NRC team honoured with NASA's prestigious award

- Cleveland, United States of America

NRC researchers and international partners garner Group Achievement Award

On September 12, 2014, three National Research Council of Canada (NRC) researchers were recognized with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) prestigious Group Achievement Award.

Mike Benner, Craig Davison and Charlie Landreville, alongside partners from NASA, the Federal Aviation Association (FAA), Science Engineering Associates, Inc., Environment Canada and Met Analytics were honoured at NASA's Cleveland, Ohio quarters for their contributions to the High Ice Water Content (HIWC)/High Altitude Ice Crystal (HAIC) Flight Campaign.

(Left to right) Charlie Landreville, Mike Benner and Craig Davison with their iso-kinetic probe technology.

The team successfully designed, fabricated, tested, delivered and operated an iso-kinetic probe (IKP) to support NASA and the aerospace industry's goal of better understanding and qualifying the safety hazards of engine icing. This probe is critical in measuring total liquid water content, a key parameter that is essential to characterizing the atmospheric conditions that lead to engine ice crystal anomalies. The IKP was designed for accurate measurements at high altitudes, high airspeeds and high ice water concentrations where regulatory and design data are urgently needed.

The campaign's goal was to capture and depict the different environmental conditions which can cause internal engine icing; to devise methods for nowcasting and forecasting and ways to detect these conditions in real time; and to collect data required to recreate these atmospheric conditions in test facilities on the ground.

In an unprecedented 12 months, the team communicated with dozens of establishments and worked across certification and readiness requirements of foreign organizations to deliver a flight-qualified IKP probe for this multi-national test program. The IKP was then integrated onto the Falcon 20 aircraft of the Service des Avions Francais Instruments pour la Recherche en Environment (SAFIRE-French government organization).

Mr. John R. McDougall, President of the National Research Council of Canada congratulates Mike, Craig and Charlie on their contributions to this important achievement. "Not only has their expertise, hard work and commitment garnered them a prestigious NASA honour, they have worked alongside our partners to enhance aviation safety and meet increasingly stringent safety regulations."

The Group Achievement Award is presented to any combination of government and/or non-government individuals for an outstanding group accomplishment that has contributed substantially to NASA's mission.

The HAIC and HIWC Darwin Flight Campaign represents a partnership among airworthiness authorities, engine manufacturers, systems suppliers, airframers, research institutes and universities from four continents and seven countries.

NRC's contributions to the Flight Campaign were performed through its Reducing Aviation Icing Risk research program.

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