Hypersonic projectiles are sometimes launched using a castellated sabot which links with matching cavities in the missile. After launch and the removal of the sabot the boundary layer over the vehicle flows past these cavities which act as a kind of roughness. Experiments were made to discover the effect of this ‘roughness’ on the flow over a flap or flare placed downstream of the cavities. Tests were made with both laminar and turbulent boundary layers, the turbulent flow being induced by vortex generators placed near the nose of the models.

This paper reviews the requirements of the AHS human-powered helicopter (HPH) competition and discusses the feasibility of such a helicopter. Analysis is carried out with modified forms of the axial momentum theory to take into account the ground effect. Descent in autorotation is also considered. The main conclusions are: human-powered hover out of ground effect is not possible; the power loading decreases with the number of pedaling crew members; hover in ground effect significantly increases the rotor thrust at given power; the HPH operates in the vortex ring state; in principle, either altitude or endurance records can be reached for the AHS contest, but not both, due to insufficient power.

Integrated engine management (IEM) is a technique for unifying and improving the control and health monitoring of gas turbine aeroengines by increasing the quality and quantity of information available about the engine's health and performance. The core of the system is a real-time engine simulation whose outputs are compared continuously with those of the real engine. Any differences between the predicted and measured outputs are attributed to inaccuracy in the simulation's component performance parameters (such as the compressor efficiencies) which are continuously trimmed to make the outputs of the simulation track those of the real engine. The result is a real-time simulation whose input-output behaviour matches that of the real engine very closely.

The objective of our paper is to demonstrate the use of spectral/hp element technology in unravelling global flow instability mechanisms. Understanding these mechanisms is central to devising flow control approaches based on theoretically-founded physical principles. Global instability theory is concerned with prediction and control of linear and nonlinear disturbances developing in flows that are inhomogeneous in more than one spatial direction. As such, this theory encompasses the classic analysis of Tollmien which is valid for simple geometries of academic interest (e.g. a flat-plate) and therefore broadens the scope of this well-established but simplified methodology to include realistic problems encountered in aeronautical engineering. Compared with a direct numerical simulation approach, global instability theory can be used to explore efficiently far wider parameters ranges and deliver physical information to be used as handle for effective flow control.

Air traffic management (ATM) for commercial traffic will need to meet major challenges in the coming years. The industry is faced with many questions, for example:

• What ATM system can we realistically expect to have in 2010, 2020 and beyond?

• What safety improvements should we target for?

• What business analyses are needed to drive innovation forward?

• What are the key questions to be answered about the balance of responsibility between air and ground?

• How do we best address ‘gate-to-gate’ ATM issues?

• What are the systems architecture problems?

There is widespread and growing interest in the potential use of distributed simulation for aircrew team and collective mission training for military operations. Live flying training is becoming increasingly limited due to a combination of factors, including lack of airspace availability, environmental and security constraints, concern about consumption of aircraft flying hours and airframe life, the cost of major exercises and limited opportunities to practise co-ordination of critical multi-national NATO air missions in a representative operational environment, complete with threats. Furthermore, peace-time constraints typically preclude full operational use of electronic warfare (EW) systems, deployment of defensive aids such as chaff and flares and firing of live weapons. Data links are also extending the ‘tactical reach’ of an air package. Thus, training methods have to adapt.