University, Air Malta in big EU avionics research project

Air Malta and the University of Malta yesterday announced their involvement in an EU-funded research project aimed at developing next generation safety features in avionics - the computers and other electronic systems that control an aircraft's electrical and mechanical systems.

The project, called Flysafe and worth more than €50 million, is headed by Thales Avionics of France and brings together 35 top European industry and research organisations including Airbus, BAE Systems, UK Meteo, Rockwell Collins, Diehl Avionik Systeme, DLR, NLR, Cranfield University and Darmstadt University.

"The university and Air Malta's involvement in the project came about thanks to the initiative of David Zammit Mangion, from the Faculty of Engineering, with the participation of Laurence H. Gatt, technical and projects manager at Air Malta," Joe Cappello, Air Malta's chief operating officer, said at a joint press conference yesterday.

Dr Zammit Mangion, who is the Malta delegate in the aeronautics programme committee of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme, said the Flysafe project will focus mainly on developing software and electronics that mitigate hazards such as aircraft collisions on the ground and predict bad weather and air turbulence in time while in flight.

Flysafe will in fact address three types of threats - traffic collision, ground collision and adverse weather conditions.

Dr Zammit Mangion said researchers will design the systems and build them in collaboration with Cranfield University and the other partners.

Giving an example of how research is applied to existent systems to improve safety, Capt. Gatt said aircraft had to install improved navigational equipment to ensure flight safety when the reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) was reduced from 2,000 feet to 1,000 feet about two years ago. RVSM is the minimum vertical separation between one aircraft and another in flight. It was reduced to increase airspace capacity due to growing air traffic.

Through expertise gained in years of flying, Air Malta pilots, both veterans and less experienced ones, will provide "end-user" advice throughout the project.

Capt. Gatt pointed out with satisfaction that on January 6, 1975, exactly 30 years ago, he was one of the first group of 12 Air Malta recruits who became the first pilots to be enrolled by the national airline.

"The aviation industry, which does not compromise on safety, needs to undertake continuous research to make flights safer, especially when it is calculated that the number of flights each day is expected to increase threefold over the next 20 years," he said.

After systems are designed and built, the project will go into the integration, verification and validation phases, when the new systems will be tested using simulations and test flights. The project, starting on February 1, will last four years.

The rector of the University of Malta, Roger Ellul-Micallef said the university was pleased to participate in the Flysafe project. "During the past six years, the university has acquired a lot of experience in applying for European-funded projects due to a high rate of participation in research projects under the framework programmes," he said.

He said one of the main objectives he had set for the university at the beginning of his term was to internationalise it - an aim that had, to a great extent, been achieved. "The renewed objective now is to turn our institution into the regional university of the Mediterranean," the rector said.