COMAC C919

I do not believe that the C919 will receive FAA certification. The PRC (People’s Republic of China) has tried to enter the civil airliner market without much success. China developed their first civil aircraft in 1966, called the Y-7, a turboprop that could seat up to 52 passengers. Four years later, the government attempts to build their first jetliner, the Y-10, but was abandoned when the project was deemed uneconomical (Stacey & Wong, 2016). In 1988, the PRC develops the Y-7 200A, an upgraded version of the Y-7 and was eventually renamed as the MA60 as it was improves. During the development process of the Y-7 200A, the China applies for FAA certification, but did not receive certification (Stacey, 2016). During 2008, China begins their development of the ARJ21 (Asian Regional Jet) and the C919. However, both of aircraft do not have FAA certification (Stacey & Wong, 2016). In fact, the only civil Chinese built aircraft that has FAA certification is the Y-12, a turboprop transport aircraft that can seat up to 19 passengers. The FAA has stated that the C919 will receive FAA certification when Western standards have been applied to the aircraft (Stacey & Wong, 2016). Foreign operators of Chinese built aircraft no longer use them in service due to a string of accidents relating to the technical aspects of the aircraft’s design. Given the trend, I highly doubt any Chinese built aircraft will ever receive FAA certification and will only be sold in China’s domestic market and to third world countries. 

If the C919 does receive FAA certification, the challenges for U.S carriers would be training. Each manufacture has different procedures and U.S pilots will have to be trained in a new aircraft that is brand new and untested. Another problem would be translating Mandarin Chinese to English, which can cause confusion under bilateral agreements, which require the CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China) to send relevant airworthiness directives in English to foreign counterparts (Stacey & Wong, 2016). In regards to public perception, China’s comparative advantage has always been cheap, semi-skilled labor. People might not want to risk their lives to fly on an aircraft that is “Made in China” (Bitzinger, 2016). 

COMAC is a government owned corporation responsible for the development of the ARJ21 and the C919. Since the corporation is government owned, their relationship with the CPC (Communist Party of China) is strong since their interest are aligned with one another, which is to reduce China’s dependency on Boeing and Airbus by developing their own aircraft (BBC, 2011). However, their relationship with the airlines may be a bit different. The biggest airlines in China are also government owned and are subsidized by the central government. It is because of these subsidies and the fact that all of the orders for the C919 have been domestic airlines, the government may be forcing the airlines to purchase their aircraft (Bitzinger, 2016). Currently COMAC has two aircraft models in their inventory, the ARJ21 and the C919. There is a proposed wide-body aircraft being developed with Russia designated as the C929, which can carry 290 passengers and is roughly the same size as a Boeing 787 and an Airbus 350 (Lin & Stinger, 2015).

I believe regardless of whether the C919 receives FAA certification, there already other companies entering the market attempting to break the duopoly between Boeing and Airbus. Russia has been manufacturing civil airliners for decades Tupolev and Ilyushin are two examples, however they are nowhere as popular as Boeing or Airbus, given that they are exclusively used in Russia. In June 2016, Russia’s UAC (United Aircraft Corporation) unveiled the MC-21, a short to mid-range passenger jet meant to compete with the B737 and the A320. Russia believes that the MC-21 can overcome the Boeing-Airbus Duopoly, claiming that their aircraft I is more environmentally friendly and has a 15% lower operating cost than their Western counterparts (Gusarov & Kuzmina, 2016).

Boeing and Airbus in response to each other and the development of the C919 decided to revamp their narrow-body aircraft, the B737 and the A320. Boeing developed the B737 MAX, which is now in production (Jones, 2014). The new jet will have better fuel efficiency and will incorporate innovations that was developed for the B787 Dreamliner. The same can be said for the A320neo, which was a response to Bombardier’s development of their own narrow-body jet. It was also at the same time in which Boeing decided to develop the B737 MAX (Jones, 2014). In addition both manufacturers are developing upgraded version of their long range wide-body aircraft (Jones, 2014). Some analyst have also stated that COMAC lacks industry experience and does not have the name recognition that companies like Boeing, Airbus, and Embraer enjoy nor does COMAC realistic  production capability (Johnson, 2015).

References 

BBC. (2008, May 11). Chinese plane business gets wings. In BBC. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7394596.stm

Bitzinger, R. A. (2016, April 11). Paper airplanes: China’s ambitions to build commercial jetliners. In LA Times. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://www.atimes.com/article/paper-airplanes-chinas-ambitions-to-build-commercial-jetliners/

Gusarov, R., & Kuzmina, Y. (2016, June 14). The new generation aircraft MC-21. In Russian Aviation. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://www.ruaviation.com/docs/3/2016/6/14/105/?h

Johnson, P. (2015, December 17). Competition for Boeing as COMAC's C919 is the new kid on the block. In Forbes. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/pierrjohnson/2015/12/17/competition-for-boeing-as-comacs-c919-is-the-new-kid-on-the-block/#2568ff9f6c1a

Jones, R. (2014, November 5). Boeing Chief Conscious of Chinese Competition. In Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://www.wsj.com/articles/boeing-chief-conscious-of-chinese-competition-1415186412

Lin, J., & Singer, P. (2015, February 13). China And Russia Join Forces To Build New Jumbo Jet. In Popular Science. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://www.popsci.com/china-and-russia-join-forces-build-new-jumbo-jet

Stacey, D., & Wong, C. H. (2016, March 20). A tarnished turboprop clouds China’s aviation dream. In Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-tarnished-turboprop-clouds-chinas-aviation-dream-1458506181

Commercial Space

                The idea of space tourism began in 1996 with the Ansari XPRIZE, a $10 million reward given to the team that could build a reusable spacecraft capable of carrying 3 people to 100 kilometers above the Earth’s surface within 2 weeks (Ansari, n.d.). During the competition 26 teams competed against each other and the winner was SpaceShip One created by Scaled Composites (Virgin Galactic, n.d.).  Space tourism developed as NASA began to retire the space shuttle. With the retirement of the space shuttle, the International Space Station will new way of obtaining cargo for the crew. NASA has awarded Space X and Orbital contracts through the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Program (NASA, n.d.). As companies took over NASA’s responsibilities of supplying the ISS, other companies decided to enter the commercial space industry. Some of the hurdles are the cost associated with space travel and safety. Companies like Space X are responsible for transporting supplies to the ISS. Recently, Space X has experienced several rocket explosions costing taxpayers millions of dollars. In 2015, one of Space X’s rockets exploded destroying $118 million worth of supplies bound for the ISS (Davenport, 2016). In August, Space X lost another rocket carrying a $195 million satellite during fueling (Davenport, 2016). One accomplishment was made by Space X, when they managed to land a rocket on a pad in the ocean, the first successful sea landing ever (Wall, 2016).

                The first rules and regulations that dealt with space was the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, however that law was for NASA specific (NASA, 2008).  In 1984, Congress passed the Commercial Space Launch Act, which gave the Department of Transportation the responsibility to regulate commercial space launch activities. That specific task is being handled by the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (Spacepolicyonline, n.d.). The regulations governing commercial space travel are located in CFR Title 14 Part 400 to 460. The regulations deal with licensing, investigation and enforcement, launch safety, financial responsibility, and etc. (CFR, 2016). I do not believe that the current rules and regulations are enough, they need to be more restrictive. Every now and then a rocket belonging to Space X, Orbital Sciences, or another company blows up, costing taxpayers money as the cargo are set aflame. There are safety concerns that need to be dealt with before companies start sending people to space on fixed schedules. 

                I do not see space tourism as a viable industry anytime soon. Given the fact that it is incredibility expensive to finance and operate a spacecraft, the price the consumer has to pay will be high as well. The first space tourist was Dennis Tito, a millionaire who paid $20 million to go to the International Space Station (Wall, 2011). While the price is nowhere near as high, it is still a large amount of money. Most people do not have several hundred thousand dollars just lying around. Currently space tourism is something that people with lots of money can afford. It is not a means of transportation; it is a bucket-list item. Until the technology reaches a point in which space travel can be used as an effective mode of transportation, it will remain as a bucket list item. 

                One job on the management side is an aircraft systems engineering manager. The qualifications require an individual a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering or similar engineering discipline, must have 10 – 15 years’ experience in aviation industry, a minimum of 5 years at an engineering firm, experience in aircraft mechanical system design, knowledge of design of flight vehicles that fit regulatory requirements, and etc. (Virgin Galactic, n.d.)

References

Ansari. (n.d.). Ansari XPRIZE. In Ansari XPRIZE. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://ansari.xprize.org/

Code of Federal Regulations. (2016, October 19). Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. In Government Publishing Office. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?gp=&SID=1f58495405665a030c05e44bca5a8591&mc=true&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title14/14chapterIII.tpl

Davenport, C. (2016, September 21). Pointing at SpaceX explosion, ULA says Pentagon contracts shouldn't just go to lowest bidder. In LA Times. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ula-spacex-20160921-snap-story.html

NASA. (2008, August 25). National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, as amended. In NASA. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://history.nasa.gov/spaceact-legishistory.pdf

NASA. (n.d.). Commercial Orbital Transportation Service (cots). In NASA. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://www.nasa.gov/commercial-orbital-transportation-services-cots

Spacepolicyonline. (n.d.). Space law activities. In Spacepolicyonline. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/space-law

Virgin Galactic. (n.d.). Aircraft systems engineering manager. In Virgin Galactic. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from https://careers-virgingalactic.icims.com/jobs/2420/aircraft-systems-engineering-manager/job?branding=live

Wall, M. (2016, April 10). Amazing Videos Show SpaceX's Epic Ocean Rocket Landing. In Space. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://www.space.com/32527-spacex-rocket-landing-sea-amazing-videos.html

Wall, M. (2011, April 27). First Space Tourist: How a U.S. Millionaire Bought a Ticket to Orbit. In Space. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://www.space.com/11492-space-tourism-pioneer-dennis-tito.html

UAVs

                There are multiple uses of UAVs both in the military and the civilian world. While the military is the most known users of UAVs, their civilians are now beginning to use UAVs more frequently as technology advances. One practical use of civilians using UAVs is in law enforcement. Drones may be used by various law enforcement agencies for the purposes of surveillance, chasing a fleeing suspect, etc. (Kremer, 2015). Another practical civilian use of UAVs is in agriculture. Farmers can use drones to provide them with details regarding their farm. They are used to determine irrigation problems, locating where the healthy and unhealthy crops are, and are used to survey a crop every day, every hour (Anderson, n.d.). Of course, Amazon plans to uses drones for their delivery service. Amazon plans to use drones to deliver packages up to five pounds in 30 minutes or less to their destination (Amazon, n.d.).

                There is a considerable amount of regulations concerning the use of civilian drones. There are operational limits. Examples of operational limits are each drone must weigh less than 55 lbs., must have visual line of sight, daylight operations only or civil twilight (30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset), maximum altitude is 400 ft. AGL or if higher than 400 ft. AGL, remain within 400 ft. of a structure (FAA, 2016). There are many more regulations in regards to operational limits. There are PIC responsibilities and certification regulations. Examples of PIC responsibilities and certification regulations are, a person operating a small UAS must either hold a remote pilot airman certificate with a small UAS rating or be under the direct supervision of a person who does hold a remote pilot certificate (remote pilot in command), to qualify for a remote pilot certificate, a person must demonstrate aeronautical knowledge either by a test or hold a Part 61 pilot certificate. There are other regulations concerning PIC responsibilities and certification (FAA, 2016).

                I do not believe that civilian UAVs will be integrated in the NAS anytime soon. With their size they are essentially expensive toys. They have limited range than their military counterpart and they are very small which makes it hard for pilots to see them while they are flying. There is also a concern for privacy. People do not like having their privacy violated and a drone makes it very easy to do so. 

                The military have been using drones for years. They are used for surveillance and to take out threats to the United States. One of the primary reasons for the development of stealth technology is to protect the pilot from being shot down in the air. The other is reach the target undetected (Atherton, 2016). Since drones do not require an actual pilot in the fuselage, the military can use cheap drones as disposable weapons or use them in swarm to overwhelm the enemy. More expensive drones will incorporate stealth technology to wage warfare (Atherton, 2016).

Job Postings

http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Dronegenuity-LLC/jobs/Drone-Pilot-5651fea064565eb8?q=Uav

https://jobs-insitu.icims.com/jobs/2847/uas-maintenance-instructor-3-deployable/job?mode=job&iis=Indeed&iisn=Indeed.com&mobile=false&width=1159&height=500&bga=true&needsRedirect=false&jan1offset=-300&jun1offset=-240

References

Amazon. (n.d.). Amazon prime air. In Amazon. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from https://www.amazon.com/b?node=8037720011

Anderson, C. (n.d.). Agricultural drones. In MIT Technology Review. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/526491/agricultural-drones/

Atherton, K. K. (2016, January 26). How the next generation of drones can reshape future war. In Popular Science. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://www.popsci.com/how-next-generation-drones-could-reshape-future-war

FAA. (2016, June 21). Summary of small unmanned aircraft rule (part 107). In Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from https://www.faa.gov/uas/media/Part_107_Summary.pdf

Kremer, R. (2015, July 28). From law enforcement to farming, drones are becoming an increasingly popular tool. In Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://www.wpr.org/law-enforcement-farming-drones-are-becoming-increasingly-popular-tool