Rapid Prototyping of Modem Aerospace Vehicles: The Aircraft and Technology of Aurora Flight Sciences, 1989-2017

摘要

This talk discusses how and when rapid prototyping can be effectively applied to the development of modern aerospace vehicles. Examples are drawn from the public history of Aurora Flight Sciences, which between 1989 and 2017 was involved in the development of more than 75 new aircraft types, primarily robotic and autonomous aircraft.When we started Aurora in 1989, UAVs were a fringe technology existing far outside the mainstream of military or commercial aviation. Our vision was to make robotic aircraft into useful tools for global climate change research. This pursuit was Aurora's primary agenda during the company's first decade of existence, lasting until NASA ended its High-Speed Civil Transport program and with it, most accompanying atmospheric research. Reacting to this, Aurora opened our aperture and became a leader in all sorts of robotic aircraft. Aurora's work included:1.Human powered aircraft 2.High altitude unmanned science aircraft 3.Planetary aircraft 4.Optionally piloted aircraft 5.Cargo and passenger aircraft 6.Strike aircraft 7.Medium-altitude long endurance UAVs 8.Ducted Fan VTOL UAVs 9.High-speed VTOL UAVs 10.Solar powered aircraft Key technologies that underpinned these programs included low Reynolds computational aerodynamics, composites, flight controls, autonomy, electric propulsion, and rapid prototyping skills. Key values that drove the organization included a belief that the integrity of data is essential and that a sense of urgency and a bias towards action were expected from all employees.One of the key questions I am often asked is "how did such a small group of people accomplish so much with so few resources?" During its time as an independent aerospace company, Aurora never had more than 500 employees. The answers lie in Aurora's exclusive focus on rapid prototyping and low-rate production. All the needed capabilities were in one small organization. The programs drove the organization and the functional organizations knew they existed only to support the programs. There was extensive reuse between the programs, both in technology and in people. The culture was highly focused on innovation and on rapid results. This included a true willingness to take risks, especially on people. You could join Aurora from a college or university one week and find yourself leading a program for a major customer the next. The focus on customers was relentless; the small financial reserves meant displeasing customers or losing competitions could mean not being able to meet payroll. This made Aurora highly competitive, and competition is the ultimate mechanism for identifying and developing top talent.