Latest update is an hour long video. Basically technically detailed progress in lots of areas.
- Composites: Detail. Focus towards production. Doors. Shortly start the production moulds using lessons learned including stable ground reference (read: bolted to floor) for entire process to reduce some warping when pastes dry. Target towards perfect surface finish of main fuselage.
- Lighting clusters, including nav lights.
- Engine:
-- Overall finalising life/performance/weight design optimisation. Production techniques finalising for the difficult parts.
-- Compressor: fatigue life optimisation, finished design & sealing strategy. Redesigned stub shaft completed. First part for performance/endurance testing in engine being made next.
-- Power turbine: Cast to bladed disc finalised. New fir tree design finished. Redeveloped shroud (0.2mm clearance) including blade failure containment layers.
-- Blades: Production technique successful using inert gas blade casting instead of vacuum for turbine blades successful (lower cost). Spark erosion of fir tree instead of grinding. Tests back show process works after some tweaks to ensure no brittleness. Again much cheaper apparently.
-- Combustor: Fuel system finalised. Production tooling for roll/spin/press/laser/drill underway. Finalised fuel piping around outside of engine - apparently "modern" design more easily serviced & built. Showed how they press-roll the rings.
-- Labyrinth seals optimisations.
-- Lots of cast housing components demonstrated & simplification/weight reduction underway by an expert in that area. Design-for-manufacture review over all of these components.
-- Drivetrain/gears: components being made for the test machine.
- Rotor: modern high inertia composite design.
-- Mast/Head: Some minor info on this, but still seeking patent protection. History is last 6 month development on the cowl size. Blowing out can double entire aircraft drag if it gets too large. Looks like it'll be composite strap pack and he's got it into an "elegant package design". The early test rig will be steel strap pack, but customer machines composite strap pack. Looks like ditching the elastomeric bearing idea (?).
-- Structural dynamic design & composite design of blades. Lots of details. "Very shortly" tooling up, then producing first root end sections for the interface strength, then full blades.
- Digi cockpit update: progress onto target hardware board(s). Incorporating feedback about some instrument scans. Start integration with infotainment system.
- Some introduction to some new machines commissioned and stuff they're producing. Rotor brake disc, measurement machines to 0.8 microns, sprag clutch.
- Business park (production facility) update: pretty confident about progress & plan B, C, D,.... In-house lawyer on top of it all, plus have legal positions setup once flying ops start. Noise assessments being done by the Gatwick guy who sits on all the noise committees.
- Production engineering: details on progress using production engineer specialists. eg automation, logistics, factory layout, assembly line production & layout. etc.
- CAA inspection next week for design/production organisational approval & groundwork towards certification for HC50.
- Starter generator optimisation & should have one on test stand shortly.