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The search for ever-lower emission technology for future generations of aircraft engines is actively progressing on both sides of the Atlantic. Tucked away on a modest-size stand at this year’s Farnborough International Airshow was a highly varied collection of unconventional engine technology displays – a clear indication of radical innovation already being investigated as a part of Ultimate, the European Horizon 2020 research and innovation project.

To ensure safe aircraft takeoffs and landings, one of the most vital areas to inspect for possible fatigue cracking and heat damage is the wheel bead seat. Comprehensive examination of this critical area, where the rubber edge of a tire contacts the wheel, requires having the right wheel inspection equipment on hand for the job – and not all maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities do.

Houston-based HTX Labs, LLC was awarded with Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II funding to continue adapting its EMPACT Virtual Reality (VR) platform for the United States Air Force’s Pilot Training Next program. The U.S. Air Force intends to use EMPACT to fast-track the creation of highly immersive VR simulations to accelerate pilot training.

Boeing officials are expanding the company’s use of Siemens’ Mentor Graphics software as part of its Second Century Enterprise Systems (2CES) initiative, an effort to transform the company and aerospace industry to meet future challenges and achieve maximum value from end-to-end integration of supply chain, manufacturing, engineering, product support, and more. Boeing is harnessing a set of Siemens technologies to enable the next generation of design and manufacturing through increased automation and digitalization.

SAE International in Warrendale, Pa., has published AS13006: Process Control Methods, a new standard with guidance material to support specific aerospace engine applications, with a focus on the practical application of control methods for many different situations, to improve process control, process capability, and product quality, benefiting both the organization applying it and its customers.

Demand for high-performance plastics (HPPs) is up across the aerospace industry, driven by such key trends as growing performance requirements, increased use of additive manufacturing or 3D printing, supply chain globalization, and tightening environmental regulations. Growing passenger traffic coupled with the need to reduce emissions – being accomplished through lightweighting, engine downsizing, and vehicle electrification – present opportunities for HPPs, research analysts at Frost & Sullivan in San Antonio, Texas, explain.

PTN has now evolved into an open call to individuals with backgrounds in aerospace, education, and technology to submit goal training solutions ranging from new ideas to highly-mature solutions that could help the USAF facilitate pilot training.

Officials at SAE International in Warrendale, Pa., and Airlines for America (A4A) in Washington are recognizing Karsten Kaiser of Lufthansa Technik and Michael Ernst of subsidiary 3D.aero for furthering the science and efficacy of nondestructive testing (NDT), having presented them with the 16th annual Nondestructive Testing (NDT) Innovation Award at A4A’s annual NDT Forum last week in Seattle.

Benjamin Franklin Jones III, an SAE committee member and recent centenarian spoke with SAE International and reflected on his career and contributions to the society of mobility engineering at large. His notable experiences include helping to develop the first space suit for the Mercury and Apollo astronauts.

Software has transformed every operational asset of everything in life; artificial intelligence (AI) will have as big an impact on life, predicts Mark Roboff, vice president, aerospace and automotive at SparkCognition during the 2018 SAE Aerospace Standards Summit at LMI in McLean, Va.

The SORA-P60 uses Cepton’s Micro-Motion Technology (MMT) to achieve an industry leading 1,200 scan lines per second, to provide accurate 3D scans and to enable automated classification of objects and volumetric scanning. The sensor is currently installed at an undisclosed highway tolling facility in the United States.

Shape the future of flight while competing for a share of $1.8 million in prizes. SAE International, an organizational partner of the Boeing-sponsored GoFly Prize international competition, invites innovators to build a personal flying device with the potential to change the future of mobility.

As the complexity of aircraft rises, it’s becoming more difficult to ensure that all the mechanical and electrical elements work together well. More and more companies are establishing data management schemes that enable design and manufacturing engineers to work more closely together.

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.

The China Automotive Technology and Research Center Co., Ltd. (CATARC), TÜV SÜD Group, and Shanghai SH Intelligent Automotive and International Transportation Innovation Center (ITIC) have joined with SAE International to establish the International Alliance for Mobility Testing and Standardization (IAMTS).

Officials and engineers at Boeing in Seattle are offering a glimpse into their vision for hypersonic air travel. They have released, for the first time, images of one of the company’s hypersonic air vehicle concepts for potential military and commercial passenger transport.

A cowling, or engine cover, is a critical airframe component that reduces drag and directing airflow into the engine. For the E-8C JSTARS, an aircraft with four massive Pratt and Whitney JT3D-based TF33-102C turbofan engines, each set of engine cowling components can cost up to $80,000 per set. Even a slightly warped cowling renders the entire housing unsafe and unserviceable.

In contrast to the stiff, rigid wings found on most commercial aircraft, flexible wing technology is considered essential to next generation, fuel efficient aircraft. However, flexible wings are susceptible to “flutter,” or highly destructive aeroelastic instability. To better understand and mitigate flutter, engineers at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) equipped the X-56 with fiber optic sensing (FOS) technology.

Continental Aerospace Technologies is partnering with Diamond Aircraft Industries GmbH of Austria to provide a new powerplant for the DA50 general aviation aircraft. Continental also recently expanded its portfolio with a “cash and in-kind contribution” investment in Ampaire Inc., an electric aircraft and propulsion company.

While the pandemic continues, aerospace companies are rising to embrace new and emerging challenges at a time when there’s so much innovation. This innovation can be seen in the emergence of urban air mobility (UAM), the rebirth of supersonic flight, the drive towards a “zero emission” aircraft, and the continued use of autonomous drones for delivery, freight, search & rescue, and defense. There are exciting new developments in space as companies are developing products for commercial exploration and space tourism, and new ways to launch satellites. A new generation of engineering is also emerging in the defense sector and its development of not only aircraft, but also ships, tankers, and even flight trainers.