Galileo: UK plan to launch rival to EU sat-nav system

The UK is considering plans to launch a satellite-navigation system as a rival to the EU's Galileo project.

The move comes after the UK was told it would be shut out of key elements of the programme after Brexit.

The UK has spent 1,4bn euros (£1.2bn) on Galileo, which is meant to be Europe's answer to the US GPS system.

Business Secretary Greg Clark is taking legal advice on whether the UK can reclaim the cash, according to the Financial Times.

• UK anger over EU threat to Galileo role

He told BBC News: "The UK's preference is to remain in Galileo as part of a strong security partnership with Europe.

"If Galileo no longer meets our security requirements and UK industry cannot compete on a fair basis, it is logical to look at alternatives."

The row centres around whether the UK can continue to be trusted with the EU's most sensitive sensitive security information after Brexit.

The UK's armed forces were planning to use Galileo to supplement their use of the US GPS system, but press reports suggest they will now be blocked from doing so. The US retains the more accurate and robust GPS signals for its own armed forces.

Graham Turnock, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said early feasibility work was under way into a UK system, which he said would cost a "lot less" than Galileo, thanks to work already done and "British know-how and ingenuity".

Asked by the BBC's Science Correspondent Jonathan Amos if it could be as much as £5bn, he said "tops".

And he warned that excluding the UK from Galileo could set the European programme back years and cost the EU billions more in development costs.

"We still think there is a 'win win' to be had here if the European Commission and the EU 27 change their minds.

"But at the moment they appear to be set on excluding the UK from industrial participation in the programme."

He said the UK had "a lot of the capability that would be needed for a sat-nav system because we developed them as part of our role in Galileo".

"We cannot launch yet, although obviously we are trying to address that, but this is something we think is in the realm of the credible," he added.

The pan-European aerospace giant Airbus has been a major player in Galileo's development. And in the UK, Airbus currently controls the satellites in the sky - satellites that were also assembled by its subsidiary Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd in Guildford.

While Airbus will be able to continue working on Galileo at its continental centres whatever the outcome of the present row, the company said its UK wing stood ready to assist in building a British sat-nav system if asked.

"If the UK opts for its own satellite-navigation system then Airbus's space operations in the UK has the skills and expertise to lead the development of it," Andrew Stroomer, a senior British executive in Airbus, told the BBC.

Europe's Galileo system

Image copyright ESA

Image caption Artwork: Galileo satellites are now launching on Europe's premier rocket, the Ariane 5

• A project of the European Commission and the European Space Agency
• 24 satellites constitute a full system but it will have six spares in orbit also
• Due to come online in 2020 - 12 years later than originally planned
• Original budget was 3bn euros but now seems set to cost more than three times that
• Spacecraft have been launched in batches of two, but now go four at a time
• Will work alongside the US-owned GPS and Russian Glonass systems
• Promises eventual real-time positioning down to a metre or less

Greg Clark warned that the European Commission's actions could threaten defence and security co-operation with Britain after it has left the EU.

He is understood to be preparing to block the procurement of the next batch of Galileo satellites at a meeting of the European Space Agency council in Berlin, as part of fightback against the EU decision.

"We've been clear that we do not accept the Commission's position and have called for a three-month procurement freeze and a clear commitment from the Commission that UK industry continues to be eligible to apply for all Galileo contracts on a fair and open basis," said the business secretary.

Officials are also looking into whether the UK could refuse the EU access to ground stations in two British overseas territories - the Falkland Islands and the Ascension Islands.

A Look Inside the Amazing Hot Rod Collection of Racer-Turned-Rodder Paul Gommi

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Spirited.

Growing up on the East Coast, Paul Gommi wasn't predestined to experience a truly intense gearhead life. He started out painting and studying fine art, following in his dad's footsteps. The elder Gommi, an artist as well, learned photography during World War II, taking epic pictures of military battles at sea before turning into an acclaimed professional photographer. He specialized in food photography for advertisement.

Like many kids in the 1950s and '60s, Paul came to appreciate cars, which led him to become a drag racer, starting with a small Austin Bantam roadster and quickly progressing to Top Fuel. He won no less than 30 meets at Eastern dragstrips in 1963-1964.

Building some road racing Lotus/Ford engines for a friend led to Paul getting a call from Carroll Shelby. He wanted Paul to build V8s for his Trans-Am Mustangs and to develop engines for the GT40s raced at Le Mans. After the Le Mans wins, Keith Black hired him to develop the 426ci engine for drag and boat racing; but he also built motors for the Miss Chrysler Crew, the Hawaiian dragsters, the Super Chief Funny Car, and more. Other notable accomplishments include designing the first three-disc clutch, the bottom oiler, and running the first fullsize rear wing on a dragster.

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We also owe to him the first successful rear-engine dragster on the West Coast. That rail set track records at Irwindale, Seattle, Orange County International Raceway, and Lions. One of the most unusual pieces of engineering he created was a rear-engine rail with dual blowers. It performed very well during the first tests; so much so that the NHRA decided to ban it, supposedly because the setup was "too dangerous," a claim that Paul rebuffs to this day.

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From 1974 until 1986, he owned an advertising agency that was based in an office located behind his house, which is now part of his large garage. He handled customers well known within the performance industry, such as Comp Cams, TCI Automotive, Nitrous Oxide Systems (NOS), Venolia, and Simpson.

Through the 1970s and '80s, Paul began chasing old race cars, eventually stumbling upon the ex-Ike Iacono Ford Model A roadster that he campaigned with friends, using a flathead V8. He also located the heavily chopped '34 Bonneville coupe raced by Don Ferguson in the 1940s. The plan was to compete again on the salt with it; but it did not happen as the event was rained out two years in a row. Eventually, his successful advertising enterprise allowed him to retire in 1986, and he soon got busy competitively running a Nostalgia Top Fuel dragster. But a spectacular crash at Famoso Raceway in 1993, when a pinion shaft broke at 180 mph, ended his career as a pilot.

The accident did not stop him from playing with cars—far from it. Paul focused his attention on hot rods, with a keen eye to aesthetics. Being an accomplished painter/artist gave him a unique perspective on the hobby. He realized machines can be built into art, though they should remain fully functional. He also believes beauty evolves from the graceful lines found in nature, with no sharp angles.

Case in point: Paul's well-known orange '34 Cabriolet. The goal for this project was to improve on its function and good looks, without using (visually) anything that would not have been available from 1930 until 1940. As an artist, he noticed the louvers on the hood sides made the vehicle appear shorter and taller; so, he chose to adapt horizontal '36 Ford vents. There are many other visual details made to enhance the car's lines, including the lack of rubber on the running boards or the spare wheel installed closer to the body.

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His passion for old Fords also inspired Paul to restore some of the rarest early V8 models to their factory stock appearance. Among them are several Dearborn Award Winners, such as a '34 roadster pickup (only 14 were made) and the first '33 prototype car, the roadster designed by Edsel Ford and E.T. Gregory. All these "stockers" have found new owners since; but his home garage, located near the port of Long Beach, still houses a few fantastic hot rods. The '34 Cabriolet mentioned earlier, equipped with a license plate reading "WAWEWER" (Way We Were) is part of the fleet, along with his amazing 301A '32 roadster, detailed in our sidebar.

Another desirable Deuce is the green panel delivery that was used by a company called Paul's Appliance Service (no relation) until 1967. He bought it in the early 1970s and drove it daily for years, adding several hard-to-find goodies, including the Pines Winterfront grille. Motivation comes from a '49 Ford flathead V8 fitted with Stromberg carbs, an Isky cam, and Offenhauser heads. Note the '41 Ford truck headlights.

The fourth car sitting in Paul's shrine is an original paint '33 Ford tudor. This project will receive a supercharged stroker 24-stud flathead with a cam of Gommi's own design, along with a host of other unique improvements. Incidentally, the sedan has taken the spot of his famous black Deuce Ford phaeton that he entered in the 2014 Grand National Roadster Show but sold afterward, a move he regrets to this day. Paul spent 6,000 hours on this build, inspired by the 1940s and early '50s hot rods. It features a ton of rare components: '32 Pines Winterfront grille, 25-louver hood, '32 Auburn dash panel, '49 S.Co.T. supercharger, and more.

As you can see from the pictures, the four-car garage is well equipped, while the adjacent room is now used for parts storage and component assembly. Except for a few modern tools, everything here is period correct, including a Kwik-Way valve-grinding machine and vintage enamel signs. One wall has an impressive display of desirable components, such as '32 grilles. Paul loves to tinker with flathead V8s (always his engine of choice), which explains why you will see three of them in the photos. He has loads of parts neatly organized in bins to complete his projects. A couple of glass cases are home to photos of his former race and show winners, along with numerous trophies he has won over the decades.

As a true hot rodder, Paul spends many hours in his garage. We certainly can't blame him, considering his selection of cars and parts. Talk about a great way to enjoy your retirement years!

Ever Evolving

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Longtime Deluxe readers might remember this '32 roadster, which graced our pages almost a decade ago ("Built to Drive," May 2009). Helped with atypical parts from Paul's stash, the vehicle is constantly evolving, hence we decided to take another look at it.

A group of G.I.s built it on a budget in 1947, as they wanted to go dry lakes racing, leading to a top speed of 129 mph at El Mirage two years later. It also participated in the first Hot Rod Exposition at the Los Angeles Armory in 1948. The team went their separate ways in 1952, and the car ended up in a storage building for decades until Paul found the hulk and revived it. The current 231ci 21-stud flathead powerplant runs a S.Co.T. supercharger with custom pulleys, plus dual Strombergs topped with uncommon filters made on the East Coast. Paul is now assembling a 290ci 24-stud V8 with a 4-71 supercharger, planned to be ready for the October 2018 RPM Nationals.

As you can see from the pictures, he picked a handful of rare parts from his collection to dress the roadster: a radiator cap cast from a $25,000 Lalique crystal cap, 18- and 20-inch Chrysler high-clearance wheels, a '32 Chrysler gauge cluster, Philco radio control head (linked to a modern FM radio behind the dash and complemented with drive-in speakers), and a supercharger boost gauge from a WWII plane. Best of all, Paul does not hesitate to cruise in his old roadster anywhere and everywhere.

What's Killing the West Coast's Young Great White Sharks?

A great white shark swims in clear water off Guadalupe Island.

Two of the ocean's biggest predators—sharks and humans—are at odds with each other in southern California.

A new study in the Journal of Applied Ecology found that fishing was the greatest cause of death for juvenile great white sharks off the western coasts of Southern California and Mexico. From 2002 to 2016, researchers tagged 37 sharks with satellite tags that remotely sent information about each shark, such as its location and temperature. Of the sharks they observed during this time period, only two died “natural” deaths: one was preyed upon and the other's death was inconclusive.

John Benson, an ecologist now at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, conducted research with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to quantify exactly how young sharks were dying in the northeast Pacific. He suspected fishing had been a major cause of death for this species, but he was aware of no exact estimates that showed just how often juveniles were becoming bycatch.

Bycatch refers to the animals fishers catch incidentally while fishing for a different species. For example, if a fishing boat catches shark while fishing for swordfish, the shark is considered to be bycatch.

Most of the sharks that died from accidental fishing were hooking by drift gillnets, a controversial type of fishing method that often indiscriminately catches whatever swims in its way. Drift gillnets can be spread a mile long and hang as much as 100 feet deep. Sharks die when they get entangled and can't escape. Both California and Mexico protect sharks from intentional capture, but gillnets are still allowed for catching non-protected species like swordfish.

“It's certainly fair to say that human fishing is a major threat, probably the biggest threat causing [shark population] declines around the world,” says Benson.

Sharks in the Water

In recent years, great white shark sightings have increased off the coast of Southern California. After suffering population declines for centuries, stricter protections have turned the decline around, and sharks are showing some signs of rebounding.

But whether or not sharks will increasingly become bycatch as their numbers rise is unclear, says Benson. He notes that fishing presents one of the greatest threats to sharks on a global scale, especially in waters that are less highly policed than the U.S. or Mexico.

“The population trends have been a very elusive thing for us to understand,” he says, but adds that this new study will be an important building block for helping quantify how many sharks are heading for Southern California. “Hopefully this is a step toward making that less of mystery.” 

What Can Be Done?

“In terms of reducing white shark mortality, avoiding setting nets close to shore and checking them frequently appear to be the best practices,” Chris Lowe, a coauthor of the paper, said in an emailed statement. (Read about the mysterious fungus killing sharks.)

“Shark bycatch is a solvable problem,” says Oceana’s marine scientist Mariah Pfleger. She recommended three ways to solve the issue: “count everything that is caught in a fishery (including animals caught accidentally as bycatch), cap the amount of wasted catch in each fishery using scientifically based limits, and control and avoid shark bycatch by making improvements such as using cleaner fishing gear and enhanced monitoring.”