Connected aircraft means more than just in-flight movies, free texting, and Facebook posting with friends while in flight. In fact, the connected aircraft revolutionizes airline operations, dramatically improving fleet management, flight safety, passenger experience, maintenance, flight operations, aircraft turnaround time, and costs. For aircraft operators, connectivity presents a new set of operational benefits that were previously unavailable.
The Global 7500 business jet from Bombardier Inc. in Montreal appears to be on the fast track to entering service, thanks in large part to high-tech engineering design, simulation, and test tools. Bombardier engineers and officials are crediting the program’s extensive use of proven engineering tools, digital simulation, innovative ground testing systems for helping to ensure: a mature aircraft at the start of flight testing, an efficient flight validation program, test aircraft that exceed original performance goals, and completion of one lifetime of simulated flights, which exceeds the requirements at time of certification.
Standards development teams at SAE International in Warrendale, Pa., have issued 11 new technical documents and revised or reaffirmed another 54 technical reports focused on mobility engineering across the aerospace, automotive, and commercial transportation communities. The new documents, issued throughout June 2018, cover a variety of technical subject areas, including: diagnostic link connector security, mitigation strategies against illumination effects, data dictionary for quantities used in cyber physical exams, requirements for production of metal powder feedstock for use in additive manufacturing of aerospace parts, and laser powder bed fusion process.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. is using an integrated fuel tank structure to maximize fuel offload for the company’s proposed MQ-25 design for the U.S. Navy. The Navy plans to deploy one of three potential MQ-25 designs by the early- to mid-2020s.
Girish Parvate-Patil, works for Caterpillar Inc. as an Engineering Team Leader on marine propulsion systems. He is accountable for overall leadership and direction on engineering-related activities of marine products with respect to supply chain, design, documentation, time, and cost.
The increased use of humidity-control and anti-condensation systems help to prevent moisture problems in aircraft and to enhance the in-flight comfort of crew and passengers.
Aerospace systems, subsystems, and components must continue to operate as intended when exposed to fire, rather than going up in flames and ceasing to work altogether. Fire and flammability testing is an all-important prerequisite to airworthiness, and the focus of a new technical standards committee that SAE International in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, is forming in response to a request from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials in Washington.
Edited and co-written by Dr. Pascal Thalin, chair of SAE International’s Electric Aircraft Steering Group, Fundamentals of Electric Aircraft provides deep insight into the aircraft electrification paradigm shift currently cutting across various aircraft segments through tangible case studies from general aviation to commercial fleets.
In reviewing Obama-era vehicle-emissions standards dictated aggressive fuel-economy standards for the years 2022-2025, the U.S. EPA said that in light of current market conditions and consumer preferences, the regulations should be revised.
The Merritt Synergy system from J.R. Merritt Controls is engineered for continuous use in a variety of machine and industrial cabin applications from cab-operated cranes and mining dredges to drills and maintenance-of-way equipment.
An ultralight door architecture nets a 42.5% weight savings compared to a current production door, and that's enough to put this lightweight concept, developed via collaboration, in an enviable position.
Engineers at Boeing and NASA are collaborating on a lightweight, ultra-thin Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) concept, designed to be more aerodynamic and fuel efficient than current designs, as part of the Subsonic Ultra Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) program focusing on innovative aerospace concepts that reduce noise and emissions while enhancing performance.
The Lockheed C-130H Hercules fleet operated by the Air National Guard and U.S. Air Force Reserve is getting new Collins Aerospace Systems avionics that will help extend the life of the legacy aircraft by 20 years.
Bye Aerospace is looking at OXIS Energy Ltd.’s lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery cell technology to power its future aircraft and air-taxi or “urban air mobility” (UAM) designs. The companies are launching the initial phase of an advanced, high-voltage, lightweight Li-S battery pack development program for aerospace applications.
Two members of DCS Corp – Mark Wilkins and Finley Barfield – won the highly distinguished Robert J. Collier Trophy by the National Aeronautic Association for their work on the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS) team.
Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. of Stans, Switzerland has awarded a long-term multi-year contract to Abu Dhabi-based Rockford Xellerix for the assembly of wire looms and cable harnesses for the Pilatus PC-24 light business jet.
Technology transfer and collaboration continue to grow globally among mobility engineering professionals focused on aerospace and automotive applications. Cross-industry partnerships received a boost this week, as Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Toyota Motor Corp. officials announced increased cooperation on unmanned, electrified, and automated rovers for space exploration.
SAE International in Warrendale, Pa., is inviting members of the mobility engineering community to participate in the SAE Additive Manufacturing Webinar: Considerations When Integrating Additive Manufacturing into Aerospace and Ground Vehicle Development and Production Environments on Thursday, August 16, 2018 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT.
Later this month, Dassault Aviation SA and Airbus SE will begin work on a first-ever joint concept study (JCS) to develop a new highly capable, manned “New Generation Fighter” (NGF) aircraft for France and Germany’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program. The aircraft concept is currently categorized as a “sixth-generation” fighter.