Newsletter
October 2014
IN THIS ISSUE:
1
Col. Hodgkiss, US Air Force
EELV ‐ AIAA‐LA‐Las Vegas
September Dinner Meeting
2
J. Philip Barnes Presents
Regenerative Electric
Flight: October AIAA‐LA‐
Las Vegas Technical Lunch
eon Meeting
5
Future Events
To send comments or
submissions, or to purchase
advertising, please contact the
newsletter editor:
Lisa Kaspin‐Powell
LASectionnewsletter@
yahoo.com
Col. William R. Hodgkiss: U.S. Air Force Evolved
Expeditionary Launch Vehicle on a Trajectory for Success
AIAA Los Angeles‐Las Vegas Dinner Meeting, September 2014
By Rick Garcia
Co‐Chair of Membership Programs, AIAA Los Angeles‐Las Vegas Section
O
n 18 September 2014, the AIAA Los Ange‐
les‐Las Vegas Section had the honor of
hosting U.S. Air Force Col. William R. Hodgkiss,
Director of Launch Systems Directorate (Space
and Missile Systems Center [SMC], Los Angeles
Air Force Base, CA) for the monthly speaking
engagement dinner at the LAX Crowne Plaza
Hotel. This event was unique and memorable
in that it coincided with the 67th birthday of
the U.S. Air Force. The guests comprised a
unique grouping of AIAA professional, student,
industry (Microcosm, SpaceX, Boeing, and U.S. Air Force Col. William R.
Northrop Grumman) and military members. Hodgkiss. Photo: U.S. Air Force SMC
They were treated to a detailed technical pres‐ Public Affairs
entation, along with the exciting news that the
U.S. Air Force Evolved Expeditionary Launch Vehicle and new rocket engine en‐
trant programs have begun a new and competitive era of partnerships that will
greatly strengthen our position as a global leader in space.
Rick Garcia (AIAA Co‐Chair of Membership Programs, Los Angeles‐Las Vegas Sec‐
tion) gave the opening remarks, along with a formal SMC video presentation out‐
lining the mission and vision of the center, which employs over 5000 military,
civilian and contractor personnel in support of the U.S. military’s national space di‐
rectives and programs. With support from the U.S. Air Force SMC Public Affairs team
(continued on page 3)
Copyright © 2014
American Institute for
Aeronautics and Astronautics,
Los Angeles‐Las Vegas Section
Many thanks for hosting
AIAA-Los Angeles-Las Vegas Meetings!
Advertising space is available in the AIAA Los Angeles‐Las Vegas Newsletter:
Business card, quarter page, half page, and full page.
The newsletter has over 5,000 subscribers and growing.
To inquire about purchasing advertising, email Lisa Kaspin‐Powell at LASectionnewsletter@yahoo.com.
https://info.aiaa.org/Regions/Western/LA/default.aspx
Page 1
DISCOUNTS FOR NEW MEMBERS
Students who attend any of our Section events and are not yet AIAA members will receive a FREE 1‐year
AIAA student membership. In addition, new AIAA professional members who attend any of our events will
receive a $35 DISCOUNT on their membership. To obtain your membership promotion, please sign up as a
new member at the event itself by completing our membership form, or bring to us proof that you have
signed up as a new member during the month prior to the event.
We also offer a promotion for graduating students who transfer to professional membership: The first year
transition from student to professional membership is $28.75 (1/4 of the full rate).
J. Philip Barnes Presents Regenerative Electric Flight
October AIAA Los Angeles‐Las Vegas Technical Luncheon Meeting
By Gary Moir and J. Philip Barnes
Mr. Moir is Technical Chair, AIAA Los Angeles‐Las Vegas Section
J
Philip Barnes presented his independent study of elec‐
tric aircraft at the LA‐LV Section of AIAA’s Technical
Luncheon meeting on October 2, 2014. The meeting was
held at the Aerospace Corporation cafeteria in El Segundo,
CA. This was the first technical meeting to be held at that
facility, and it came off without a hitch through the efforts
of the support team, led by Marsha Weiskopf. There were
many functions that pulled together for a successful meet‐
ing and luncheon. We had over 42 attendees plus a few
unaccounted “program only” drop‐ins.
Electrical aircraft require a multidisciplinary approach.
Even those of us who drive hybrids rarely know the power
control, energy storage, and voltage amplification systems
that seamlessly transition from electric traction to gas
power to regeneration on downslopes or braking and, fi‐
nally, to friction braking. Phil discussed the schematics,
theory, efficiencies, and practical operation of multi‐phase
motor generators and their integration into motive power
systems such as the hybrid car. The same electrical system
elements could be used in light aircraft.
Phil noted the dramatic gains of electric propulsion capa‐
bilities in hybrid and electric automobiles and predicted
that “electric‐powered flight is coming soon in a big way.”
While the reduction in dependency on fossil fuels will be
a long‐term driver toward electric propulsion, immediate
applications in light aircraft could benefit from regenera‐
tion of electrical power, especially since the regeneration
capability is an inherent characteristic of hybrid electro‐
motive systems. In overall efficiency, significant improve‐
ments can be achieved by recovering the potential energy
of aircraft during descent to landing, but the capability of
extended range for self‐launched gliders is the particular
opportunity that he explored.
Electrically powered aircraft present a new set of multi‐
disciplinary optimization requirements beyond traditional
aircraft designs. Phil presented propeller designs that can
extract power from the airstream with virtually the same
efficiency. Then, he explained the motor‐generator oper‐
ation and its high voltage storage and control system. Fi‐
nally, he proposed a notional powered glider that he calls
the “RegenoSoar.”
Phil presented an alternative velocity parameter for pro‐
peller analysis. It is based on ratios of propeller rotation
speed compared to the “Betz” or “pinwheel” condition of
forward velocity and propeller rotation speed. With the
design condition helix angle and an uncambered airfoil
blade, the propeller was shown to have virtually equiva‐
lent efficiency either when thrusting or extracting power.
His application found that multiple small propellers and
blades were more efficient than larger propellers with two
blades. Theoretical efficiencies of both the propeller and
power extraction increase almost linearly as the ratio of
the prop RPM to the pinwheel RPM approaches unity, be‐
fore rapidly dropping to zero in the pinwheel condition
when no energy is being transferred. The efficiency for
both cases peaks at approximately 82%.
The electric motor transitions to an electric generator by
simply changing the voltage in the power control circuit.
When the voltage from the battery exceeds that of the motor,
(continued on page 3)
October 2014 | Page 2
Regenerative Electric Flight ‐ Technical Lunch Meeting
the current powers the system. When the power control
circuit increases the voltage from the motor‐generator,
the generated current extracts power from the propeller.
This corresponds to a phase‐angle change between volt‐
age and current from 0 to 180 degrees. Phil showed that
the theoretical efficiencies of both the motor and gener‐
ator increase almost linearly as the ratio of the generator
voltage to the battery voltage approaches unity, before
rapidly dropping to zero when the voltages are equal and
no energy is being transferred. The efficiency for the
motor peaks at approximately 78%, while the generator
peaks at approximately 82%. These curves serendipitously
have very similar shapes to the propeller‐wind mill effi‐
ciency curves.
Power control and voltage boosting were explained in‐
cluding characteristics of both the MOSFET and iGBT tran‐
sistors. Phil discussed the three phase generator/motor,
“six pack” voltage stepping, and a DC boost converter that
enable efficiency at both high power climb conditions and
moderate power cruise conditions. Some data from the
Toyota Prius were used to demonstrate the principles.
A key advantage of the electric architecture is its simplic‐
ity. Phil noted that a gallon of fuel will hold constant en‐
ergy over time, but the same volume of battery will enjoy
steady gains. The simplicity and architectural flexibility of‐
fered by the electric architecture ensure that batteries will
be substituted for fuel well before battery energy density
overtakes that of fuel.
The RegenoSoar was developed to apply this theory and
available hardware. After defining parameters of soaring
and regenerative flight in a separate published paper, a
Regenerative Electric Flight Equation (REFE) was pre‐
sented and evaluated for typical soaring conditions. En‐
ergy optimization of the sailplane in a thermal was
discussed, with applications for power generation in ridge
lift or descent.
This is the second technical lunch program that Phil has
presented for our AIAA Section. The previous presenta‐
tion, titled “How Flies the Albatross,” has been called a
"landmark" paper for clearly explaining how the wander‐
ing albatross uses its dynamic soaring technique to remain
aloft indefinitely on shoulder‐locked wings even over a
waveless sea. Whereas the albatross extracts energy by
intelligent maneuvering in a vertical gradient of horizontal
wind, a regen electric aircraft extracts energy from relative
vertical motion in the atmosphere. Such includes ther‐
mals, ridge lift, wave lift, and final descent. Regeneration
for descent steepens the approach, a capability much de‐
sired at selected airports. Overall, a regen is coming soon
to an airport near you!
J. Philip Barnes has a Master’s Degree in Aerospace
Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona and a Bachelor’s
Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University
of Arizona. He has 33 years of experience in the per‐
formance analysis and computer modeling of aero‐
space vehicles and subsystems at Northrop Grumman.
Phil has authored diverse technical papers on orbital
mechanics, aerodynamics, gears, and “How Flies the
Albatross.”
U.S. Air Force Col. William R. Hodgkiss, AIAA LA‐LV Dinner Meeting
and Christiana Taylor (Co‐Chair of Programs, AIAA Los An‐
geles‐Las Vegas Section), the event gave AIAA members,
industry and students a first‐hand look into the inner
workings of the U.S. Air Force acquisitions process and
launch systems technological baseline.
The closing events involved live camera interviews by the
U.S. Air Force SMC Public Affairs team to highlight AIAA
key leadership, Dr Nicola Sarzi‐Amade (Chairman, AIAA‐
Los Angeles‐Las Vegas Section), Dr. Seth Potter (the Sec‐
tion’s Acting Secretary) and the synergy that brought this
amazing community together for an amazing event. Such
(continued from page 2)
(continued from page 1)
events not only provide an important view of how the U.S.
Air Force acquires its emerging space assets, but also pro‐
vide the key intellectual capital in bringing together the
local space community that is unique to the Southern Cal‐
ifornia region. Ultimately, events such as this underscore
the importance of organizations such as AIAA as the prime
model for success in connecting with local, national, de‐
fense, corporate personnel and technologies within the
space industry.
October 2014 | Page 3
The AIAA Los Angeles-Las Vegas Section is proud to be a Supporting Organization
for the Additive Adoption for Aerospace Summit, November 4-6, 2014 in Los Angeles, CA.
Registration and tuition will be available in mid-August.
Current AIAA Technical Committees
Adaptive Structures
Economics
Liquid Propulsion
Solid Rockets
Aeroacoustics
Electric Propulsion
Management
Space Architecture
Aerodynamic Decelerator
Systems
Energetic Components and
Systems
Materials
Space Automation and Robotics
Space Colonization
Aerodynamic Measurement
Technology
Flight Testing
Meshing, Visualization and
Computational Environments
Aerospace Power Systems
Air Breathing Propulsion
Systems Integration
Air Transportation Systems
Aircraft Design
Aircraft Operations
Fluid Dynamics
Gas Turbine Engines
General Aviation
Ground Testing
Guidance, Navigation
and Control
Applied Aerodynamics
High Speed Air Breathing
Propulsion
Astrodynamics
History
Atmospheric and Space
Environments
Hybrid Rockets
Atmospheric Flight Mechanics
Information and Command and
Control Systems
Balloon Systems
Intelligent Systems
Communications Systems
Computer Systems
Legal Aspects of Aeronautics
and Astronautics
Design Engineering
Life Sciences and Systems
Digital Avionics
Lighter-Than-Air Systems
Microgravity and Space
Processes
Missile Systems
Modeling and Simulation
Multidisciplinary Design
Optimization
Space Logistics
Space Operations and Support
Space Resources
Space Systems
Space Tethers
Space Transportation
Non-Deterministic Approaches
Spacecraft Structures
Nuclear and Future Flight
Propulsion
Structural Dynamics
Plasmadynamics and Lasers
Survivability
Product Support
Systems Engineering
Propellants and Combustion
Terrestrial Energy Systems
Sensor Systems and
Information Fusion
Thermophysics
V/STOL Aircraft Systems
Weapon System Effectiveness
Small Satellite
Structures
Society and Aerospace
Technology
Software
October 2014 | Page 4
Future Events
Thursday, October 30, 6:00 pm‐9:00 pm. AIAA LA‐Las Vegas Enterprise Program. “Affordable Space; A New Para‐
digm.” Speaker: Chet Richards. RSVP by October 29, 6:00 pm. Northrop‐Grumman, 1 Space Park, S Cafe, Redondo
Beach, CA 90278. Nearest intersection is Simon Ramo Drive at Marine Ave. Parking is free. Attendance fee: $12
regular, $6 students. Light refreshments served. Agenda: 6:00‐6:30 pm. Sign‐in, network, refresh yourself, and
hear general announcements. 6:30 ‐ 7:30 pm. Presentation by Chet Richards. 7:30 ‐ 8:30 pm. Q&A, wrap up and
discussion. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/affordable‐space‐a‐new‐paradigm‐tickets‐13492352991
Tuesday, November 4, 2000 hrs Eastern. Abstract submission closes for the AIAA Defense and Security Forum (AIAA
DEFENSE 2015) March 10‐12, 2015, Laurel, MD. This SECRET/U.S. ONLY forum features classified and unclassified
discussion of technical, programmatic, and policy issues pertaining to aerospace in U.S. national security. Author
Notification Letters Sent: December 15, 2014. Final Presentation Deadline: February 16, 2015, 2000 hrs Eastern.
To submit an abstract, visit http://www.aiaa‐defense.org/default.aspx?utm_source=PIC and Past
Attendees&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DL ‐ Defense CFP %235 ‐ Thomson R
Check back for information on registration for the conference.
November 3‐6. Additive Aerospace 2014. DoubleTree by Hilton Los Angeles Downtown. Register now! Use the
code 147414 for a 15% discount on registration.
http://www.informationforecastnet.com/events/add‐
aero/registration/?utm_source=BottomReg&utm_medium=AddAero0902‐2&utm_campaign=2014Conferences
The 12th ReInventing Space Conference, organised this year by the British Interplanetary Society, will take place
in London, UK between Tuesday 18 ‐ Thursday 20 November 2014. A record number of abstracts were submitted,
leading to an event of outstanding quality. Click http://www.rispace.org/index.html for more information. Click
http://www.rispace.org/register.html to register.
Thursday, November 20, 5:30 pm‐8:30 pm. AIAA LA‐Las Vegas Dinner Meeting. The Space Flight Experience.
Speaker: Carl Meade (astronaut, explorer, test pilot, recipient of the U. S. Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross,
Director of Space Exploration Systems at Northrop Grumman). 5:30 pm ‐ 6:30 pm Event Check‐in and Networking
Reception with Cash Bar, 6:30 pm ‐ 7:30 pm Dinner, 7:30 pm ‐ 8:00 pm Awards, 8:00 pm ‐ 9:30 pm Presentations
and Q&A, 9:30 pm ‐ 10:30 pm Book Signing. Crowne Plaza Hotel, LAX, 5985 West Century Boulevard, Los Angeles,
CA 90045. Complimentary Self Parking ‐ bring your parking ticket to be validated. REGISTRATION FEES: $45.00 ‐
AIAA Member, $55.00 ‐ Regular, $35.00 ‐ Students, $15.00 ‐ Presentation Only, No Meal. Please see Page 2 for dis‐
counts on becoming an AIAA member by attending events. For registration, visit
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aiaa‐november‐dinner‐meeting‐with‐astronaut‐carl‐meade‐tickets‐12921028143
UCLA Extension Spring Courses
Spring enrollment for UCLA Extension Engineering courses is now open. In addition, classes are being offered in areas
such as Integrated Circuit Design, Manufacturing, Digital Signal Processing, Communication Systems and Lean Six Sigma.
For the general engineering flyer for a list of current programs and further details on how to enroll, click
https://info.aiaa.org/Regions/Western/LA/Lists/Announcements/Attachments/215/General%20Engineering%20Flyer.pdf
For a flyer for the Astronautical Engineering Space Mission Systems Engineering course required for UCLA Exten‐
sion’s Certificate program, click
https://info.aiaa.org/Regions/Western/LA/Lists/Announcements/Attachments/215/
Space%20Mission%20Systems%20Engineering[1].pdf
For those who would like to take a shorter course in a more specialized area, UCLA Extension Engineering offers
public short courses that may be of interest. Please follow the link below for more details.
Communications & Sensors Engineering
1. DSP for Communication Systems
Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering
1. Kalman Filtering: Theory and Applications
2. Aerospace Composite Materials
Public Short Course Website: https://www.uclaextension.edu/shortcourses/Pages/courses.aspx
October 2014 | Page 5