The Aerospace Testing International Podcast

In this Testing Talk Podcast Travis Mease, product manager for Thermoplastic Composites, and Sebastien Kohler, senior scientist for structural and engineered components at Greene Tweed discuss how complex composite parts are incresingly taking the place of metallic ones on aircraft.The pair discuss the materials and testing that gives OEMs the confidence to do the swap and provide a deep dive of the materials testing and role of composites in aircraft. 

In this edition of the ATI Testing Talk Podcast, Dr Francesco Di Sabatino, group leader of the Advanced Combustion for Power and Propulsion Group, Southwest Research Institute, tells me about a research project that he has overseen at SwRI that aims to fill a gap in knowledge about SAF by publicly releasing its test data.Francesco hopes the data will help engineers working on SAF and could also lead to improvements to the fuel in the future.Look out for the next episode of the Testing Talk podcast soon!  

This episode of the Testing Talk Podcast from ATI is an interview with Ulrik Grape, president of European operations at US-based battery technology company 24M.Ulrik has more than 30 years of experience working in batteries and energy storage. Most interestingly, he has seen lithium-ion batteries roll out in the electronics and automotive sectors, and brings that perspective to the same process, which is happening in aerospace now.He has some great insights into battery safety and testing, and combines this with 24M's pragmatic approach to battery technology that will be useful for aviation applications. Enjoy the interview!

Swiss company Daedalean has been developing autonomous systems for aircraft for several years. It has recently made headlines by being bought by Netherlands-based autonomous drone and hypersonic aircraft company Destinus.  Daedalean aims to one day make a completely autonomous aircraft. Before then the plan is to release autonomous safety systems for aviation, with the first expected to reach the market at the end of this year.I spoke to Sylvain at the Paris Air Show earlier this year about the company’s technology, how it works and its capabilities. We also discuss how the firm plans to ramp up testing and development. 

In this Testing Talk interview John Piasecki, President and CEO of US aerospace company Piasecki Aircraft talks to ATI editor Ben Sampson about the company’s growth and the rapid progress it is making on several drone development programs for the US military. Piasecki has a rich heritage in rotorcraft and is leveraging its expertise to shape the next generation of drones and helicopters. Although test is core to the company John has big plans for expanding from its R&D roots. In particular, the recent acquisition of a former Sikorsky helicopter site in Pennsylvania means the firm now has a manufacturing capability.Enjoy this episode of Testing Talk, and look out for August's episode!

In this episode of the Aerospace Testing International podcast Paul Davison, manager of BAE System's Faraday Test Centre in Rochester, UK talks to Benedict Evans about the testing and simulation facilities at the Centre.A diverse range of products goes through the laboratories at Rochester: flight sticks, helmets, defibrillators, and even microwaves. But BAE Systems Rochester is best known for the several key advances in the helmet-mounted displays (HMD) and the heads-up-display (HUD) technology used by fighter jet pilots developed there, including the company's Striker HMD.

The Aerospace Testing International podcast returns  with an interview with Mark Walker, Application Engineering Manager at MathWorks UK.Mathworks MATLAB and SIMULINK are mathematical software tools engineers use to design and analyze  systems and embedded software within aerospace.  They are used in everything from flight control systems through to modelling the behaviour of entire aircraft in different environments.Mark works with the company’s aerospace and defence clients helping them make the best use of the software and during this chat discusses trends and concepts in aerospace development attached to digitalisation such as digital twins and model-based engineering. During the talk, Mark references a case study and video that provide more detailed information about the topics under discussion. These can be found here: https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/65605-predictive-maintenance-in-hydraulic-pumphttps://uk.mathworks.com/videos/our-journey-towards-model-based-product-lines-1573233985120.htmlFor more podcast episodes go to www.aerospacetestinginternational.com

This month I chat to Martin Nüsseler, chief technical officer of Deutsche Aircraft about how the company is transforming,  alternative propulsion systems for aircraft and testing and certification challenges.Deutsche Aircraft renamed itself this year – it was previously known as 328 Services. The new name is a clear sign the company is moving confidently through its two major aircraft development programs – one is to develop a more environmentally friendly version of the Dornier 328 and the other a hydrogen fuelled variant of the same aircraft.Martin Nüsseler joined the company from Airbus in February to help drive these development and certification programs. My thanks to Martin for his participation and I hope you enjoy the podcast.

In this month's Aerospace Testing podcast, I talk to David Mayman, founder and CEO of JetPack Aviation, which develops and sells foot-launched aircraft.The first prototype backpack mounted jetpack made by the company flew about ten years ago. Mayman himself then piloted it around the Statue of Liberty in 2015, garnering global media attention.Its latest project is the Speeder, a futuristic air vehicle that resembles a motorbike for the air and is aimed initially at the defense sector.  During the podcast David speaks about what the company has achieved with the jetpack and the development of the new Speeder aircraft. 

In this month’s podcast we preview our forthcoming event London to Sydney in Five Hours: The Future of Aviation by talking to one of the speakers –  Norris Tea, co-founder and CEO of Exosonic. Exosonic is a US company developing a low-boom supersonic jet capable of cruising at Mach 1.8.  The company and Norris garnered much attention when their partnership with the US Air Force to produce a supersonic Air Force One aircraft was announced last year. Norris has been working in the aerospace sector for the last four years, exclusively on vehicles that fly faster than the speed of sound and has been passionate about supersonic commercial flight from a young age. During the podcast We discuss Exosonic's  development plans, the connection between Exosonic and NASA/Lockheed's X-59 supersonic aircraft as well as some of the major technical challenges for passenger supersonic aircraft.London to Sydney in Five Hours: The Future of Aviation is co-located with the first Aerospace Testing Symposium. Both are being held in London on the 29th and 30th of September. The conferences will also be available online if you can’t make it to London.