Page 3 - Aerotech News and Review, Jan. 19 2018

Flying into 2018
by Kenji Thuloweit
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Two F-35 Lightning IIs from the 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., took part in the traditional flyover at the be- ginning of the annual Tournament of Roses Parade Jan. 1, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif.
The fifth-generation fighters accom- panied the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber in the middle, which was from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.
According to information from Do- nate Life America, the flyover honored organ donor Maj. Benjamin Meier, an Air Force pilot who was assigned to the 31st TES.
The F-35 on the left of the B-2 repre- sented all organ donors, while the F-35 on the right symbolized all who have received organs that have prolonged their lives.
While on a morning run in 2015, Meier was struck in the head by the mirror of a passing truck on Edwards AFB and later died of his injuries. As an organ donor, Donate Life America says Meier was able to provide several organs to people who live on to this day.
Photographs courtesy of Mark Holtzman
Two F-35 Lightning IIs from the 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base took part in the traditional flyover at the beginning of the annual Tournament of Roses Parade Jan. 1, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif. The fighters accompanied a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.
Boeing unveils new unmanned cargo air vehicle prototype
On Jan. 10, 2018, Boeing unveiled a new unmanned electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing cargo air vehicle prototype that will be used to test and evolve Boeing’s autonomy technology for future aerospace vehicles.
It is designed to transport a payload up to 500 pounds for possible future cargo and logistics ap- plications.
“This flying cargo air vehicle represents an- other major step in our Boeing eVTOL strategy,” said Boeing Chief Technology Officer Greg Hys- lop. “We have an opportunity to really change air travel and transport, and we’ll look back on this day as a major step in that journey.”
In less than three months, a team of engineers and technicians across the company designed and built the CAV prototype. It successfully com- pleted initial flight tests at Boeing Research & Technology’s Collaborative Autonomous Systems Laboratory in Missouri.
Boeing researchers will use the prototype as a flying test bed to mature the building blocks of autonomous technology for future applications. Boeing HorizonX, with its partners in Boeing Re- search & Technology, led the development of the CAV prototype, which complements the eVTOL passenger air vehicle prototype aircraft in devel- opment by Aurora Flight Sciences, a company acquired by Boeing late last year.
“Our new CAV prototype builds on Boeing’s existing unmanned systems capabilities and presents new possibilities for autonomous cargo
January 19, 2018
delivery, logistics and other transportation appli- cations,” said Steve Nordlund, Boeing HorizonX vice president. “The safe integration of unmanned aerial systems is vital to unlocking their full po- tential. Boeing has an unmatched track record,
regulatory know-how and systematic approach to deliver solutions that will shape the future of autonomous flight.”
Powered by an environmentally-friendly elec- tric propulsion system, the CAV prototype is out-
fitted with eight counter rotating blades allowing for vertical flight. It measures 15 feet long (4.57 meters), 18 feet wide (5.49 meters) and 4 feet tall (1.22 meters), and weighs 747 pounds (339 ki- lograms).
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