An insight into Cranfield Aerospace Solutions – Q&A with Jenny Kavanagh, Chief Strategy Officer
Jenny Kavanagh
Every time I walk into the hangar at Cranfield Aerospace Solutions I’m always amazed at the hardware on display – aerial vehicles of all kinds in various states are being worked on. It feels very much like a UK skunk works! Can you provide an overview of some of the projects that you are currently working on?
I’ve never known a company like Cranfield Aerospace Solutions – we’re unique and that is what makes it such a special place to work at. We’ve been around for 25 years and our core capability is in complex modifications to aircraft - any aircraft of any size. We have the regulatory approvals in place to carry out all manner of modifications and that is one of the reasons you will always find some interesting aircraft in our hangar! For a company of our size that is quite rare.
On top of this is our capability for whole aircraft concept design. We are one of the few entities in the UK that have this capability and as a result of this, along with our range of regulatory approvals, we manage to attract some large partners including Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Thales, Raytheon, Leonardo and Boeing.
Over the last two years we’ve led a number of very interesting (and challenging!) projects. For example, the conversion of Cranfield’s new Saab 340 into a fully functioning flying classroom and laboratory (the National Flying Laboratory Centre) took place completely remotely, with CAS engineers instructing Saab personnel online owing to covid travel restrictions.
Another project that took place (again during Covid) was a full scale e-VTOL ground test rig where we designed & manufactured the whole aircraft, integrated the electrical systems, batteries and electric motors and fully commissioned the whole thing which is designed to part CS23 with tilting wing technology. Now sitting pride of place at Cranfield University’s Aerospace Integration Research Centre (AIRC), the project was only possible owing to our whole aircraft capability.
Maintenance is another key area for us and as we transition to hydrogen-powered aircraft it will be important to understand how to correctly maintain hydrogen powered systems. We have had Part 145 Maintenance Organisational Approval for some time and have a varied client-base.
Our focus now is on leading the transition to zero-emissions flight, using all of our unique capabilities to do so. Project Fresson - supported by the ATI - is Phase 1 of our strategy, with follow on phases taking us to 19 seat and eventually 50-100 seat aircraft.
The National Flying Laboratory Centre - Cranfield’s new Saab 340 which is a fully functioning flying classroom and laboratory
It has been great to see you take delivery of the Britten-Norman Islander that will use hydrogen fuel cell technology. What are the next steps for Fresson and when do you anticipate the first flight?
2022 is a pivotal year for Project Fresson. We are now moving from the preliminary design to detailed design phase, we have bench and ground testing scheduled for later this year and we are targeting first flight in Q1 2023.
In addition to the technology, the introduction of clean technologies is dependent on the regulatory environment and certification process. To meet timescales and support the UK’s potential as a world-leading innovator in aviation, attention needs to be paid to the resourcing and expertise available within bodies such as the CAA to deal with the pace of emerging technologies, because current standards don’t apply to hydrogen-based aviation. Having a live, real project such as ours helps the regulator to assess the new technology and what needs to be evidenced to prove its safety for flight. We’re working very closely with the CAA and receiving tremendous support – we’re learning about this together which is how it should be when new technologies come out. It's not just the on-aircraft technology however. Airport & maintenance operations also will need new regulations as the introduction of hydrogen as an aviation fuel will introduce different risks, different ways of managing fire, storing the fuel, etc. etc.. It’s a topic we’re passionate about supporting and we’re working with several airports and operators, through projects in Future Flight and ZEFI T-TRIG Safety in Aviation Programme as well as via direct collaborations and when we fly our demonstrator next year, we believe it will be the first time this will have been done in a regulated airport environment. Working in this way, we need to keep pushing the case for certification forwards with proof of technology, there’s no time to wait if Jet Zero targets are ever going to be achievable.
You stole the headlines in Farnborough 2018 with the Volante vison concept aircraft in partnership with Aston Martin. I don’t think I saw the stand without at least 10 people looking at it! What is your view for the future of advanced aerial mobility/flying air taxis and what is Cranfield Aerospace Solutions doing in this space?
The Volante Vision Concept was Aston Martin’s exploration into personal air mobility. With room for three adults, the concept was a near future study that previewed a flying autonomous hybrid-electric vehicle for urban and inter-city air travel, providing fast, efficient and congestion free travel. It was marketed at the high net worth market as the price point of a vehicle like that would have been far too high, at least initially, to make sense as a public-use vehicle.
Regarding Urban Air Mobility in a wider sense, I think the first use of these vehicles may very well be either in the HNW market where people will pay more to save time or, if the economics can be made to work, potentially they could benefit blue light services as well as providing an exceptional flying capability for many others.
There has been a lot of talk in the news about urban air taxi services, particularly electric vertical take-off & landing (eVTOL) vehicles. What I find interesting to note is that quite a few of these designs are now reverting to fixed-wing designs, moving away from purely vertical flight with the lift generated by rotors alone. It seems to me that they are moving slowly into the ultra STOL space, rather than purely eVTOL. We’ll see what happens but we’re watching closely how the market and use cases develop.
There are many barriers to overcome before we see the widespread adoption of small new craft employing a mix of rotor and winged-designs, not least of all the airspace design challenge. But despite the barriers, the industry will learn a huge amount from this experiment in new forms of aerial mobility.
Simulators for training – whether that’s for motor sport, military training or flying training – are becoming more and more commonplace. How is the simulation side of CAS doing and what products or plans for the future do you have?
For decades, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions has produced G-cueing technology which provides the pilot with the most immersive and high fidelity ‘feel’ to the real flying experience – essentially it tricks the brain into thinking it’s feeling a g-force and therefore can give the user the feeling of sustained g rather than washing out (as simulators on legs need to do). Our motion cueing G-Seat employs electric actuators coupled to dynamic elements to provide the body stimuli such as eye height changes accountable to vertical acceleration, changes in lumbar pressure due to vertical acceleration and fore and aft acceleration stimulus. It’s fantastic technology that has been used by air forces around the world.
Building on this experience, in January 2021 we launched AXSIM, a range of driving simulators that can provide genuine sustained g-cueing. We can model real world cars in the simulation software and we have access to an extensive database of laser-scanned race circuits and road routes from across the globe.
It’s a side of the business that is going from strength to strength with several partnerships with companies such as Ferrari, Porsche, Samsung and Silverstone.
An AXSIM driving simulator that can provide genuine sustained g-cueing. The experience is like no other simulator outside of the F1 industry.
It is great to be able to interview a senior woman in an industry (aerospace) that is still largely dominated by men at senior levels. Tell me about your journey within aerospace and also where you plan to go from here?
I joined the aerospace industry in 2005 with B/E Aerospace, now part of Collins. For most of that time I was a programme manager leading a team of design, certification and manufacturing engineers to deliver cabin solutions to Airbus. I had a call about a role at Cranfield Aerospace Solutions and was intrigued – overcoming seemingly impossible aerospace problems was not something I could turn down! To now be in a leadership position in a small, innovative company where I can create new opportunities and really make a difference is a fantastic experience. We are working on the cutting edge of zero emissions flight which is incredibly enriching, both for me personally and the wider team. As for where I plan to go from here – I intend to keep following my passion to help decarbonise the aviation industry, wherever that may take me.
Amongst their varied portfolio of work, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions support the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, ensuring continued airworthiness of the BBMF Spitfire & Hurricane fleet.