news

Hexcel’s Global Leader of Advanced Modeling Sanjay Sharma and Toray’s Senior Research Scientist Jeff Satterwhite are the newest additions to the SC Aerospace Conference and Expo program. Their presentations will focus on the current state of design and analysis methods in composite materials, which are crucial in aircraft construction.

Sharma will discuss Hexcel’s advanced composites research and development. Hexcel is a global leader in advanced composites technology and supplies commercial aviation, space and defense, as well as industrial markets worldwide. The commercial aerospace industry is the largest user of Hexcel’s advanced composites, including the Airbus A350 XWB and the Boeing 737 Max.

Satterwhite will present on Toray’s high-performance carbon fiber products and how they are used in the construction of aircraft. Toray is the world’s largest producer of carbon fiber, some of which will be manufactured at the company’s newest US facility in South Carolina. Toray currently supplies prepreg carbon fiber for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and 777X.

Mehmet Yildiz, director of Sabanci University’s Composite Technologies Center of Excellence, and Zafer Gürdal, Ronald E. McNair Endowed Chair Holder at the McNAIR Center for Aerospace Innovation & Research at the University of South Carolina, will also participate in the session.

Join us on Wednesday, Aug. 30 to hear about the latest on Honda’s first business jet and its innovative design, directly from Samantha Magill of Honda Aircraft Company.

The HondaJet is currently the fastest, highest-flying, quietest and most fuel-efficient jet in its class. It’s unique Over-the-Wing Engine Mount configuration, designed to dramatically improve performance and fuel efficiency by reducing aerodynamic drag, is just one of the many technological innovations that put it at the top of its class.

Samantha Magill has been with Honda Aircraft Company Inc. since 2010, and has had several roles including Technical Marketing; Sales Engineering; Flight Sciences’ Stability & Control Engineer; currently, she handles a variety of Special Projects for the CEO and company. Many include activities pertaining to community, academic, government and industry relations as well as Inclusion & Diversity initiatives.

EdVenture’s newest exhibit will be taking flight on July 15, thanks to a grant from NASA.

The FLIGHT exhibit will help children explore the wonders and science of flying through hands-on activities like building paper airplanes, experiencing the sensations of flight in three Boeing 747 simulators and feeling the power of wind in the museum’s wind tunnel.

The highlight of the exhibit is the chance to get a pilot’s view of Columbia’s historic Gervais Street Bridge and the Columbia Canal in a real Boeing 757 cockpit. The cockpit was installed on June 9 on the second story of EdVenture’s building.

EdVenutre’s FLIGHT exhibit aims to:

• Teach the forces of flight;
• Introduce young people to the world of aeronautics;
• Highlight the wealth of career opportunities that are available in South Carolina;
• Convey fundamentals of flight, flight technology, materials science and NASA’s role in aeronautics for audiences ages 3 to 12;
• Create the sensation of flying above the nearby Congaree River, as it will be the closest a child can come to really feel what it feels like to fly; and
• Inform the community of the many resources and support provided by NASA.

For more on the FLIGHT exhibit, visit EdVenture’s website>>

This post contains excerpts from an article published by Cola Today.  Read the full article here>>

Steve Townes has been named chairman of Greenville-based ACL Airshop, a worldwide leader in air cargo products and support services. Townes currently serves as CEO of Ranger Aerospace – the parent firm of ACL Airshop, following a March 2016 partnership.

“Having exceptional leaders like this on our team is further strengthening our strategy for global expansion,” said Tony Morgan, president and CEO of ACL Airshop.

Steve Townes is currently the chairman of SC Aerospace.

Fifteen University of South Carolina engineering students became the first-ever McNAIR Junior Fellows (MJF) after graduating recently from the new mentorship program at the McNAIR Center for Aerospace Innovation and Research, College of Engineering and Computing. The group represents the top undergraduates in the aerospace engineering program at the college.

The MJF program provides the best opportunity for engineering students to gain hands-on experience in the field of aerospace engineering. Students apply to participate in the program at the beginning of a semester and, if accepted, are awarded the title of McNAIR Junior Fellow after three semesters of exemplary work.  

Students intern on teams with master’s and doctoral candidates on their research projects and more. Through the program, students get real-world experience in aerospace manufacturing processes, equipment and design. This program gives students a better understanding of the design process, fabrication, and elements of working on an engineering team.

The MJF program also gives students exposure to unique manufacturing equipment that is found within the aerospace industry, and which isn’t found at other S.C. colleges and universities. The experiences McNAIR Junior Fellows gain are highly desirable by future employers, and some participants already have job offers as a direct result of the mentorship program.

“We’re very proud of the amazing work from these students, who we’ve enjoyed mentoring through McNAIR Junior Fellows projects in addition to their regular course work,” says Ramy Harik, assistant professor of aerospace computer-aided design and manufacturing — and creator of the program. “Their exposure to real research projects as undergraduates will help propel their careers, giving them a leg up when pursuing engineering positions upon graduation from the university.

Students admitted to the MJF program commit to a serious workload. Members must submit a minimum of 200 hours — at least five hours a week — to the program over at least three academic semesters to complete the program. Juniors, sophomores and freshmen are eligible to apply from anywhere within the university.

Upon completion of the program, McNAIR Junior Fellows receive a personal letter of recommendation that includes details of the research work performed at McNAIR and can use the title of McNAIR Junior Fellow on their resumes. Fellows also can apply for leadership distinction at graduation from the university.

Graduating seniors Brandon Seay and Alex Zuloaga had already accepted job offers from Ingersoll Machine Tools and Northrup Grumman, respectively, based in part on research work they did as McNAIR Junior Fellows.

“The McNAIR Junior Fellows program has been invaluable in helping me begin my career in research, particularly in co-authoring my first article for a scientific publication,” says Alex Zuloaga, a 2017 graduate of the program and of the university. “This experience was enhanced by hands-on projects to develop and implement state-of-the-art technologies to solve real world challenges.”

The MJF program is onto something important and unique in the education of future aerospace engineers. The program creates an ecosystem that feeds into graduate programs at the college and gives students the type of experience employers are looking for in new hires.

SC Aerospace and the South Carolina Department of Education visited R.B. Stall High School in North Charleston on May 18.  Stall is one of five South Carolina high schools implementing an aerospace engineering curriculum this fall.  One additional high school will begin offering the courses in the fall of 2018.

The curriculum was developed by Southern Regional Education Board (SREB).  The courses will give students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with aerospace and aeronautics technology and applications.

SC Aerospace – a business-led initiative of the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness – formally recommended the multi-disciplinary, project-based learning curriculum to the department in December 2016.

R.B. Stall High School currently has 100 students, mostly freshmen and sophomores, signed up to take the courses in the fall. Each participating school is to receive a $50,000 grant from the state Department of Education to cover start-up costs for the program, including a two-week training seminar for teachers at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

R.B. Stall High School is also a TransformSC School.

Read more in the Post & Courier>>

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), or “drones,” as most of us know them, are being used in new and exciting ways.

Right here in Columbia, UAS are being utilized to promote economic development, provide mapping data and assess infrastructure damage. In October 2015, amid the historic flooding that affected much of South Carolina, UAS were used to monitor damage, particularly in areas that were unsafe for vehicles.

This year’s conference will include a three-part session titled “Navigating the Future of Unmanned Aircraft Systems,” designed specifically to discuss the future of this rapidly growing sector of the aerospace industry.

AN INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

presented by Brian Wynne, president and CEO of Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI)

AUVSI is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of unmanned systems and robotics. It represents more than 7,000 members from approximately 60 countries involved in the fields of government, industry and academia. Wynne, president and CEO of AUVSI, brings in-depth experience in transportation and technology applications gained through leadership roles with industry associations and public-private partnerships. Prior to joining AUVSI in January 2015, he was president and CEO of the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA).

DRONE SAFETY IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS

presented by Lawrence H. Brinker, Esq., president and CEO (interim) of NUAIR Alliance

Brinker is an experienced pilot and aviation attorney currently serving as president & CEO of the NUAIR Alliance, a New York nonprofit corporation with more than 70 public, private and academic partners committed to growing a robust, unmanned systems and connected vehicles industry sector. With 25 years of total active and reserve service in the U.S. Air Force, Brinker is a FAA-rated airline transport pilot with multiple type ratings and more than 8,000 international and domestic flying hours. He also is a FAA-rated flight engineer in turbo-jet aircraft.

THE USE OF UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES FOR INFRASTRUCTURE INSPECTION

Presented by Shane D. Boone, Ph.D., vice president of Nondestructive Evaluation with BDI

Boone is Vice President of Nondestructive Evaluation at BDI. He has spent nearly 15 years in the government, academic and private sectors of specialized infrastructure inspection and monitoring. Boone specializes in the research, development and application of nondestructive testing & evaluation (NDT/NDE) technologies and health monitoring for the transportation, nuclear, power, oil and gas, defense and telecom industries, among others. Prior to joining BDI, he founded SDB Technologies Inc., which, in July 2016, merged with BDI.

Speakers, sessions, exhibitors and sponsors are lining up for this year’s SC Aerospace Conference and Expo. Make sure you stay in-the-know by signing up for our email updates.