Aerospace Technology Archives

Is Your Jet Fuel Vegetarian? Researchers Are Developing a Biofuel Made From Animal Fat

As aviation continues a historic boom, jet fuel prices continue to rise, and the threats of irreversible climate change loom ever nearer, aviation researchers are looking for sustainable fuel alternatives to increase efficiency and lower the carbon footprint of individual aircraft and the industry as a whole. And sometimes, they find promising solutions in really unexpected places. We’ve heard about a lot of odd materials being used to create biofuels — from algaes and used…

13

Dec 2018

Aerospace Technology, Industry Information

Lockheed Martin Begins Manufacturing, Commits to 3-Year Timeline for X-59 QueSST Low-Boom Demonstrator

We’re one step closer to supersonic flight over land, as Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works announced recently that they have begun manufacturing parts for the next NASA X-Plane, the X-59 QueSST (“Quiet Supersonic Transport”) low-boom demonstrator. Lockheed also revealed an updated timeline, committing to delivering the aircraft in late 2021, to begin flight tests in 2022. Even in an industry like aerospace, where innovation is rampant and part of our DNA, it never comes all at once….

10

Dec 2018

Aerospace Technology, Industry Information

Manufacturing Tomorrow Publishes Proponent Article on Additive Manufacturing & the Aerospace Supply Chain

Proponent works hard to stay on the cutting edge of the disruptive technologies that are shifting the aviation industry. This month, our Pricing Optimization Manager, Jacob Volen, had the opportunity to share his thoughts on one such technology – additive manufacturing (also referred to as 3D printing) – with Manufacturing Tomorrow magazine. In the article, Jacob outlines the benefits of additive manufacturing (reduced costs, weight reductions, shorter time to market, etc.), how it is currently…

30

Oct 2018

Aerospace Technology

Predictive Analytics vs. Prescriptive Analytics: What Is the Difference?

In the past few years, “predictive analytics” has become something of a buzzword in the aerospace community. It shows up on a lot more websites, touted as a strength, but if you press beyond a surface-level conversation, it’s clear that many companies can’t tell you much beyond the fact that it will help your business. And if you really want to throw someone for a loop, ask them what prescriptive maintenance is and how it’s…

29

Oct 2018

Aerospace Technology

Humans Are the Future of Aerospace!

In a recent article on MRO Network, author Henry Canaday outlined the future of MROs as “human-machine teaming.” We couldn’t agree more. We write a lot about technology, and the ways that it is helping to advance and evolve the aerospace industry, but the core focus of this industry is people – whether you’re talking about the innovative minds that engineer ever-more efficient aircraft, the manufacturing teams that turn those designs into reality, the expert…

02

Oct 2018

Aerospace Technology

NASA X-Planes and the Future of Aviation

NASA recently announced the finalists for its most recent batch of experimental aircraft, or X-planes. The X-plane program is far from new, but the proposed aircraft in this iteration have been engineered to test advanced green aviation technologies, which gets us at Proponent very excited for the future. The History of NASA’s X-Plane Program Beginning in 1946 with the launch of the X-1 – the first plane to break the sound barrier – NASA’s…

24

Jul 2018

Aerospace Technology

How Aircraft Recycling Works

With so much of the focus of the aviation industry on manufacturing new aircraft and maintaining or repairing existing aircraft, it can be easy to forget about an aircraft’s end-of-life and what happens when a plane is decommissioned. More recently, with the rise of “green aviation” practices, aircraft recycling has become a huge part of retiring an airplane. Moving forward, aircraft recycling is becoming even more important, with 12,000 aircraft due to retire in the…

23

Jul 2018

Aerospace Technology

The Future of Drones in Aerospace

Ten years ago, the term “drone” conjured images of highly specialized military aircraft flying covert missions. Five years ago, drone had shifted to mean that annoying little toy being flown by a hobbyist and disturbing your picnic in the park. In 2018, drone could very well mean the future of the aviation industry. Driven as much by a cultural shift in consumer and commercial use as by improvements in the technology, drones – or unmanned…

27

Jun 2018

Aerospace Technology

The Technologies Disrupting the Aerospace Industry in 2018

The aerospace industry can be a bit of a contradiction. It is an industry built on (and, indeed, requiring) innovation, yet it can be surprisingly resistant to change. Some of that resistance is well founded, as the standards in aerospace are some of the most stringent and exacting in any industry; and the safety, security and feasibility of any new technology needs to be thoroughly vetted before it can be implemented on a wide scale….

06

Jun 2018

Aerospace Technology, Industry Information

How Blockchain Technology Could Completely Change Aerospace

With the breakneck pace of technology, it can be hard to keep up with the latest “disruptive” innovations, but if you have been listening in the past couple of years, you’ve probably heard about blockchain technology. And, chances are, you heard it in the context of tectonic shifts in the status quo. At their most breathless, proponents of blockchain technology can be heard predicting that blockchain will be the backbone of a new more secure,…

13

Mar 2018

Aerospace Technology