March 12, 2019 | Local, Aerospace
by Lisa Gordon
The Viking CL-415 “SuperScooper” is more akin to a pick-up truck than a sports car.
It's a hardworking, amphibious turboprop that was built to fight wildfires.
It flies low, battling blistering heat and blinding smoke, before releasing 13,500 pounds of water in six seconds – and then returning to a nearby lake where it skims the surface to reload.
Introduced in 1993 by Bombardier, the CL-415 was essentially a turboprop version of its predecessor, the piston-powered CL-215. Today, there are close to 170 CL-215/415 aircraft in operation, mostly in Europe and North America. They are now supported by Viking Air, which acquired the program from Bombardier in 2016.
Pilot training in the CL-415 has historically been done in the aircraft, but TRU Simulation + Training says that due to the unique mission it performs, those training flights can be dangerous.
The South Carolina-headquartered company is a division of industry giant Textron Inc., and was formed following the amalgamation of several specialty flight simulation and pilot training companies, including former Montreal-based Mechtronix.
About two years ago, TRU's commercial aviation division in Montreal began designing the world's first CL-415 full flight simulator (FFS) with the capability to replicate operations not only in the air, but also on the water. The company was able to draw on its recent experience of successfully building a Series 400 Twin Otter FFS for Canada's Pacific Sky Aviation in Calgary, Alta. – the world's first seaplane simulator with water-handling capabilities.
“Before the Twin Otter project, hydrodynamic modelling is something we hadn't done before,” acknowledged Thom Allen, TRU's vice-president of Technology and Innovation. “It's like a boat simulator because you're modelling the buoyancy of the floats or the fuselage in the water. Interestingly, our engineers working on the Twin Otter program actually went to the library and researched how boats work on the water. Mixing the boat sim with the aerodynamic sim is the whole package.”
He said the CL-415 experience took things one step further by adding the mission component – scooping the water – to the Twin Otter build.
“From a safety point of view, the types of missions you do in a waterbomber are quite a bit different from a commercial aircraft. When you're scooping water and dropping it over a fire, training in those conditions is very dangerous. The tradeoff has always been between the quality of the training and the danger of doing that sort of training.”
TRU's CL-415 FFS was delivered to Ansett Aviation Training in Milan, Italy, in September 2018 and certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in December to Level D standards. Although training courses have yet to be completed in the simulator, the hope is that both initial and recurrent pilot training will be done exclusively in the device.
Allen said the operational characteristics of a CL-415 are complex and unique.
“When you're flying over a very hot fire, you drop your water and the mass of the aircraft is cut in half. The turbulence effect is quite significant when you hit the updraft. The fire is creating turbulence, smoke, reduced visibility – and pilots are dropping every five or 10 minutes repeatedly, usually in rugged terrain at low altitudes. This is the part that made this project something new.”
To gather accurate performance data, TRU rented a CL-415 and equipped it with flight test instrumentation.
“We weren't doing fire drops with our engineers on board, but we did all the manoeuvres around that, and we brought in a number of senior CL-415 pilots to evaluate our work.”
The result is the world's first high fidelity CL-415 simulator with the capability of replicating not just air and water operations, but various types and intensities of forest fires and changes in related environmental conditions. The cockpit noise level is accurately reproduced by a secondary audio system that – like the real aircraft – requires crewmembers to wear a noise-cancelling headset.
Full article: https://www.skiesmag.com/news/simulating-the-superscooper
November 9, 2023 | Local, Aerospace
The first Boeing T-7A Red Hawk for the Air Force has completed its 1,400-mile cross-country flight to Edwards AFB to move forward with flight testing.
August 2, 2019 | Local, Aerospace
By Ben Forrest & Mike Reyno On a given day in the remote, sparsely-populated terrain over Happy Valley-Goose Bay and rural Labrador, it is often cloudy or snowing, or both. The winters are brutal and long; the summers are warm and wet, and militaries from all over the world have used this rugged patch of land for austere weather training. If something goes wrong in one of these training exercises–an injury or any other kind of disaster–the pilots and medical technicians from 444 Combat Support Squadron are there in a hurry. This small but effective crew of 35 military personnel and five civilians provides rapid response during training exercises at 5 Wing Goose Bay using three CH-146 Griffon helicopters. On occasion, aircrews also perform utility transport and secondary search and rescue (SAR). “We try to have a real team-oriented atmosphere,” said Maj Ryan Snider, commanding officer of 444 Squadron. “You're not two ships passing in the night, as many other squadrons and Wings are. You get a chance to interact with people on a regular basis, and get to know them far better than you would at a normal [posting.]” The squadron, one of three Combat Support squadrons in the Air Force, draws a mix of new recruits and pilots and technicians with previous Griffon experience. Postings usually last three years, and they can be an effective way for new pilots to get their feet wet. “I love it,” said Capt Marc Saucier. “The area can be really challenging, just because everything's so remote. I don't think you find terrain like this anywhere else in Canada, where everything's so far apart. “But it's been really good. There's not enough people in Labrador to necessitate us being called out that often in the first place, but what we do, it's pretty different each time.” Pilots in 444 Squadron average about 300 flying hours a year, and the posting can also be a refreshing change for seasoned pilots who transfer from other bases. “This is nice with the family, because I'm home all the time, other than the odd night,” said Capt Neil Gabourie, a Griffon pilot who has also spent time with 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, Ont. 444 Squadron traces its history to 1947, where it was originally activated in Rivers, Man. It later transferred to St-Hubert, Que., where it operated the Sabre fighter jets, and then moved to Baden-Soellingen, Germany as part of Canada's commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The squadron disbanded in 1963, but was stood up about two months later and equipped with the CF-104 Starfighter, which it operated until 1967 before being disbanded again. Five years later the squadron was re-activated and renamed 444 Tactical Helicopter Squadron flying the CH-136 Kiowa. Stood down on Apr. 1, 1992, the squadron was reactivated in Goose Bay in 1993, now equipped with the CH-135 Twin Huey in a rescue and support role. The CH-135 was replaced by the CH-146 in 1996. Today, the squadron operates out of two large hangars that make up a fraction of 5 Wing's massive infrastructure footprint, supporting NORAD's North Warning System radar sites on utility missions and supporting SAR efforts in the area when CH-149 Cormorant helicopters from 9 Wing Gander are not available. “JRCC (Joint Rescue Coordination Centre) Halifax will call upon us from time to time,” said Snider. “They understand we're not a Cormorant ... there are limitations. But they still give us a call and say, ‘What can you provide?' And then we'll do our best.” A major development at 444 Squadron over the last year has been the ongoing replacement of SAR Technicians with Medical Technicians on Griffon flight crews. The transition began in 2018 and once complete, Griffon crews will have two pilots, a flight engineer and a med tech on board. Similar transitions are taking place at 417 Combat Support Squadron at 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alta., and 439 Combat Support Squadron at 3 Wing Bagotville, Que. “The med techs will come to us having already undergone their medical technician training,” said Snider. “We'll top up that training to give them familiarization ... to operate at the back of the cabin of the aircraft. We'll train them on spotter duties, and then we'll also train them on how to function on the hoist.” Whereas SAR techs can jump out of helicopters to perform rescues at sea, med techs are not trained in skydiving or water diving and are geared toward land-based operations, said Sgt Adam Blackwell, a med tech. They also use specific hoist, insertion and extraction methods for land-based operations. Med techs are trained as primary care paramedics and have diverse backgrounds that make them extremely versatile. “We also do a lot of clinical and hospital kind of work–not just emergent care, not just tactical care,” said Blackwell. “We are jacks of all trades in the medical field, and used as such in different postings.” Instructed originally by SAR techs during the initial transition, med techs at 444 Squadron have now reached a point where there is a senior lead med tech able to train the more junior members. Recruiting med techs to the relatively isolated community of Goose Bay can be difficult, but many are quickly attracted to the squadron's warm, tight-knit culture once they arrive. “It's a bit different,” said Blackwell. “But honestly, it's pretty fun. If you are an outdoorsy person, this is the place to snowmobile or have an ATV. The fishing here is pretty amazing, too.” The squadron may have experienced a shift in focus in recent years, but its core mission remains the same. “It's that standby response to military operations,” said Snider. “Different customers, different tactics, but the same purpose.” https://www.skiesmag.com/features/444-combat-support-squadron-combat-support-from-above/?utm_source=skies-daily-news-top-story
October 24, 2018 | Local, Land
JEAN-FRANÇOIS CODÈRE Le rêve d'un exosquelette qui aidera les soldats à transporter leurs lourdes charges sans se blesser approche et c'est une firme de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Mawashi, qui est en pôle position d'un marché évalué à «des milliards et des milliards de dollars». Le tiers des soldats évacués en Afghanistan ou en Irak n'avaient pas subi de «blessures de guerre», avance Alain Bujold, chef de la direction et chef de la direction technologique de Mawashi. Ils avaient plutôt subi les dommages, notamment au dos, du trop grand poids placé sur leurs épaules. «Ça coûte 500 millions de dollars par année à l'armée américaine pour s'occuper des soldats blessés parce qu'ils transportaient trop de poids», ajoute-t-il. Spécialiste de la recherche et de l'ingénierie pour «tout ce qui se met sur le corps humain» depuis des années, Mawashi s'est intéressée de plus près aux exosquelettes en 2013. Elle avait alors été invitée à participer à un projet de l'armée américaine, le projet Talos, qui consistait à créer une sorte d'armure à la Iron Man. «Ils ont donné de l'argent à un paquet de compagnies, et on les a toutes clenchées», raconte fière M. Bujold. Alléger la charge L'exosquelette Uprise mis au point par Mawashi peut retirer jusqu'à 70% du poids transporté par un soldat de sa propre ossature. La structure épouse les formes du corps, mais n'est pas motorisée, ce qui est un avantage important selon M. Bujold, puisque les soldats peuvent ainsi être affectés à de très longues missions sans crainte d'épuiser leurs piles. Et sans avoir à transporter lesdites piles. Une plaque posée sous le pied du soldat, dans sa chaussure, sert de fondation à l'ensemble. Cette plaque s'arrête avant les orteils, de façon à permettre au soldat de bien ressentir le sol sous ses pieds. Des tiges métalliques articulées longent ensuite les jambes du soldat pour rejoindre une ceinture rigide. De là s'élève une «colonne vertébrale», de laquelle émergent des appendices qui permettent notamment de suspendre un sac à dos ou un plastron sans que le poids ne se dépose sur le squelette du soldat. En situation de combat, un soldat est chargé d'en moyenne une centaine de livres d'équipement protecteur, de munitions, d'armes et d'équipements de communication, entre autres, estime M. Bujold. «De plus en plus, les combats se déroulent dans des zones urbaines, ce qui fait qu'on ne peut utiliser de véhicules pour transporter l'équipement, ajoute-t-il. Et il y a de plus en plus de matériel pour les communications.» «Le but n'est pas de permettre de transporter plus de poids, prévient-il toutefois. C'est de réduire les blessures et d'aider à porter ce poids.» En avance En mars dernier, Mawashi a été invitée par l'OTAN à venir démontrer les bénéfices que pouvait procurer Uprise à des spécialistes du déminage, qui doivent revêtir une combinaison protectrice pesant à elle seule une centaine de livres. L'entreprise se concentre présentement à démontrer de façon claire les avantages de son produit. Elle a reçu un financement de trois ans de l'armée canadienne pour parvenir à cette fin. «Le dernier obstacle est de prouver qu'il y a vraiment un bénéfice, indique M. Bujold. Les tests préliminaires le démontrent.» Sur l'échelle de maturité technologique (Technology Readiness Level), qui va de 1 à 9, l'Uprise est au niveau 7. Aucune solution comparable ne le devance, selon M. Bujold, et l'Uprise est en position pour être le premier exosquelette déployé sur le terrain. «Le premier qui va arriver avec une technologie qui fonctionne, c'est le prochain Apple, croit l'entrepreneur. On ne parle pas de millions, mais de milliards.» C'est qu'au-delà des militaires, il y a une panoplie d'autres secteurs qui pourraient être intéressés à un exosquelette de ce genre, envisage-t-il, à commencer par l'important marché du plein air. Les pompiers, les travailleurs de la construction et les employés de chaînes d'assemblage pourraient eux aussi en bénéficier. L'Uprise pourrait coûter de 3000$ à 20 000$, estime-t-il, selon la configuration choisie. Jusqu'à présent, ce sont surtout des contrats de l'armée américaine qui ont permis à Mawashi d'avancer. «C'est tout récent que de recevoir du financement canadien», dit M. Bujold, qui est actionnaire à 50% de l'entreprise. L'autre moitié est détenue par Louis Bibeau, président de Logistik Unicorp, dans l'édifice de laquelle sont installés les bureaux de Mawashi. «Il y a 99% des chances qu'on finisse par être achetés par une compagnie américaine, estime M. Bujold. C'est triste.» «Il y a ici une mentalité de lenteur, de bureaucratie, alors qu'aux États-Unis, c'est pif, paf, maintenant.» Le volet militaire de son entreprise n'aide pas à approcher des investisseurs québécois ou canadiens, ajoute-t-il, même si son produit « sauve des vies ». Cette tiédeur n'existe pas aux États-Unis. https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/economie/quebec/201810/18/01-5200809-une-innovation-quebecoise-a-lassaut-de-larmee-americaine.php