I
over the past 10 years production of
single-engine aircraft the foundation of
all flight has declined dramatically in
this country one of the most damaging
effects of the slowdown is that most
small production timings in which today
still fit Tremonti materials or for
these technologies NASA the FAA
to reverse this trend one of its primary
goals is to stimulate demand for new
aircraft by making them less than
expected
advanced cockpit systems cost-effective
ways of manufacturing with composite
materials crashworthy restraint system
and quieter propeller are just a few of
the program started the hope is that
implementation of technologies like this
will bring personal flying
imagine what your life would be like if
you could fly at 10 or 20,000 feet over
the gridlocked interstates down below at
250 miles an hour with 46 people on
board at 30 miles per gallon in an
airplane that costs the same per mile as
the airlines and maybe not much more
than a car
from small trainers
performance business jet landing
facilities nationwide in many rural
communities these airports of the 20th
century equivalents of the river ports
and rail heads of the past providing
access to the mainstream of business and
commerce but over the last 10 years
the Molalla flank has declined
and Stinson is president of the
general aviation is where it all begins
most of the violence in the United
States learn to fly and a general
aviation aircraft unfortunately in the
last few years we've had some tough
times but we're coming back one of the
reasons for this optimism is that NASA
the FAA and more than 60 US companies
are forming a partnership
the industry
our program in its early years is
operating in a save the patient mode if
you look at general aviation like you
would look at a patient in the hospital
so it's vital signs are all declining
you know the number of airports the
number of pilots number of airplanes all
of those are declining it at a
precipitous rate and so we're gonna save
the patient way of thinking one of the
problems being addressed is the most
like production curb and still Fletcher
an entire 30 so that I start hearing
we need to do is incorporate new
technologies that are currently
available need to be integrated into the
aircraft at an affordable cost that will
make it possible for a vastly larger
segment of the population to learn how
to use an airplane safely and reliably
for almost all weather operations in a
reasonable amount of time a principal
target of the NASA FAA industry program
today requires mass from a variety of
control systems and instrum a very
time-consuming michelle's early process
in the NASA developed advanced cockpit
concept all this information is
reorganized on touch-sensitive flat
panel displays the front windshield
provides a highway in the sky to fly
along timely weather maps for rerouting
around storms can be brought up through
data links Global Positioning satellites
or GPS are used to depict the precise
locations of other aircraft in the area
and safely avoid them other systems help
eliminate potentially dangerous mistakes
like not having enough fuel to complete
the flight plan taken as a whole these
new cockpit technologies could cut the
cost of obtaining and maintaining all
weather flying skills in
the first steps towards advanced
cockpits are already being taken
multipurpose displays and GPS navigation
devices have been added to some of the
existing fleet they're also becoming
widespread in what's referred to as the
kit bill segment of the industry
that a buyer purchases a kit containing
all the necessary pieces then does most
of the assembly work some of the fastest
most innovative small planes come from
kit manufacturer
the keys kind of performances that
nearly all were me
composites like fiberglass
just as strong
romba is that working with composites
can be a very labor-intensive costly
process as part of its partnership with
industry in the fááá nASA has already
begun identifying more efficient ways of
utilizing these materials the goal is to
reduce the expense of manufacturing
composite airframes 25 to 40 percent
information about strength and
durability is also being gathered at
NASA facilities both on a small as well
as a much larger scale crash tests like
this at NASA's Langley Research Center
will help develop key databases and
design there
also being used to determine whether new
restraint systems or even airbags might
be added to improve safety research
aimed at low-cost non-destructive
inspection techniques and icing
protection systems is also underway
electronic controls developed for jet
engines are being adapted for the piston
power plants that drive most small
planes even the propeller is getting a
serious second look as engineering the
signor efficient less noisy designs that
will help make future general aviation
aircraft as quiet and comfortable as
today's automobile once in place the
variety of technologies being targeted
checking a personal flying to a new
level again NASA's Bruce Holmes imagine
what your life would be like if you
could fly at 10 or 20,000 feet over the
gridlocked interstates down below at 250
miles an hour with 46 people on board at
30 miles per gallon in an airplane that
costs the same per mile as the airlines
and maybe not much more than a car
you
cessna who used to be the world leader
producing 9000 single-engine airplanes a
year has not produced a single engine
airplane since 1986 we believe the
general aviation can play and much more
significant role than it ever has in the
transportation system by opening it up
to many more people who currently are
deterred from flying because of the cost
of obtaining and maintaining proficiency
in the cost of operating the aircraft
one of the hallmarks of this program
will be speed of product to the
marketplace from the program our
timeline for the nearest term impact in
the marketplace is 18 to 36 months this
program is a cost-sharing program half
the resources come from the government
half the resources come from industry
you