PREDICTING CORROSION WILL EASE MAINTENANCE
STRUCTURE An aircraft corrosion prognostic health management system under development by BAE Systems Australia is part of the latest round of Canberra's Capability and Technology Demonstrator (CTD) programme, which provides industry with a platform to demonstrate new ideas to the Department of Defence. Providing an automatic and continuous assessment of airframe health, the system could replace costly inspections that cause significant aircraft downtime, says the Defence and Science Technology Organisation, which runs the CTD programme. The BAE system is one of eight proposals selected for the latest funding round.
dsto.defence.gov.au
COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS FOR QUIETER HELICOPTERS
SIMULATION With helicopter and engine manufacturers making greater use of aero-acoustic simulations to predict and reduce noise, New Jersey-based software company Intelligent Light has received a two-year NASA contract to advance development of its rotorcraft computational aero-acoustics post-processing system, RCAAPS. Using distributed computing systems, RCAAPS will enable efficient post-processing of complex aero-acoustic computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations involving more than 10 terabytes of data. Helicopter manufacturers Bell and Sikorksy are supporting the project, according to Intelligent Light, which says engine manufacturers are also using CFD data to predict aero-acoustic behaviour.
ilight.com
AIRSHIP TO DEMONSTRATE NO-BALLAST FLIGHT
BUOYANCY Worldwide Aeros is to demonstrate ballast-free operation of an airship under a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency contract to flight test its Control of Static Heaviness (COSH) buoyancy management system. COSH compresses and decompresses stored helium to control buoyancy without the use of ballast. The system is part of the Los Angeles-based company's Aeroscraft design for a hybrid rigid airship combining buoyant, aerodynamic and propulsive lift. A COSH prototype will be flight tested in 2008 in an Aeros 40D non-rigid airship.
aerosml.com
FUEL-CELL UAV GOES THE DISTANCE
UNMANNED A hydrogen fuel cell supplied by Singapore's Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies has powered a mini-unmanned air vehicle to a new distance record for hand-launched UAVs. Developed by California State University of Los Angeles and Oklahoma State University, the propeller-powered Pterosoar UAV flew 128km (69nm) using 25% of the pressurised hydrogen on board. An attempt to set an endurance record for mini-UAVs is planned with a flight exceeding 15.5h.
horizonfuelcell.com
SOLAR 'ALPHA' TO FLY THROUGH THE NIGHT
SUN POWER The Swiss-based Solar Impulse team planning a round-the-world solar-powered flight in 2011 has begun building a prototype to demonstrate a complete day-night-day cycle in 2009. Weighing 1,500kg (3,300lb) and powered by four 10hp (7.5kW) electric motors, the 61m (200ft)-span prototype Solar Impulse Alpha is expected to fly in the fourth quarter of 2008 and complete a 36h flight in 2009 to demonstrate the ability to fly through the night without fuel.
solarimpulse.com
Source: Flight International
