With fuel prices high, airline tickets are expensive. Some airplane manufacturers are looking at building smaller airplanes, some of which may be powered by electricity, which may eventually lead to lower ticket prices. The technology is years away, but NASA is funding a project at Virginia Tech to help companies be more efficient as they design future aircraft, and ensure safety precautions are woven into the early phases of developing new technologies.
The project focuses on small airplanes that could transport people short distances. “So for example, something that could take off from Blacksburg airport here and take us to DC in much shorter time than driving there,” explained Darshan Sarojini, an assistant professor of aerospace engineering at Virginia Tech.
All new aircraft must go through a rigorous certification process through the Federal Aviation Administration. Sarojini said their project will help safeguard technology long before the planes undergo federal testing.
“You find a problem and then there’s redesign that’s required,” Sarojini said. “We want to avoid that redesign piece of it.”
They’re also exploring how to make aircraft less noisy. “So if we’re introducing these flying taxis into urban environments, we don’t want there to be high noise pollution because of these airplanes.”
K-12 students will be part of the project too by attending summer camps at Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus to learn about the aerospace industry. Dozens of undergraduate and graduate engineering students will also get money to research and design aircraft.
"Part of what NASA is funding is programs that can help the skilled aeronautics workforce development,” Sarojini said. “So that is another piece that we’re really excited about.”
