The Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering broke ground on a new facility called the “Hangar” on Friday, Aug. 16. The construction is expected to be finished in the fall of next year, and the Hangar will act as a space where students can gain hands-on experience with smaller aircraft.
One of the focuses of the Hangar is an emphasis on sustainable air travel. Dr. Mitchell Walker, Professor and Chair of Tech’s Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, described the hangar as a space where “students [will work] on real airplanes, making them all electric.”
“In the same way that cars were electrified by hybrid-electric cars, airplanes are going in the same way because they also want efficiency and want to reduce the impact on the environment,” Dr. Walker said. “To do it with airplanes is a little more challenging because they have to be light and safe in ways cars don’t have to.”
According to Dr. Walker, the Hangar will tackle the challenges of power distribution, batteries, weight, charging, wiring and avionics of electric airborne vehicles. Students and faculty will also have the opportunity to incorporate these into different aircraft.
Coleman Preskitt, a third–year AE major, is happy with the initiative and opportunities the Hangar will bring.
“I think that going forward, the continued development and production of electric propulsion will have lasting effects on the industry at large,” he said.
Preskitt is also enthusiastic about the Research Aircraft for eVTOL Enabling techNologies
(RAVEN) project, which is a collaboration with NASA to create a unmanned research aircraft, according to NASA.
“RAVEN will be an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle that makes great strides in the realm of advanced urban air mobility.”
The aerospace department also hopes the new site will help maintain and attract new relationships for the school and the Institute. The Hanger will also house two other projects, including research focused on advanced air mobility and development of a solar electric airplane prototype, according to an article from the AE program.
“This hangar is going to be where we think our local partners will start looking at research related to electric aircraft.” Dr. Walker said. “We hope that more companies will come to Georgia and Atlanta because we made this investment and they know that this is where the University that’s leading in this area exists.”
The Hanger is another feather in the cap of the aerospace department. Ranked number two in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, the aerospace engineering program has seen success from its faculty, current students and alumni. Dr. Walker credits this success to the program’s emphasis on undergraduate students.
“We take the student experience incredibly seriously.” Dr. Walker said, “The discussion is not ‘Is it good enough.’ The discussion is, ‘Is this the very best thing for our undergraduates right now?’”
Much of the “best thing” seems to be a hands-on approach for students.
“The amount of co-ops, clubs and experiential learning opportunities that the department funds and pushes for is not just welcome by students, but is honestly a necessity. There is so much to learn from those experiences that a classroom or book could never teach us that is applicable to the industry.”
Max Fleischer, another third-year AE major, echoes Preskitt’s thoughts about Tech’s new space.
“It’s great to see the department investing in new research and forming partnerships. Last year, as the fabrication lead for the Design Build Vertical Flight team, I got a firsthand look at the exciting possibilities in VTOL flight,” he said. “I’m thrilled to see Georgia Tech expanding its efforts in this area and can’t wait to see what innovations will come from this new facility.”
Dr. Walker placed a heavy emphasis on the core aspects of aerospace engineering instead of its complex applications when he was asked about the effect of artificial intelligence on education. He said that they are not going to stop teaching the fundamentals of aerospace engineering, adding that “We need to know that our graduates have the education to adapt and keep rolling.”