Participants

EASA’s Basic Regulation permits the Agency to launch and finance research projects within its competence, which includes safety, security, environmental protection and health.

With consideration to the pace of technological developments and changes to business models within aviation, EASA research activities need to expand beyond the Agency’s internal needs and resources.

Safety, security, environmental protection and health topics are key cross-cutting issues to be tackled as early as possible within research activities and need to be addressed in a coordinated manner with the commensurate involvement of the regulators.

DLR is also the umbrella organisation for the nation’s largest project execution organisation. DLR has approximately 8000 employees in 14 Institutes at 20 locations in Germany, the headquarters located in Cologne.

DLR also has offices in Brussels, Paris, Tokyo and Washington D.C. The Rotorcraft Department, within the Institute of Flight Systems conducts a wide range of experimental research and development in the fields of flight mechanics, flight and rotor dynamics, handling qualities, flight testing and flight simulation. To enable this research effort, the Institute of Flight Systems conducts research using several DLR experimental facilities, including the only civilian experimental research helicopter in Europe (the ACT/FHS), a rotor test rig, and the Air Vehicle Simulator (AVES) facility. AVES features two high-fidelity cockpits; one aircraft and one helicopter. AVES is designed as a modular, flexible platform using the latest technologies for a comprehensive exploration of flight and flight systems. The facility is also used as a test bed for research of flight systems to be used in flight testing, and has model-in-the-loop, software-in-the-loop, and hardware-in-the-loop capabilities.

DLR has a strong relationship with universities, other research organisations and industry partners. Operation of a fleet of experimental aircraft requires constant collaboration with both industry partners and suppliers, as well as relevant certification authorities. DLR Institute of Flight Systems maintains strong links to university through academic involvement of scientific research staff and through PhD programs run in collaboration with Technical University Braunschweig. A wide range of H2020 EU projects are currently being undertaken in the Institute. DLR is involved in a number of GARTEUR and NATO research groups concerning flight simulation, supporting collaboration between European and Worldwide partners.

The School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing (SATM) is a leading provider of postgraduate level engineering education, research and technology support to individuals and organisations. At the forefront of aerospace, manufacturing and transport systems technology and management for over 70 years, we deliver multi-disciplinary solutions to the complex challenges facing industry. the Centre for Aeronautics is one of the world’s largest centres for postgraduate education and research in aircraft design, aerodynamics, advanced modelling and simulation tools and methods. Two of the University’s flagship courses are delivered from the Centre – our masters programmes in Aerospace Vehicle Design and Aerospace Dynamics. These courses have run successfully since the establishment of the original Cranfield College of Aeronautics in 1946. Our leading research is application oriented and performed in close cooperation with industry, enabling us to introduce relevant findings quickly into our CPD and Masters programs. We engage with business through building strategic long-term relationships and can provide expertise in applied aeronautics and aircraft design.

The Dynamics, Simulation and Control (DSC) group the group is possibly the leading research group for flight dynamics and control along with aero-servo-elasticity in the United Kingdom and conducts research and consultancy work on the dynamics, stability and control of all types of air vehicle and other engineering systems. The Group performs both theoretical and experimental work with leading industrial partners as well as working with SMEs. World-leading research is conducted in both blue-sky conceptual areas and practical applications. Staff have industrial experience in the aerospace sector, and collaborate with other research groups in Cranfield and internationally.

The group run a set of 3 flight simulators and an aero-elastics laboratory. Additional facilities available to the group include various wind tunnels, an air traffic control simulator and the fully instrumented aircraft of the NLFC and their pilots.

NLR realizes an annual turnover of approximately 75 million euro. NLR employs a staff of about 700 in two main establishments; one in Amsterdam and one in Flevoland. Over two-thirds of the staff graduated from universities or technical colleges. NLR is the key knowledge enterprise for aerospace technology in the Netherlands. For more than ninety years the mission of NLR has been to ensure greater sustainability, safety and efficiency through innovation in aerospace technologies and applications.

The Helicopter & Aeroacoustics department of NLR has developed and maintains high-fidelity FLIGHTLAB simulation models of all rotorcraft operated by the Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) since 1999. These models are employed for research purposes in National Technology Programs financed by the MoD, but also to assist operational and maintenance activities. NLR frequently exploits FLIGHTLAB in European research programs where the emphasis may be on flight dynamics, or high-fidelity analysis of the rotorcraft aeromechanics. NLR is also frequently contracted by national and foreign industry to develop FLIGHTLAB models of existing and concept rotorcraft to support design and industry research activities. NLR has provided customized FLIGHTLAB trainings and workshops for industry as well. As one of the first FLIGHTLAB license owners in Europe, NLR has gained a reputation as one of the most advances users of the program.

NLR maintains a close relationship with the international rotorcraft industry, with a comparatively large number of projects aimed at the highest TRL levels. This is exemplified by the fact that NLR is accredited by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) as ‘Qualified Entity’. Through this accreditation, specially selected experts of NLR may perform complete certification projects on behalf of EASA and may advise the Agency on specialised certification issues. NLR Compliance Verification Engineers (CVE) also support the Netherlands MoD in the acceptance and military qualification of its aircraft, and in establishing Flight Simulation qualification requirements and guidance.

Within the Qualified Entity accreditation, NLR also performs evaluations ofFlight Simulation Training Device (FSTD) as an EASA service provider with a team consisting of technical inspectors and flight inspectors. The team evaluates approximately forty FSTDs annually worldwide on behalf of EASA, ranging from Flight and Navigation Procedures Trainer (FNPT) recurrent evaluations, up to Level-D Full Flight Simulator (FFS) initial evaluations. In the field of flight simulator research, the Training & Simulation department of NLR has been involved with Head-Mounted-Display’s (HMD’s) research since the nineties (nowadays also referred as virtual reality & augmented reality). The department is currently developing a new low-cost mixed reality cockpit solution. Using virtual reality, sensors, and 3D printing of a cockpit, the user can interact with the virtual and physical world at the same time. This results in a high fidelity, low footprint simulation with natural interaction.

Nine Nobel Prize winners are amongst its alumni and past faculty and the university offers more than 230 first degree courses across 103 subjects. It was the world’s first university to establish departments in Oceanography, civic design, architecture, and biochemistry at the Johnston Laboratories. In 2006 the university became the first in the UK to establish an independent university in China, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, making it the world’s first Sino-British university. For 2016-17, Liverpool had a turnover of £521.8 million, including £94.5 million from research grants and contracts. It has the fifth largest endowment of any university in England.

The university is ranked in the top 1% of universities worldwide according to Academic ranking of world universities and has previously been ranked within the top 150 university globally by the guide. It also is a founding member of the Russell Group and a founding member of the Northern Consortium. The university is a research-based university with 33,000 students pursuing over 450 programmes spanning 54 subject areas. It has a broad range of teaching and research in both arts and sciences, and the University of Liverpool School of Medicine established in 1835 is today one of the largest medical schools in the UK. The Flight Science and Technology (FS&T) research group within the School of Engineering at the University of Liverpool has a group culture based on deepknowledge and expert skills in the aeronautical disciplines of flight dynamics, control, simulation, computational aerodynamics, aeroelasticity and handling qualities.

FST’s research benefits from a high level of collaboration with world-leading academics and industrialists across the world. Our network of collaborators includes researchers at TU Delft, NLR(The Netherlands), POLIMI (Italy), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, DLR, (Germany), Georgia Tech, NASA Ames (USA), ONERA, Thales, Airbus Helicopters (France), BAE Systems, GE Dowty, CAA, Sgurr Energy (UK), DSTG (Australia) and NRC, CAE (Canada). FS&T is uniquely positioned within academia to address questions relating to pilot-vehicle technologies, flight control, flight handling qualities, non-linear aerodynamics and, most generally, aircraft design through modelling, real-time flight simulation and high performance Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for fixed and rotary wing aircraft. Highlights include over a decade of continuous funding, about £15 million to date, to support development of the European Civil Tilt Rotor, first flight test of an Hinf controller on a hingeless helicopter rotor, major influence on rotor design at Leonardo Helicopters (AgustaWestland) through CFD predictions and aircraft clearance activities including support to BAE Systems for the F-35B First of Class Flight Trials to the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier.

FS&T specified, developed and operates two motion flight simulators and is the UK lead for rotorcraft flight simulation research. The flight simulation facilities are used for a range of pilot-centred research, enabling visual perception and pilot vision aids design studies to be undertaken, as well as research in the areas of simulation fidelity, helicopter operations in harsh environments, e.g. helicopter-ship research, aircraft pilot couplings, active control technologies for handling qualities, envelope protection, carefree handling and structural load alleviation of rotary wing and tilt rotor aircraft. FS&T participates in multiple international working groups run by GARTEUR, NATO and NASA, and has contributed to 6 European Commission Framework projects, involving close collaboration with European Industry and the European research laboratories – DLR, CIRA, ONERA and NLR. The Group is represented on the International Helicopter Safety Team, the American Helicopter Society’s Flight Simulation, Handling Qualities and Safety Committees together with the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Flight Simulation and Rotorcraft specialist groups. FS&T is recognised internationally as leading rotorcraft flight simulation fidelity research. In partnership with the Nation Research Council of Canada’s Flight Research Laboratory, FS&T has conducted and will conduct future flight trials using NRC’s Bell 412 Advanced Systems Research Aircraft (ASRA), in support of the development of new rotorcraft simulation fidelity metrics. The research has already developed a new Simulation Fidelity Rating scale, which has been used internationally, together with objective metrics for fidelity assessments.