This symposium, organised by the NVvL (Dutch Society for Aerospace Engineering) and KIVI Aerospace, highlights the current challenges that accompany innovation within aerospace. We have set up a program with lectures by speakers from various directions within the Aerospace Industry. The program includes a warm buffet dinner and we will conclude the evening with networking and drinks, which offers plenty opportunity to discuss the inspiring presentations of the evening!


Some practical information:

  • The lectures and presentations will be in English.
  • The detailed program can be found below. Additional information on the speakers and lectures will be supplemented over time. 
  • Participation to the buffet dinner is optional. During registration for this element, dietary wishes can be indicated. 
  • The location of the Symposium is at the KIVI building in The Hague (Prinsessegracht 23), which is located at just 7 minutes walking distance from Den Haag CS trainstation and tram 9 stops just at our doorstep. Paid parking is possible in the Q-Park Malieveld or parking garage Museumkwartier, both located at walking distance from the KIVI buiiding. 
  • It is possible to follow the event through online participation; the lectures will be livestreamed. When you choose this option during registration, a link to the online platofrm will be provided to you in the week leading up to the event. 

 

Introduction to the Lectures and Speakers

Lecture 1: Electric Flying with the E9X

Battery powered aviation is often seen as an application only feasible for short distance and small aircraft. Recent studies however have shown that this is scalable to a much larger scope than was initially thought. During this presentation we will deepdive into some design principles and misconceptions around large electrical aircraft. We will discuss the role that these aicraft can play to bring the aerospace industry towards "net zero", and the technical challenges that will need to be overcome to get there. 

Biography Reynard de Vries

Reynard de Vries is co-founder at Elysian Aircraft, where he leads the design- and engineering activities. His background lies in predesign and aerodynamics of hybrid-electrical aircraft. He acquired a BSc in Aerospace Engineering at the Technical University of Madrid and MSc and PhD accreditation at the TU Delft, where he is still closely involved as a guest-researcher. Reynard is active in several work groups, focussed on aircraft electrification in both the US and Europe, teaches courses on aircraft design and propellor aerodynamics.


Lecture 2 - David Chinn, President Royal Aeronautical Society, Keeping the Aerospace Sector Globally Connected, Sustainable and Secured for 2025 and beyond

David Chinn President of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) will be presenting on the RAeS policy priorities for the current government. This will look at five key areas which include:

• Firstly, modernising aviation infrastructure and aerospace systems to accommodate emerging technologies while ensuring safety, security, and sustainability.
• Secondly, enhancing air power and space capabilities to align with global trends, bolster national security, and capitalise on the space economy.
• Thirdly, accelerating regulatory frameworks to accommodate emerging flight technologies and promoting the integration of advanced technologies into airspace.
• Fourthly, maximising economic benefits from the aerospace, defence, and space sectors by supporting high-skilled jobs, fostering innovation, and generating export revenue.
• Lastly, developing future talent in the aerospace and aviation sectors to drive innovation and address emerging challenges, emphasising diversity and inclusion.

To cultivate future talent, a comprehensive strategy is necessary, encompassing education reform, industry collaborations, and targeted initiatives that motivate and retain skilled professionals. By implementing these measures, the aerospace and aviation sectors can maintain their vitality, foster innovation, and effectively contribute to economic and strategic objectives. The RAeS plays a crucial role in promoting aerospace careers, professional development, and educational programmes to attract young people to the sector. The Society partners with industry players to present educational activities and provides mentoring, knowledge resources, networking opportunities, awards, and scholarships to Apprentices and Student Affiliate members. Their impactful woman-to-woman alta mentoring program was recognized by the ESRC Impact prize for empowering women in aviation.


Lecture 3 - Ground- and flight test challenges on innovative aircraft concepts

For this symposium on technical challenges of innovative aircraft concepts, we will talk not only about technical challenges, but also go one step further and present the ground- and flight test challenges experienced and results obtained during the test phases of CityAirbus Alpha (ground- and flight-tested up to Summer 2021) and CityAirbus NextGen (ground- and flight tests ongoing). Keywords: avionics architecture, eVTOL, flight control systems, autonomy, remote piloting, ground control station, incremental approach, permit-to-fly, responsibilities.

Biography Henno Gemmink

Lead Flight Test Engineer for Production and Experimental Flight Test, Airbus Helicopters. Henno is the lead flight test engineer for production and experimental test flight and has worked on the test programs for Airbus Helicopters. He has worked on test programs for aircraft such as the EC135, BK117, CH-53, Sea King, Sea Lynx, as well as most recently the CityAirbus Alpha, CityAirbus NextGen. Before joining Airbus Helicopters, he was head of rotary wing flight test for the RNLAF (Royal Netherlands Airforce) and a flight test engineer, working on flight test programs for aircraft including the AH-64D Apache, Agusta-Bell AB-412SP and Pilatus PC-7, and also worked in pilot and technical officer training. He is a graduate of the Empire Test Pilot School and achieved an aerospace engineering degree from Technical University Delft.


Lecture 4 - Preliminary assessment of Hydrogen-Powered Supersonic Aviation

Commercial aviation is on the edge of a major leap in terms of technical revolution. In fact, considering the need of de-carbonizing its own infrastructure and operation, several vehicle concepts are being explored in the field of subsonic aviation, mainly looking at hydrogen technologies as well as Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). On the other hand, advancements in the field of high-speed aviation seem to be on track to enable the comeback of supersonic travel by 2030, indeed facing many challenges. This is seen as a counterintuitive development, being often recognized as an inefficient and pollutant transport mean, especially in an historical context where conventional aviation is striving to improve its footprint on the environment. Of course, the concept of operation of the former Concorde heritage shall be enhanced with a more effective vehicle design and a more efficient operational paradigm, with improvements on cost effectiveness and sustainability. Even if the first proposed concepts appear to be focused on the exploitation of SAF, the use of hydrogen is indeed fascinating because of the advantages in terms of propellant consumption and CO2 emissions reduction, even if posing some additional challenges in the design process. New approaches to the preliminary design of such kind of aircraft, encompassing both technical analyses and sustainability studies are thus crucial to evaluate the feasibility of the concept and to potentially sketch the aviation of the future.

Biography Davide Ferretto

Davide Ferretto is Assistant Professor of aircraft on-board systems at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of Politecnico di Torino, Italy. He received the Ph.D. degree in Aerospace Engineering from the same university in 2020, with a dissertation entitled “Innovative Model- Based Systems Engineering approach for the design of hypersonic transportation systems”. His research activities include the design of aerospace systems as well as the systems engineering methods and tools. He is currently focusing on high-speed aviation and, notably, on the conceptual design of supersonic and hypersonic aircraft aimed at passengers transportation, as well as on the environmental and economic assessment of these kinds of configurations.