‘The brain compensates for the state-of-mind’

TU Delft has therefore brought together all its knowledge under one roof, in the Delft Centre for Aviation (DCA)

The demand for air travel is expected keep on rising, due to future economic developments, globalization, liberalization and technological developments. While this is certainly good news for the aviation industry, it does however set a series of challenges for an industry that must be able to cope with the overlapping and at times conflicting interests of the economical goals and the environment, not to mention future uncertainties.

Responding to these challenges, TU Delft decided to combine its capabilities in the field of aviation and establish a research center for aviation and airport-related research: the Delft Centre for Aviation (DCA).

The disciplines currently represented in DCA are aerospace, civil, mechanical and systems engineering; architecture; and technology policy analysis and management. One of the leaders of this new center is the DCA’s Business Director, Professor Sicco Santema, who was keen to outline the DCA’s modus operandi and its future goals.

Santema says “the main objective of the DCA is to provide a platform for aviation research at TU Delft. This is important because the aviation industry is a very dynamic one and has a continuous need for innovation. In addition to that, the DCA also strongly focuses on the integration of innovative solutions in industry by looking at the acceptance and organizational changes that accompany an innovation.”

This approach involves combining technology with policy-making and governmental issues. As an example, a very interesting project that DCA has been engaged in focuses on noise-reduction techniques in neighborhoods around Schiphol airport. Innovative concepts include anti-noise devices installed inside homes to alleviate the noise caused by the airport and thus creating a quieter environment, which is something that requires social as well as governmental support.
Meals

The Delft Centre for Aviation is actively involved with green projects as well. With this in mind, the center focuses on projects that improve efficiency in aviation, thus assessing the environmental impact of flight operations and aiming to reduce their impact. For example, when booking an online ticket, a possibility is to have the passengers choose their meals and beverages for that particular trip, before confirming their purchase. This will allow airlines to predict in advance the payload of food and drinks for that particular flight.

“Such a system could reduce the weight onboard by as much as 4.5 tons on a Boeing 747 (per 80 passengers) and therefore very significantly reduce the emissions of that flight,” Santema says. Surprisingly enough, this project also concluded that up to 80 percent of passengers would be able to choose their meals as early as three months in advance of the flight.

“Public awareness plays a very important role in the significant positive impact we can have on the environment,” Santema says. “Focusing on the fact that the brain compensates for the state of mind, when you teach a pilot to take the environment into account as a must rather than as a recommendation, it eventually comes naturally on his next flight. Without any change to the aircraft, this could result in remarkable improvements in emissions.”

The different projects researched by the DCA are initiated in various ways. Industry leaders, such as the Schiphol Group or KLM, approach the center with problems that need to be researched, or vice versa, the DCA develops solutions that are in turn offered to industry for implementation. However, one of the most important initiatives for projects comes from TU Delft students themselves.

“The aviation center is driven by the enthusiasm of the students together with the principal researchers,” Santema explains. “Students are always encouraged to propose a research project that fits in with the program and that we can work on.”
International

The active involvement of students is clearly rewarded as well. The DCA offers valuable assistance for students, helping them to find appropriate internships, graduation projects or a combination of both through their vast network of partners. Santema: “The research we do is at the workforce level. Students are exposed to real life challenges. And industry is very aware of this, which results in our graduation projects coming with an almost guaranteed job afterwards.”

The DCA also offers international opportunities. The center works closely with international companies and research groups, such as Alenia Aerospace, Airbus, Boeing, Rolls Royce and the German Aviation Research Society. Opportunities for internships and graduation projects abroad could also be arranged and implemented.

In addition to this, several startups at the Young Entrepreneurial Society of Delft (YES!Delft) have been sparked by the DCA. The center also provides support for its startups through its network and assists in the implementation and integration of new solutions.

When asked about his vision for the DCA, Santema enthusiastically explained the center’s future “50-50” plan: “The center aims to increase the capacity of the airport as a complex by 50 percent, and at the same time reduce the environmental effects, like noise and emissions, by 50 percent, which is why we call it the 50-50 plan.”

The DCA aims to achieve the 50-50 project by 2015, which is a very realistic target given the knowledge and expertise of the DCA’s personnel. “I know we can do it,” Santema says. “I’m just worried what will we do after we reach this goal!”

Professor Sicco Santema. (Photo: Sam Rentmeester/FMAX)

The demand for air travel is expected keep on rising, due to future economic developments, globalization, liberalization and technological developments. While this is certainly good news for the aviation industry, it does however set a series of challenges for an industry that must be able to cope with the overlapping and at times conflicting interests of the economical goals and the environment, not to mention future uncertainties.

Responding to these challenges, TU Delft decided to combine its capabilities in the field of aviation and establish a research center for aviation and airport-related research: the Delft Centre for Aviation (DCA).

The disciplines currently represented in DCA are aerospace, civil, mechanical and systems engineering; architecture; and technology policy analysis and management. One of the leaders of this new center is the DCA’s Business Director, Professor Sicco Santema, who was keen to outline the DCA’s modus operandi and its future goals.

Santema says “the main objective of the DCA is to provide a platform for aviation research at TU Delft. This is important because the aviation industry is a very dynamic one and has a continuous need for innovation. In addition to that, the DCA also strongly focuses on the integration of innovative solutions in industry by looking at the acceptance and organizational changes that accompany an innovation.”

This approach involves combining technology with policy-making and governmental issues. As an example, a very interesting project that DCA has been engaged in focuses on noise-reduction techniques in neighborhoods around Schiphol airport. Innovative concepts include anti-noise devices installed inside homes to alleviate the noise caused by the airport and thus creating a quieter environment, which is something that requires social as well as governmental support.
Meals

The Delft Centre for Aviation is actively involved with green projects as well. With this in mind, the center focuses on projects that improve efficiency in aviation, thus assessing the environmental impact of flight operations and aiming to reduce their impact. For example, when booking an online ticket, a possibility is to have the passengers choose their meals and beverages for that particular trip, before confirming their purchase. This will allow airlines to predict in advance the payload of food and drinks for that particular flight.

“Such a system could reduce the weight onboard by as much as 4.5 tons on a Boeing 747 (per 80 passengers) and therefore very significantly reduce the emissions of that flight,” Santema says. Surprisingly enough, this project also concluded that up to 80 percent of passengers would be able to choose their meals as early as three months in advance of the flight.

“Public awareness plays a very important role in the significant positive impact we can have on the environment,” Santema says. “Focusing on the fact that the brain compensates for the state of mind, when you teach a pilot to take the environment into account as a must rather than as a recommendation, it eventually comes naturally on his next flight. Without any change to the aircraft, this could result in remarkable improvements in emissions.”

The different projects researched by the DCA are initiated in various ways. Industry leaders, such as the Schiphol Group or KLM, approach the center with problems that need to be researched, or vice versa, the DCA develops solutions that are in turn offered to industry for implementation. However, one of the most important initiatives for projects comes from TU Delft students themselves.

“The aviation center is driven by the enthusiasm of the students together with the principal researchers,” Santema explains. “Students are always encouraged to propose a research project that fits in with the program and that we can work on.”
International

The active involvement of students is clearly rewarded as well. The DCA offers valuable assistance for students, helping them to find appropriate internships, graduation projects or a combination of both through their vast network of partners. Santema: “The research we do is at the workforce level. Students are exposed to real life challenges. And industry is very aware of this, which results in our graduation projects coming with an almost guaranteed job afterwards.”

The DCA also offers international opportunities. The center works closely with international companies and research groups, such as Alenia Aerospace, Airbus, Boeing, Rolls Royce and the German Aviation Research Society. Opportunities for internships and graduation projects abroad could also be arranged and implemented.

In addition to this, several startups at the Young Entrepreneurial Society of Delft (YES!Delft) have been sparked by the DCA. The center also provides support for its startups through its network and assists in the implementation and integration of new solutions.

When asked about his vision for the DCA, Santema enthusiastically explained the center’s future “50-50” plan: “The center aims to increase the capacity of the airport as a complex by 50 percent, and at the same time reduce the environmental effects, like noise and emissions, by 50 percent, which is why we call it the 50-50 plan.”

The DCA aims to achieve the 50-50 project by 2015, which is a very realistic target given the knowledge and expertise of the DCA’s personnel. “I know we can do it,” Santema says. “I’m just worried what will we do after we reach this goal!”

Professor Sicco Santema. (Photo: Sam Rentmeester/FMAX)