NIAR Gains Critical Engineering Design and Modification Capability

The National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University has added an Engineering Design and Modification Team.

The team is comprised of 35 engineers previously employed by the Bombardier Flight Test Center in Wichita with 875-plus years of combined experience with Supplemental Type Certificates, modifications, instrumentation, development and production engineering for commercial, military, special mission and business aircraft. 

“The team fills a gap for NIAR by establishing a group of exceptionally experienced consultants offering a one-stop solution from concept to certification,” said John Tomblin, WSU vice president for research and technology transfer and NIAR’s executive director.

The team will collaborate with Bombardier for Flight Test and Organization Destination Authorization services to provide turnkey solutions for concept designs, structural analysis, manufacturing, test and certification. 

“Our goal is to build on the experience of the team combined with the skills of NIAR engineers in areas such as structural testing and computational analysis to offer unparalleled capabilities for the aircraft and manufacturing industries,” said Dave Jones, who will lead the team.

Students interested in gaining industry experience will also benefit from the addition of the team, which already employs five students and has the capacity to engage up to 15.

“The capabilities of the team are representative of the type of engineering specialty services that are critical to the survival and growth of the Wichita aircraft and manufacturing industry,” said Tomblin. “The ability to couple this engineering experience into the applied learning environment at Wichita State and train the future engineers of tomorrow is truly a unique opportunity.”

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