections of buildings and land within the United States.” Now the company wants to establish a marketplace where customers book flights and pilots bid on projects. Customers are able to interact with the pilot during the flight and stream FPV. A beta version of the platform was released June 17, 2015. Is the Silicon Valley of Drones in North Dakota? North Dakota wants to be an innovation hub for drones. Grand Sky Development Park is set to open this summer at Grand Forks Air Force Base as a UAS Business and Aviation Park. The facility features 1.2 million square feet of hangar and office space, and a runway for drones. The state invested $5 million in infrastructure and $7.5 million more in grants for runway improvements. The 2015 Drone Aerial Photography Contest Dronestagram announced the winners of its second annual photo competition. The contest was judged by National Geographic and Dronestagram CEO and founder Eric Dupin. Nine photographs are depicted from the more than 5,000 entries submitted. Contest sponsors included National Geographic, Kodak, Parrot, Go Pro, Hexo+, Picanova, Hobbico, and Adobe. AF rolls out details to improve RPA mission The U.S Air Force has a plan to address the RPA pilot shortage that includes a Critica...