Aviation Study Tour 2011 - Blog

Day 21 - Lufthansa, Frankfurt

Fri 16^th Dec

by Alex Z.

Upon transiting from the Frankfurt Airport Sheraton by shuttle bus, the tour group was greeted by two ex Senior Lufthansa Captains, Heinz and Ulrich, as well as two undergraduate students from European Business School (EBS is affiliated with Lufthansa and runs a sponsored ATM course in conjunction with the Airline); Anne-Christine and Timothy. EBS and Swiburne have just entered into an Air Transport Management partnership program, due to start in 2012. The program will eventually allow Swinburne students study abroad in Germany, and possibly in conjunction with Lufthansa. Anne and Timothy organized the site visit especially and as such we were in for a treat!

We were divided into two groups (led by either Ulrich or Heinz an accompanied by either Timothy or Anne-Christine) partly due to the time frame and the packed schedule we had for the day. Equipped with radios allowing us to hear our guides we were whisked through a very efficient security screening to go airside.

Lufhansa Technik conducts much of their line maintenance on the majority of all their wide-bodied aircraft in Frankfurt, with their maintenance overhaul facility located in Hamburg. We entered the maintenance hangar and were greeted by one towering LH 747-400 and a long A340-600 (‘actually longer than the A380 by about two meters’ quipped Ulrich) Heinz and Ulrich proceeded to give a detailed tour of each aircraft in a pre flight ‘walk around’ manor, explaining the functions of various components such as undercarriage, engines, control surfaces and the Ram Air Turbine. Following the walk around we were then led through the interior of each aircraft (dodging maintenance personnel as we made our way) and given the photo opportunity to sit in two different flight decks.

Heinz and Ulrich gave us great insight into various aspects, considerations and operation of the Lufthansa fleet. It is interesting to note that Lufthansa were the only airline to opt to position the galley and crew rest area downstairs, in their version of the 340-600. In doing so it limited freight capacity but in turn increased seat capacity. This configuration would serve to decrease the seat cost per kilometer; Ulrich added further that the A340’s huge cargo capacity would have seldom being optimized on the sectors it was currently being used on. It is widely accepted that the B777 family out performs the A340 on many operational fronts so it remains to be seen how effective the LH340-600 has been for Lufthansa. Timothy further added they are trying to get rid of them!

Overall Lufthansa presented itself as a unique, multifaceted airline as compared to other Airlines we had previously visited. Lufthansa has joint venture operations with various other European manufacturing companies such as Rolls Royce. They also have unique engine servicing agreements, for example with Singapore airlines thereby benefiting both airlines in both Asia and EU regions. Lufthansa operates a wide ranging fleet to maximize its route integrity; operating small CRJ family aircraft on Lufthansa City (&&) MD-11 for Lufthansa Cargo, and a mixture of Boeing and Airbus for medium to long haul sectors. It is also interesting to note that Lufthansa have ordered both the A380 and the B747-8 Intercontinental, as opposed to one or the other. When asked, Timothy reasoned that presently they have a operational seat capacity gap between the 747-400 and the A380 of approximately 100 seats, one the Intercontinental can serve perfectly. Lufthansa also has the wide reaching operational maintenance capacity to operate and maintain both airframe types across its network.

We were also shown briefly the Crew Training facility, whereby Lufthansa conducts their Flight Crew and Cabin Crew training. Lufthansa currently has a staggering 36 simulators, 22 of which are located in Frankfurt. Lufthansa also operates a state of the art Global Diagnostic Center which serves to communicate data from the ground to air and vice versa. It can also be utilized in emergency situations to communicate specialist medical and engineering advice live.

Overall the tour was fantastic and is easy to say we wished we had two days instead of just one with the Airline, that aside the short sharp and sweet left us eagerly awaiting our next flight with Lufthansa to Seattle.

Day 19/20 - Airbus Final Assembly Line, Toulouse

Wed 14 & Thu 15^th Dec

by Bradley M.

Our visit to the Airbus final assembly plant in Toulouse, France spanned two days and was an experience exceeding all expectations. Following a warm welcome from Airbus, we got up close and personal with the A380 ‘super-jumbo’, visiting the enormous assembly factory building and witnessing the many stages, procedures and process involved in constructing such a large aircraft. Next was a visit to the Airbus cabin mock-up centre where customers can experience different cabin layouts, seat types and seating configurations in full size mock aircraft. We toured both the A380 and A320 full size cabin mock-ups as well as a half cabin mock-up of the new A350.

Following a tasty lunch provided by Airbus, we had the rare opportunity to visit one of the four A380 test aircraft with a personal tour provided by one of Airbus’ most senior test pilots. The opportunity to get a few photos sitting in the cockpit was a highlight for all.

After a visit to the Airbus gift shop, a significantly poorer group had again another privileged opportunity with a tour of the Beluga ‘super-transport’ aircraft which ferries vital parts such as aircraft wings between the network of Airbus factories throughout Europe.

The second day of our Airbus experience began with an eye opening visit to the ‘Iron-bird’, a mechanical systems testing device which replicates the mechanical reactions of a real aircraft in response to the input of a connected flight simulator. This allows for thorough testing to take place prior to first flight. A further exclusive visit to the Airbus flight testing telemetry facility allowed us to observe live flight data of an aircraft testing new wingtip technology.

A very informative bus tour around the expansive Airbus facilities was followed by a fantastic lunch, provided again by Airbus, at a local French restaurant which was enjoyed greatly by all. The day was concluded with a visit to the aircraft museum at Toulouse airport which contained many ex-military aircraft as well as a Concorde allowing for plenty more photos to be taken!

Day 14 - Airbus UK Wing manufacturing facility

Fri 9^th Dec

by Skete BJ

After getting on the bus quite early this morning our group left by coach to travel from Chester to the Airbus wing assembly factory located in Broughton. As we arrived to the facility I was rather impressed to see an Airbus Beluga transport aircraft being loaded up with equipment and prepared for takeoff, this simple sight had an astounding effect on myself and to the great scale that Airbus is able to accommodate for aircraft production and the facilities that are put in place for wing manufacturing.

Once we had our security tags organized we were escorted to a presentation room where the group was given a very detailed look into the manufacturing processes involved at Broughton, the presentation was held by Andrew and Shaun who were able to give the group quite a detailed overview of the entire process involved in initial development of the wings right up to being installed on the aircraft.

At the conclusion of the presentation we were taken to the manufacturing plant for the Airbus A380 wings. The facility itself much like the A380 was incredible, spanning what was equivalent to 14 soccer fields across and was capable of producing 2.5 wings per month was amazing. Luckily enough for our group we were able to see the 100th production line wing being prepared to be sent to Toulouse for assembly with the A380 aircraft.

There was an ever present attention to detail and safety in the facility that was made evident by the amount of safety procedures and cross checks required in piecing together all of the parts for the wings. The build time for the wings was roughly around 40,000 man hours required to assemble the wings as they are the most structurally and technically intensive parts of the aircraft. After the wings are completed they are wrapped and sent by barge to Toulouse to be assembled with the A380 aircraft hull. The tour of the wing facility was fantastic, because it gave myself a great opportunity to see the actual scale of the wings, and also how complex the development process's and manually labour intensive process's are still involved to complete a project of that size.

Day 13 - Shell refinery in Thornton

Thu 8^th Dec

by Ben J

After a rare sleep in and a good old English breakfast we boarded the bus and headed into one of Shell’s refineries at Thornton. We were introduced to several employees who held quite senior roles within the company, such as fuel development manager, product handling manager and a few engineers and chemists.

Our morning agenda included a presentation from four of these employees based around topics such as the derivation of octane ratings for fuel, the classification and description of fuel types such as Jet A, Jet A1 and avgas, the different types of lubricant that shell manufactures for the industry and the associated additives included within the fuel that are essential for the safe operation of fuel systems in the harsh and unforgiving environment that most aircraft are exposed to on a daily basis.

We were also given a brief history of Shell and learnt about the challenges surrounding the implementation of full scale biofuel production, such as the need for large capital investment and the immense physical land required to grow crops used for biofuel production.

After lunch we were split into three groups and given a tour of the aviation fuel handling, fuel properties and aviation gasoline development facilities. We were given a firsthand look at the fuel and lubricant testing facilities that utilise an actual aircraft piston engine which is subject to the same atmospheric conditions as a light aircraft during a typical flight.

In the fuel handling facility we witnessed the application of filters used to remove water and dirt from aviation fuel, and were shown the technology used to test for micro bacterial growth within newly developed fuels within the aviation fuel properties centre. The tour was indeed an interesting and worthwhile experience.

Day 11 - Rolls Royce

Tue 6^th Dec

by J. Sabato.

There aren’t many other brands out there that stem from such a rich engineering and innovating history like it – and today the Swinburne Aviation Study Tour Group has the opportunity to see the true fabric of the company. A series of presentations by Rolls Royce engineers and marketing managers gave us an excellent snapshot of how Rolls has come to be the organization it is today. We came to understand the challenges Rolls Royce faces in a dynamic industry and the ways the organization has come to adapt to change. The organization has many goals and targets it wishes to achieve, and environmental impact and fuel efficiency are central to their design process.

One other aspect of Rolls Royce’s business which has allowed them to stay competitive in the marketplace is their development of a service based approach so that engines sold new by Rolls are supported through to the end of their lifespan. Engines are tracked both in the air and on the ground, with their performance monitored so that predictive methods of servicing may be used. Engines on the wing in the air send performance data to Rolls Royce’s service centre and in many cases a diagnosis of any problems and planned maintenance has been discussed before the aircraft lands.

Many of us prior to the Rolls visit had a basic understanding of gas turbine engines and how they function. However, our knowledge was deficient in the manufacturing process. Engines are assembled in a sterile workshop floor by specialist technicians with specialized roles. Depending on the size and complexity of the engine, the manufacturing timeline varies. The cost of these engines is quite astounding and the magnitude of the investments airlines make in their powerplants is something that we could only really understand whilst immersed within Rolls Royce’s engine servicing department.

The professionals at Rolls Royce made this day an unforgettable one and the group gained a unique understanding of a segment of the industry that is quite difficult to appreciate from the outside.

Day 10 - EasyJet

Mon 5^th Dec

by Christakis S.

Fortunately, our starting time was moved from 04:30 to a more reasonable …….08:30? When we walked over to Easyjet, we were greeted by none other than Leo from ITV’s Airline who has been working directly for Easyjet for the last 4 years.

We were then introduced to Jo, who has 8 years of experience working for Easyjet, having moved from Cabin Crew to the airline’s ground operations, this has given her a broad knowledge of the airline, which she passed on to us very well.

Even though Easyjet is a low-cost airline, the fact that they provide service for over 600 routes to 130 airports, in 30 countries, using over 200 aircraft is astounding, compared to the Australian equivalent.

We also had an informative lecture given to us by a member of the Web Development Team who carry-out ‘back end’ changes, for example, adjusting the layout of the boarding pass that the passengers print out.

We also learnt that, even though we were at Luton for the visit, Gatwick is their biggest base with 45 aircraft, followed by Malpensa (Milan) and Luton.

As our visit came to an end, many of the students to the opportunity to get their photo taken with Leo (as can be seen below) and at about lunchtime we boarding our large chartered coach and made our way to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford (near Cambridge).

Day 7 - Cultural day in Dubai

Fri 2^th Dec

by Andrew I

Today was the cultural experience and everyone was up early and excited for the day ahead. It started with a bus tour around the sights of Dubai. We had a tour guide on the bus who have us a brief history of Dubai on our way to the first stop.

First stop was Sheik Mohammed's private palace. We only saw a glimpse of it as we weren't allowed to get too close and weren't allowed to take any photos. Just a little down the road was his other palace which we were allowed to take photos of.

He had a bunch of animals roaming around the place such as peacocks and dear. It became very apparent how rich these sheiks are when the tour guide told us he had two lions and a tiger as pets essentially.

Next on the agenda was the Burj Khalifa which is the tallest building in the world. We got out and took a few photos before driving to the palm islands. I'd seen these islands on TV but was blown away seeing them in person. It's a man made island that looks like a palm tree from overhead. We drove up the trunk of it past a whole bunch of villas which were sold in only 4 days at a cost of 2 - 4 million each.

At the top of the island the road curves around in a loop and there is the Atlantis hotel. We got out and took photos of this amazing hotel which we were told has a transparent water slide that goes through an aquarium with sharks in it.

Jumeirah beach was next where we also saw the Burj al Arab and Jumeirah beach hotels. The Burj al Arab is one of the most expensive hotels in the world and has an amazing 7 star rating. The arts museum that we visited next was more of a shop then museum but a lot of us bought some cool things from there.

After that we boarded and abra which is an old wooden boat and went along the water from new Dubai to old Dubai. That concluded the bus tour and we got some lunch before heading to the desert. After taking a bus along the highway to some random part of the desert a whole bunch of four wheel drives rocked up and took us riding along the sand dunes. These things were crazy and so much fun. It was like a roller coaster ride in the desert.

They took us to a small village in the middle of the desert where we got to ride camels and a few guys rode 4 wheelers in the surrounding dunes. We also had a BBQ there and we're treated to a belly dancing performance. After a long but amazing day it was back home to try an get some sleep before our early 4am wake up the next morning

Day 6 - EMIRATES Airlines

Thur 1^th Dec

by Dushyant M

Another early morning wake up at 6:30am to get to Emirates by 7:45! We weren't allowed to bring our cameras this time because we were going to be airside at the airport all day! We were gifted some awesome Emirates branded yellow vissy vests and Emirates pens upon arrival (Yes we did get excited over stuff like that).

Emirates have a very unique and efficient facility for their pilots and crew. Below Emirates headquarters, they have their own facility which includes check-in and baggage drop, customs and pilot and cabin crew briefing rooms (which are attached to each other, allowing pilots to walk into the cabin crew room after their briefing) all. The pilots and crew are then transferred to the aircraft in a bus via an underground tunnel system which runs below the tarmac at the airport. We then waited for about an hour and a half for a police escort (coincidently our visit clashed with the UAE’s 40th Anniversary and therefore the police were very “busy”). That was the only problem with today.

When we finally got airside, we were dropped off on the tarmac and got to witness all the preparations going on for an Emirates 777-300ER about to depart. We got some really cool photos in front of the massive engines and wings too. It was surprising to see how much goes into the departure of a commercial airliner (We all got a thumbs up from the First Officer). That aircraft was delayed, however, due to an unruly passenger on board! (Not because of us!)

Then we got back on the little bus and drove to the other side of the airport where Emirates freight is handled. The facility we visited was named the “Emirates SkyCargo Mega-Terminal”. That was an appropriate name as this cargo facility was huge! After more security checks we were allowed inside and saw how they work compared to DHL. It was quite different as Emirates is a lot more automated than DHL. They have a massive 7 floors for storing all the stock and even had a massive refrigeration facility for stock that needs to be kept at certain temperatures. By this point it was way too late to do the engineering stuff and we had to cut the day short. We had a banquet meal that was fantastic and more than made up for the delays that occurred during the day. We were then transferred back to the hotel!

Because it was early we had a rest before hitting the beers and catching a taxi to Dubai Mall. This place is huge!!!!!! It is the largest mall in the entire world and is at the bottom of the Burj Khalifa. We walked around and found out for ourselves just how big this mall is. They had massive fountains, an ice rink, and every designer shop you could think off. They even had a massive aquarium. After this it was back to the hotels for us before another massive day ahead!

Day 5 - EMIRATES Airlines

Wed 30^th Nov

by Dushyant M

This was our earliest morning so far. All of us were up at 6:15 to get breakfast in time before the Emirates bus picked us up. We were taken on an Emirates staff bus to the door of Emirates headquarters were we were greeted by Poonam Sadani from Emirates Group Safety team. She was to be our host for both days. We were taken to the Emirates Crisis Management Centre to kick things of. Emirates’ CMC is the biggest and most comprehensive crisis centre of any airline in the world.

Emirates’ CMC plans to handle a staggering 72,000 phone calls in the first 24 hours after an accident. The CMC facility has 100 seats and they contract seats from other call centres which Emirates send their own employees too.

We then visited the Emergency Control Room which is used to manage everything that occurs in the event of a crisis. The Control Room provides a wonderful view of the runways and a few of us got to witness a Cargolux 747-8 departure. Kind of hard to handle a crisis when you have a view like that! There was massive screen at the end of the room which provided a real time view of where every single aircraft was on the ground. These screens were backed by other screens which show where every Emirates aircraft is (in flight) at that time.

We were then all transferred to the Emirates Crew Training Facility. This is the building in which all pilots and cabin crew do their initial training, upgrade training and renewal training. We were lucky enough to witness current A380 cabin crew being assessed in an Emirates-owned mock-up of an A380 cabin (one of only 2 in the world) facility. These crew members were previously Economy class crew undergoing an assessment for their upgrade to business class. We got a first-hand experience of the comfort of the First-class cabins on board the A380 and also got to have a look at the shower in the bathroom (6 guys in one toilet at a time isn’t very comfortable, don’t try it!).

We then visited the Emirates duty-free training room where all duty free managers receive their training. Emirates make a lot of money from duty free! (total duty-free sales in the month of September totalled 50 million dirhams!) One thing very unique to Emirates is that they have world-famous designers who design products specifically for Emirates.

The highlight of this visit was up next! It was time for the simulators! We started off with the A380 Full Flight Motion simulator. The experience was unreal. I cannot explain in word how realistic everything felt, looked and sounded, but moreover, how advanced the cockpit of the A380 was! The A380’s nose is very high of the ground and let’s just say, flaring wasn’t a piece of cake for most of us.

Next up was this, we got a very rare opportunity to take part in an evacuation drill in a Boeing 777-300 full motion cabin simulator!

The team simulated an engine explosion and forced landing on one engine for us. It was very realistic! Smoke filled the cabin lights flashed on and off while the crew were yelling out what we needed to do. The entire time the cabin was rocking around and panicking passengers were screaming (not us of course). The doors to the simulators were connected to the giant inflatable slides which went into a swimming pool so that crew can practice a water ditching scenario (we did not get to go for a swim unfortunately)

We were then treated to a thorough explanation of Emirates’ business and got a grasp of how large the Emirates Group is, employing around 40,000 people, making it one of the largest companies in the world. Emirates now flies to 116 different destinations are expanding at a rapid rate! To give you a rough idea of the expansion rate that Emirates is undergoing

They currently have 242 aircraft on order at a delivery rate of 1 - 4 aircraft per month with an order book value of 66 billion dollars. Of these planes on order, 72 of them are A380's, 70 are the new A350s and 90 are Boeing 777-300ER’s. Emirates currently employ 13,303 cabin crew and will hit 25,000 in the next 3 years. Last year they increased their revenue to 15.6 billion US dollars and with their expansion, Dubai has built a new airport which will open next year which has 6 parallel runways, making it the largest airport in the world.

This visit was absolutely amazing and I think a lot of people (myself included) would love to work for this wonderful company in the future. After a fairly long and exhausting day we went to the infamous Karama market after which we headed back to the hotel and looked forward to what Emirates had in store for us the next day.

Day 3 - DHL Express

Mon 28^th Nov

by Andrew I

We visited Singapore airport in the afternoon for a long process to get some visitor passes so that we could go visit DHL.

We started with a briefing on the basics of the organization and on the different hubs around the world. It was interesting to find that depending on where you were sending a package you may be going air express through different hubs where it isn't necessarily a direct route. It may travel to a major hub and then back again or could travel via road express if it was the same country.

The whole freight process was a lot more complicated than I think any of us thought. DHL also ship there freight via commercial carriers such as Cathay Pacific where they must rely on that company to get the freight to the next hub in time. Next we saw the control centre which was like a call centre with computers that showed all packages whether they were late or on time.

They would be given a different colour for each situation. Such as green for on time, red for late and even blue if it had been looked at but was awaiting something such as a clearance.

Lastly we visited the area where they sort all the packages coming off planes into where they go next such as to road express or to another aircraft for a different hub. It was quite an interesting experience and opened all of our eyes to just how complex this facet of the industry is.

Day 3 - Singapore Airforce Aero-medical Services

by Andrew I

Singapore Aero-medical Services is a government owned, civilianised company operating under the TS Medical services banner. Sing Aero-med takes care of both military and civilian pilot medical requirements, as well as the Aviation physiology training required for the Singaporean Air Force, Navy and foreign forces.

We were guided around the facility by Dr. Fong, Chief of the Aero-medical Centre, and Dr. Ng, Chief of the Clinic both. The tour took in the somatogyral turntable which Andrew and Kieran demonstrated how easily confused semi circular canals can become at sensing motion when they are not helped out by the eyes.

We were also very fortunate to witness the centrifugal large spinning capsule designed to condition fast jet pilots for high G load. Pilots can experience up to fifteen g in the capsule. Another very fascinating part of the tour was seeing the hypobaric chamber where pilots are trained to detect the onset of hypoxia. We were fortunate enough to witness what a rapid decompression would look like and watched numerous interesting videos showing the effects and symptoms of hypoxia.

Undoubtedly one the most interesting parts of the tour was witnessing the firing of the ejection seat. When a pilot ejects he can experience up to twenty five g. Therefore the pilot must be trained thoroughly in using the proper ejection technique.

Finally we were shown their newest simulator. One that will be the future of disorientation training as it is not only a fully accurate 6 axis simulator but acted much like the turntable so was able to create the various somatogravic illusions.

We all left the facility highly informed. It was great to see in practice all the gizmos and gadgets we learnt about in our Aviation Medicine subject.

Day 3 - Singapore Air Traffic Control Centre

by Robert C and Kieran M

The first formal day of the tour and first up was Singapore ATC (Air Traffic Control) We all piled in to a room up the top which had glass windows so that we could look down on all the air traffic controllers going about their tasks. They operate under the ICAO standards and are already underway building a brand new centre.

The new centre is costing 400 million dollars and will have brand new computers. They will do away with paper strips which they currently use a fair bit and go fully digital. The reason for the upgrade is that the current system is at 100% capacity.

Not hard to believe when you consider that Singapore international currently have 1350 flights they have to deal with each day. Only 500 of them are simply transiting the zone. They get a staggering 50 - 65 arrivals per hour!!! There's only two hours in a 24 hour period where that isn't the case. They are also planning to upgrade the airport which currently has 3 terminals.

The current airport services 40 million passengers per year but the new upgrade will allow it to service 70 million per year. The visit was a real eye opening experience to how much the airline industry is expanding and it's so exciting to be going into this industry.