Former Italian air force colonel and Space Shuttle astronaut Maurizio Cheli’s feet have barely hit the ground since he retired as chief test pilot for Alenia Aermacchi on the Eurofighter Typhoon in 2007.
Turin-based Cheli, a member of the Torino Piemonte Aerospace cluster, is behind a series of aviation start-ups, including DigiSky – which integrates sensor technology into light aircraft, and in 2009 also developed an ‘eco-friendly’ experimental electrically powered ultralight.
Another of his companies, CFM Air, has designed an ultralight with what he calls a “stylish Italian touch”, entitled Dardo. After showing the aircraft at this year’s Aero Friedrichshafen, CFM Air hopes to build “seven or eight” a year.
A spin-off from DigiSky, entitled Eye4Flight, is an eyewear-based low-cost head-up display, similar to Google Glass, aimed at recreational pilots.
Although most of his products are at prototype stage, Cheli has high hopes for them. The sensor technology SmartBay from DigiSki, has been fitted to a Tecnam P92 demonstrator and allows the aircraft to “fulfil the task of a UAV”. He adds: “We are in final negotiations with one customer and have two additional potential customers.”
Source: Flight International
