World AirNews June 2018

NEWS DIGITAL
NEWS DIGITAL
thing from missile-lock technology on fighter jets to seatbelt light
activations on Boeing 737s,” Rombouts proudly stated. “I’ve been
at Belgium Campus for almost twenty years now and we all truly
believe that bright minds thrive best when offered the space in
which to create. That’s why we’ve constructed physical innovation
spaces called ‘Learning Factories’. Here, our students are given the
space and tools to take their ideas from prototype to marketplace,
and this is a key focus for us in 2018.”
INNOVATION IS A DRIVER
The South African general aviation market is extremely small
compared with the world leaders like United States and China,
which are currently the world’s fastest growing in this segment.
That said, the Aeronautics Project focuses on airspace as a
platform for commercial and social innovation.
“The aircraft we are building is purely experimental, as general
aviation regulations prohibit modifications to certified aircraft.
Within two years, the aircraft will take off and land on its own, but
due to its size, legislation in South Africa insists a pilot needs to be
inside the cockpit,” Rombouts explained.
“One of the biggest hurdles to innovation in this sector are regulations.
In truth, there are some technological hurdles to overcome
before this vision of next-generation aviation comes to realisation,
but regulations and extremely expensive certification processes
can set innovation and reform back years, especially for start-ups
and SMEs.”
The aircraft is a thing of beauty and something to marvel. The
team showed me each component, explaining the improvements
they have developed and, of course, the impressive list of innovations
any future technologist would be proud to have developed.
The fuselage, they explained, was imported from the United
States, due mainly to its aerodynamic shape for speed and safety.
“Canard Pusher aircraft have an inherent safety advantage since
they are insusceptible to loss of control from stalls and spins,” I am
told.
“And this ‘plane we are building will push small aircraft speed
limits beyond the conventional 120km/h to 400km/h, so performance
and safety need to go hand in hand.”
Months of research were dedicated to aircraft engine performance
and a Belgian engine was flown in to meet their requirements.
The propeller originates from New Zealand, although the
glass cockpit is a proudly South African component designed and
manufactured in Stellenbosch by MGL Avionics.
They explained that they chose MGL’s cockpit particularly, because
it is an open-source system which gives them the freedom to
develop further on what is existing.
HIGH MORTALITY RATES
Rombouts, an aviator himself
with 40 years of experience,
points to the dire need for
innovation in general aviation,
namely fuel efficiency and
safety above all else.
“In an age of technology and
advancement, it is troubling
to accept that most of the
hobbyist and sport aircraft are
basically unchanged from the
models first introduced in the
early fifties.”
In the heart of the Belgium
Campus Learning Factory,
students are now focusing on
making private flight safer by
addressing one of the biggest
categories of accidents: loss of
control.
Compared to commercial
‘planes, private aircraft lack
safety features and redundancies,
including co-pilots,
backup systems for navigation
information and extra engines.
“A lot of people think
innovation is creating something
new,” Rombouts added. “When often innovation is, in fact,
combining existing things and giving them a new purpose. Yes, we
developed new software, but the components we are using are
already existing in other industries.
“Everything that you can create to reduce the workload of the
pilot immediately increases their safety,” he said, adding: “For
example, between 10 000 and 12 000 feet, there are limitations on
flight time before you require oxygen. Above 12 000 feet you will
require oxygen and/or a pressurised cabin.”
One of the young students added that, although in theory, this
was the norm, the reality was that there were private pilots who
had lung conditions like asthma or they had severe lung damage
from smoking, and something as minor as flying at 8 000 feet could
have devastating consequences.
At An eArlier occAsion Belgium cAmpus students pArtnered with penn
stAte university to work on innovAtive projects Aligned to mechAnicAl
And electricAl engineering
According to aviation statistics, every year there are more than
1 000 accidents globally due to pilots passing out from a lack of
oxygen. “There is no way of knowing as it happens so quickly and
in seconds the plane no longer has a pilot in control. So, with the
students, we thought, there has to be a solution to this as most private
pilots don’t have a co-pilot with them,” Rombouts explained.
The Aeronautics Project is currently engaged in developing
affordable components that can be used by anyone, ultimately
increasing safety in the cockpit for the general aviation sector.
“As a pilot, I know the risks at play with aviation, but what
troubles me are the statistics. General aviation flights are 82 times
riskier than commercial airline trips.
“This needs to be addressed across the industry. The technology
is there, and this is why we are trying to make it more affordable
and readily available.”
World Airnews | June Extra 2018
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World Airnews | June Extra 2018
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