Airbus has entered into a research partnership with the University of Cape Town (UCT). The European aircraft manufacturer hopes the partnership will help it gain an edge in the aerospace industry while also benefiting South African engineers who will have access to Airbus’ global engineering centres.
“We don’t have a monopoly of ideas at Airbus – not even in Europe. This will extend our research programme beyond European boundaries. South Africa has an opportunity for training and there may opportunities as well for commercial prospects,” said Dale King, Airbus senior manager for research and technology partnerships.
One of the areas being investigated is formation flying. Similar to migrating geese that fly in formation over long distance to save energy, the research partnership is studying how aircraft could use similar techniques to save on fuel. They are also looking at bio-fuels, from algae.