22nd Congress of International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, Harrogate, UK, 28 August - 1st September, 2000
Paper ICAS 2000-5.7.4

OPTIMISATION OF THE AIRCRAFT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS IN SMALL AIRCRAFT COMPANIES

O. L. P. Masefield (1), A. B. Cervia (2)
(1) Eclipse Aviation and Eclipse Engineering at Williams International, USA; (2) New Aircraft Projects, Pilatus Aircraft Ltd., Stans, Switzerland

Keywords: development process, concurrent engineering

The development of a light aircraft can be an extremely costly, lengthy and risky endeavor. The market can change significantly during the time it takes to bring a design to market using traditional methods. This paper describes a development process and tools, which enable a faster time to market, lower overall investment and achievement of a more robust design. Examples are provided of how this development strategy is being implemented at Pilatus Aircraft in Switzerland on its latest designs.

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