Aerospace Expo Serves Up Exhibits, Tours, Seminars

Aerospace Testing, Design & Manufacturing Expo has developed from the highly successful Aerospace Testing show format to include components of aerospace testing's complimentary disciplines so that the show covers the full spectrum of design, testing, evaluation, manufacturing, quality and compliance.

Featuring more than 300 exhibitors covering some 4,000m2 of space, this year the exhibition is being held at the New Munich Trade Fair Center in Munich, Germany, April 15 to 17, 2008.

In addition to the technologies and products on display in the halls, visitors to Aerospace Testing, Design & Manufacturing 2008 can benefit from a comprehensive program of events geared to a whole range of specialties across the aerospace testing, design, and manufacturing arena. The emphasis is on gaining knowledge through practical insights and live case studies.

Technical Tours

Two technical tours have been organized for visitors on Monday, April 14, the day before the show opens. Engine manufacturer MTU Aero Engines will take up to 120 participants around its headquarters in Munich to show them its test facilities for military and commercial engines. Visitors will also be able to view the company's module testing for objects such as compressors as well as holographic and other component testing.

The other technical tour is to the Bundeswehr Technical and Airworthiness Centre for Aircraft – the German Airforce's WTD 61 in Manching.

Up to 120 participants will visit the center's fighter hangar, where they will be briefed on FTI and view a live demonstration of the micro-UAV. In the helicopter hangar, visitors will learn about current helicopter programs being carried out there, including seeing the UH-Tiger helicopter. Visitors will also tour WTD 61's air control tower and radar room, finishing up with a look around EADS's museum of historic aircraft and a look at the site's Eurofighter production facility.

Special Feature Zones

There will also be two special feature zones on the exhibition floor. The German Air Force's WTD 61 Bundeswehr Technical & Airworthiness Centre for Aircraft will be demonstrating its flying helicopter simulator (FHS). Based on the Eurocopter EC135 – a twin-engine, light helicopter – the FHS includes a variety of flight test features such as a nose boom with pitot static probe and vanes and external hard point for the easy installation of additional user equipment.

In addition, a mission avionics test (MAT) helicopter will be on display; this enables a variety of testing – from individual components to whole systems such as map devices or sensor systems – to be tested under real flying conditions.

A second special feature zone is dedicated to ‘Aviation of the future' and has been put together by Bauhaus Luftfahrt to showcase forward-looking systems engineering and future trends.

This will feature a static wind channel mock-up, suitable for fixed wing aircraft, and a tilt rotor mock-up for rotary aircraft as well as a Designers' Corner showing futuristic design concepts for the future of air transport.

Technical Seminars

With more than 60 technical seminars free for all visitors to attend, the program breaks down into three broad streams. Auditorium One will feature sessions focused on design and manufacturing issues while Auditorium Two will be dedicated to testing topics.

On the first day of the show Auditorium Three will be dedicated to technical seminars about telemetry while on day two the Society of Flight Test Engineers has organized a day of presentations from companies such as Airbus, QinetiQ, Saab Aerosystems, and EADS Military to discuss various testing capabilities.

For more details on all the special events and features happening at the show log on to aerospacetesting.com.