RMIT大学联合航空研究成果好，航空展上飞得高

RMIT flies high on collaborative success

The HANSA aircraft.

 

The tail of the HANSA aircraft with the RMIT University, NAL and City of Melbourne insignias.

 

NAL and RMIT staff are joined by Indian dignitaries at the Airshow.

RMIT University took to the skies at the recent Australian International Airshow at Avalon, near Geelong.

The insignias of RMIT University and India’s National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) were displayed on the re-designed HANSA aircraft, a two-seater, light trainer aircraft that has been equipped with a new, all-composite landing gear.

The City of Melbourne’s logo was also on the tail of the aircraft – a testimony to the City’s future support of the development of the HANSA aircraft.

The equipment was designed by researchers from the Sir Lawrence Wackett Centre for Aerospace Design Technology at RMIT, also known as the Wackett Aerospace Centre.

The research team was led by Dr Arvind Sinha, Director, Wackett Aerospace Centre, and included doctorate researchers Simon Atyeo and Axel Schauenburg.

The Wackett Aerospace Centre was contracted by NAL in 2005 to design, manufacture and test a lightweight main landing gear prototype for the HANSA aircraft. The landing gear was successfully tested for compliance to JAR-VLA – airworthiness for very light aeroplanes – and was shipped to India for fitment on the HANSA aircraft and flight tests.

The HANSA trainer aircraft made its debut flight at the airshow in front of an international audience which included RMIT University’s Professor Daine Alcorn, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Science Engineering and Technology, and Professor David Mainwaring, Dean, Research and Innovation; Dr A R Upadhay, Director of NAL, India; Dr Padmanabhan, Chief Executive Officer, Mahindra Engineering, India; His Excellency Prabhat Shukla, the Indian High Commissioner to Australia; and Captain S Y Shrikhande, the Defence Attaché.

The Chairman of the Wackett Centre Advisory Board, Air Commodore Bill Belton AM, applauded the international, pioneering success of the Wackett Aerospace Centre in aircraft design and development.

Dr Sinha said: “The participation of the aircraft in the flying display at an international airshow established a milestone for RMIT University in international aerospace research and consultancy collaboration with the industry.”

During the airshow, representatives from the Wackett Aerospace Centre and NAL met the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to discuss the process for the pioneering of full HANSA aircraft certification in accordance with the certification requirements stated in Civil Aviation Safety Regulations - Part 23 for aircraft under 5,700 kilograms.

The Wackett Aerospace Centre also discussed the formation of two memorandums of understanding. The Centre will be embarking upon a tripartite agreement with NAL and Mahindra Engineering for the design and development of a multi-purpose version of the HANSA aircraft.

The Centre will also collaborate with Gippsland Aeronautics to support the HANSA program and undertake modification and upgrade design tasks on the G8 Aircraft (Airvan).

Dr Sinha said the aircraft had been handed over to the Wackett Centre to process certification under the Experimental Category for further design and development of a new HANSA multi-purpose version and certification by CASA under JAR VLA.

“Through the HANSA collaboration, the Wackett Aerospace Centre has enhanced its national and international credentials in recent years in the design, development and certification of general aviation aircraft.”