Jul 16 2006
Goodrich Corporation, with support from the European Commission, is continuing to work on the development of the more electric aircraft. As part of "Project MOET" (More Open Electrical Technologies), led by Airbus, the Goodrich Actuation Systems team in France will be leading the actuation research activities. The actuation work package is one of nine across the MOET project; the goal of the project is to develop the technologies required for the more electric aircraft. Benefits of an electric architecture include improvements in environmental impact and reliability as well as reduced maintenance costs.
Goodrich's research and development teams have produced many significant technologies that have, and will continue to allow, aircraft to evolve. Over the past 35 years, Goodrich's Actuation Systems team has transformed actuation from mechanical input actuators to Fly-By-Wire to the current Power-By-Wire actuation.
According to Goodrich's Eric Schulz, President, Actuation Systems, "Goodrich is committed to new technology projects that will lead to the development of the all electric aircraft. All electric platforms are the future. We are preparing for the next generation of aircraft."
Additional Goodrich technologies contributing to the evolution of the all electric aircraft include electric actuation for extension, retraction and steering of the landing gear system; electro-mechanical braking; the electrical power generation system/Variable Frequency Generators (VFG); and the ability to demonstrate electric engine start-up.