Stephen Wright: Future of commercial aviation – safer, faster, greener and more accessible for all of us
“My current research interest includes the European Commission’s ambition for Clean and Green Aviation, known as Flight Path 2050.”
According to Wright the research projects involve the removal of the traditional fossil fuel powered engines, fitting of electric motors and propellors in their place, motor controllers and either battery packs or a hydrogen tank and fuel cell.
“This is perhaps the most exciting step change in aviation since the Wright Brothers first powered flight, because the reliance on fossil fuels and the production of CO2 in flight would be fully removed,” says Wright.
Wright’s other research includes the operational fouling of additive manufactured heat exchangers in a joint research activity with the Technical University Hamburg and Harburg. Wright tells that this is very topical to new manufacturing techniques destined for industry.
According to Wright, aviation is a very important transport means that will only become more frequent in the coming years.
“My role, is to support the industry with the green focused research, to allow the industry to become uncoupled from the needs to use fossil fuels, and to suggest and foresee new technologies to make aviation, safer, faster, greener and more accessible to all.”
