In a year unlike any other, Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance (PNAA) continues to help lead the aerospace manufacturing industry in the northwest and for the first time will host their annual aerospace conference in an immersive virtual environment. In their 20th anniversary year, their goal is to continue delivering a premier conference, filled with top speakers from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), top industry analysts, and tier suppliers, where they will present global market outlooks, supply chain updates as well as practical tips and stories of inspiration of how companies have pulled through 2020.

Brian Canfield, PNAA’s CEO and Executive Director explains what attendees and sponsors can expect.

Aerospace Manufacturing & Design (AM&D): What’s this year’s theme?

Brian Canfield (BC): “Changing Our Flight Plan: Engineering the Road to Recovery” is designed to help aerospace manufacturers respond to the rapidly changing conditions in the aerospace manufacturing industry and provide them with the best knowledge to help manage through this next year on top. Company leaders are searching for information to help them plan, forecast, and set strategy on how they create the plan to maintain stability through the near future and prepare for when things rebound. Our speakers will be share what the near future holds, and you will hear tips from companies on how they have successfully dealt with the past year, which we believe will help companies take steps to create a plan forward to be productive in the year to come.

AM&D: Why attend the conference?

BC: Our conference will be completely virtual this year and we are setting the bar high with an engaging virtual platform that will allow attendees feel like they are almost attending in person. People will be able to engage in virtual events with avatars, real-time chat, and 2-way video. This year our Exhibit Hall and B2B Fair will be fully virtual, allow people to communicate easier than ever before and with greater schedule flexibility. Attendees will also be able to connect with one another in our Networking, First Class, and Media Lounges. Receptions and tours will also be virtual this year.

AM&D: Who are the presenters?

BC: The topics will be rich this year and we will have a great lineup of speakers, including past favorites and new speakers. Speakers will include market analysts Dr. Kevin Michaels of AeroDynamic Advisory and Richard Aboulafia of Teal Group who will share their insights on where the aerospace market is headed. This year we will once again have aerospace economist Ron Epstein of Bank of America, and for the first-time defense analysts Ron Stearns and J.J. Gertler. Others will include Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, Tier 1s, and other industry authorities throughout the three days. This year we will also have our SME Technical track, featuring detailed topics for production, quality, HR, and other specific functions.

AM&D: How can someone attend?

BC: First, register on our website and plan your agenda. This year on the virtual platform, you will be able to schedule meetings with buyers in our B2B Fair, decide which presenters you would like to listen to live, and if you miss a session on one of the two stages, you will be able to view it shortly after on the virtual platform. This is also a great platform to invite your industry peers and prospects to, as you will be able to meet in our virtual networking lounges. If you are interested in sponsoring or having a virtual exhibit booth, please reach out to our team on our website, http://www.pnaa.net.

“We are seeing great levels of change in aerospace right now, and to support the changing needs in the industry, PNAA continues to grow and help the industry remain in the forefront. PNAA has increased the number and type of events to inform, educate, and network with the latest companies and technologies, increasing regional competitiveness.” – PNAA’s CEO Brian Canfield

When: Feb. 8-11, 2021

Where: Virtual on our PNAA virtual conference platform.

Rolls-Royce has successfully completed the first engine run on its state-of-the-art Testbed 80, which will be the largest and smartest indoor aerospace testbed in the world when it is officially opened in the coming months.

With an internal area of 7,500m², making it larger than a Premiership football [soccer] pitch, the testbed conducted its first run on a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine at the test facility in Derby, UK. This is a major milestone in the project which has been under construction for almost three years and represents a $123 million investment.

Chris Cholerton, president, Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace, said: “Today is an important landmark in our journey towards a more sustainable future for aerospace and aviation. Testbed 80 will not only test engines such as the Trent XWB – the world’s most efficient aero-engine in service – but also the engines and propulsion systems of the future, which will see us take another step toward decarbonization. It’s great that the first engine test has been a success and we are looking forward to the official opening of the facility in the coming months.”

Testbed 80 has been designed to test a range of today’s engines, including the Trent XWB and the Trent 1000, but will have the capability to test the UltraFan demonstrator, a blueprint for the next generation of even more efficient engines, as well as the hybrid or all-electric flight systems of the future. The versatility of the testbed means it can accommodate engines of all sizes up to 155klbf thrust – that’s enough power to launch a Boeing 747 with one (huge) engine.

Testbed 80 is equipped with a 140,000 L fuel tank (you could fill your car up almost 3,000 times with this amount of fuel) for different fuel types, including sustainable aviation fuel.

The data systems inside Testbed 80 are more capable and complex than any of the company’s existing testbeds, delivering data directly to secure storage, linked for the first time to analytical models and engineers. They can collect data from more than 10,000 different parameters on an engine, using an intricate web of sensors that detect even the tiniest vibrations at a rate of up to 200,000 samples per second. The data helps understand engines better, monitoring how every single component behaves in a range of conditions, and consequently providing crucial insights to inform future engine improvements for availability and efficiency.

The testbed is also home to a powerful X-ray machine that can capture 30 images per second and beam them directly to a secure cloud, where engineers around the world can analyze them along with the 10,000 other data parameters. Rolls Royce can X-ray engines while they are running to inspect engines to minute levels of detail.

Part of the new technology development for Testbed 80, specifically for the UltraFan, has been supported by the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)’s PACE project.

The United States Air Force (USAF) awarded CAE USA a contract to continue providing comprehensive KC-135 training services.

The eight-year contract, awarded as a one-year base contract with seven additional one-year option periods, is valued at a total of more than $275 million.

CAE USA became the prime contractor on the USAF KC-135 Training System program in 2010 and has now won the competitive recompete to continue delivering classroom and simulator training for KC-135 pilots and boom operators. CAE USA will also continue to provide updates and upgrades to KC-135 training devices, including KC-135 operational flight trainers and boom operator trainers. In addition, the KC-135 Training System contract now includes training support for the Air National Guard's Boom Operator Simulator System (BOSS). In total, CAE USA will support the training of more than 4,500 KC-135 crewmembers annually.

"CAE USA did an outstanding job supporting the U.S. Air Force on the KC-135 training program over the past decade, and we are extremely pleased to win the recompete competition and remain the KC-135 training partner," said Ray Duquette, president and general manager, CAE USA.

CAE USA will be supported on the KC-135 Training System program by a team of industry partners, including Delaware Resource Group (DRG), Cardinal Point, FAAC, and CymSTAR.

"The KC-135 Stratotanker plays a vital role in the U.S. Air Force's ability to deliver global reach, and we are honored to contribute to the training and readiness of the KC-135 aircrews who fly these essential tanker missions," said Dan Gelston, group president, Defense & Security, CAE.

KC-135 Training System Site Background

CAE USA will deliver KC-135 aircrew training to USAF active-duty, Air National Guard and reserve crewmembers at 12 sites in the United States and internationally:

• Altus Air Force Base (AFB) in Oklahoma (formal training unit site)
• Fairchild AFB, Washington
• March Air Reserve Base (ARB), California
• Scott AFB, Illinois
• Grissom ARB, Indiana
• MacDill AFB, Florida
• General Mitchell Air National Guard Base (ANGB), Wisconsin
• Rickenbacker ANGB, Ohio
• Pittsburgh ANGB, Pennsylvania
• Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
• Kadena Air Base, Japan
• Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall, UK

In addition, the new KC-135 Training System contract includes training support for the Air National Guard KC-135 BOSS, which will be delivered at an additional 12 sites in the United States:

• Sioux City ANGB, Iowa
• Lincoln ANGB, Nebraska
• Forbes Field, Kansas
• Phoenix ANGB, Arizona
• Ronald Wright ANGB, Utah
• Eielson AFB, Alaska
• Bangor ANGB, Maine
• McGuire AFB, New Jersey
• Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base, Alabama
• Selfridge ANGB, Michigan
• McGee Tyson ANGB, Tennessee
• Key Field, Mississippi

KC-135 BOSS training support will also be provided at Joint Base Pearl Harbor; Pittsburgh ANGB; General Mitchell ANGB; and Rickenbacker ANGB.

Hi-Tech Engineering, a precision manufacturing supplier for the commercial and government aerospace industries, is experiencing record organizational growth and aggressive momentum going into 2021. During the last 12 months, the company has secured stable year-over-year revenues and utilization despite an unprecedented COVID-19 operating year. In addition, it has expanded its strategic customer base by 20% and elevated team capabilities across key operating functions including quality, machining, and programming. The company’s 2021 growth expectations are indicative of significant market opportunity and a growing demand for precision manufacturing capabilities within the aerospace sector.

Hi-Tech Engineering’s projected growth is driven by a new ownership team headed by Shaffiq Rahim, President, who brings more than 20 years of aerospace and technology experience to the business. Rahim and the new management team have a keen focus on leaning into the most forward-looking innovations in aerospace and SpaceTech, as both commercial and government entities continue to push the space exploration footprint.

“In 2021, we expect to see accelerated growth and investment in the aerospace and defense sectors, given a rejuvenated space race powered by both commercial and government entities largely in the U.S., but also China and Korea,” Rahim said. “Further, as ongoing consolidation continues to reduce the number of companies supporting these industries, we believe there will be ripe opportunity for manufacturing companies like us who are actively investing in expanded capabilities to fill the gap.”

To achieve this, Hi-Tech is elevating its precision engineering and design-for-manufacturability capabilities to integrate more closely with customers, becoming not only a machining partner, but also a thought partner as customers innovate new engineering solutions and product designs across the build and launch of new rocket and flight exploration systems.

Serco, one of the world’s largest providers of public services to governments, employing more than 50,000 people in over 20 countries, is a trusted Hi-Tech Engineering delivery partner to military organizations around the world for critical support services and the operation of sensitive facilities.

“We have been partnered with Hi-Tech Engineering for more than 10 years and what we appreciate the most is their dedication to their craft,” said Lynzy Williams, Serco project manager and mechanical engineer. “No detail is ever overlooked, and they work side by side with us to the finish line, ensuring that we keep our customer happy with the final product. We look forward to our continued partnership on new and existing projects.”

Key investments to expand both the physical footprint and machine capacity of Hi-Tech Engineering’s facility in Camarillo, California, are already underway, including:

• Newly expanded Quality Assurance suite including new programmable CMM capabilities; this expansion will increase through-put by 2x to 3x, and provide data driven quality controls to ensure increasingly accurate production outcomes which meet customer & industry specifications
• Newly acquired & upgraded CNC machines including: (1) Haas UMC-1000 with 5-axis capabilities; (1) Haas ST-25 with expanded Z-axis travel capabilities; (1) Haas VF-5SS with super-speed vertical machining options; and (1) VF-9 large format mill which can machine parts as wide as 86"
• A refreshed website (www.htemfg.com) which showcases the business’s precision production & design for manufacturability processes, along with market case studies and latest news

“Over the past 12 months, we have made multiple critical investments in people, process, technology, and capacity to ensure we are well-positioned to capture these future growth opportunities. I look forward to building deeper partnerships with our existing customers, while also unlocking similar discussions with new prospects in the industry,” stated Rahim.