Capitol Update is a publication of the ASME Council on Public Affairs In this Issue: The Future of Flight December 17, 2003 Editor's Note: On this, the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first successful flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, we outline ASME's efforts to make Congress and the administration aware of the state of our nation's aviation and aeronautics research enterprise. Human flight was begun in the United States, a country that has dominated civil aviation ever since. That dominance is currently threatened by a) serious and sustained efforts by America's economic competitors overseas and by b) a lack of understanding on Capitol Hill and in the relevant federal agencies of the need for sustained, world-class research to enable the next generation of aviation and aeronautical innovation.
	ASME Works to inform Congress on the need for aviation/aeronautics research
	Aerospace division statement highlight of briefing
	Workshop held at White House Conference Center
	Aerospace Division position statement findings and recommendations discussed at Capitol Hill Briefing

THIS WEEK...

ASME WORKS TO INFORM CONGRESS ON THE NEED FOR AVIATION/AERONAUTICS RESEARCH

For the past few years, ASME, in collaboration with other engineering and aerospace organizations, has convened a series of briefings on Capitol Hill entitled "The Future of Flight," focusing on research in aviation and aeronautics technologies. The most recent briefing was held on December 10th at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC.

ASME President Dr. Reginald Vachon provided opening remarks, stating, "The development of an efficient global air transportation system has been driven by American engineering, but there is much to discover. We must inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to pursue careers in aerospace and aviation and we must ensure that they have exciting opportunities in which to apply their skills and talents." Dr. Prahbat Hajela, past chair of ASME's Aerospace Division and an ASME fellow with Sen. Conrad Burns, moderated the session.

Michael Hudson, former Vice Chairman of Rolls-Royce North America, represented the Committee on Aeronautics Research and Technology for Environmental Compatibility and the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board of the National Research Council (NRC). Mr. Hudson 's presentation focused on two NRC reports, "Securing the Future of U.S. Air Transportation: A System in Peril," and "For Greener Skies: Reducing Environmental Impacts of Aviation." Dr. Robert E. Scott, an international economist with the Economic Policy Institute discussed "Aerospace Employment and Competitive Outlook."

AEROSPACE DIVISION STATEMENT HIGHLIGHT OF BRIEFING

The highlight of the briefing was the recent release of an ASME Aerospace Division position statement entitled, "Persistent and Critical Issues in the Nation's Aviation and Aeronautics Enterprise." The statement was the work of a steering committee convened by ASME in May 2003 consisting of members of key national engineering and aerospace associations.

WORKSHOP HELD AT WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE CENTER

To gather information for the white paper, the steering committee organized a workshop on "Aeronautics and Aviation Technologies," hosted by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) of the Executive Office of the President.

Leaders from federal agencies, academia, and the private sector participated in a series of panel discussions on aerodynamics, aircraft propulsion, avionics and embedded information technology, flight mechanics and control, information technology in design, and structures and materials. During the workshop, OSTP asked the steering committee to provide the engineering community's perspective on technologies that are critical to the long-term health of the nation's civil and military aviation and aeronautics technology enterprise.

AEROSPACE DIVISION POSITION STATEMENT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS DISCUSSED AT CAPITOL HILL BRIEFING

The steering committee Co-Chair, Dr. Earl Dowell, J.A. Jones Professor at the School of Engineering at Duke University, discussed the committee's findings and recommendations at the briefing. Dr. Dowell was joined by his Co-Chair, Dr. Robert Loewy, William R.T. Oakes, Jr. Professor and Chair at the School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. Earlier in the day, Dr. Dowell provided the same presentation to representatives of the National Science and Technology Council Aerospace Subcommittee of the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House Conference Center.

Dr. Dowell noted that, "Historically, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has had a pre-eminent combination of talent and experience in aeronautics research with a network of test facilities and research aircraft unmatched elsewhere in the world. However, through a combination of internal and external factors, that capability has substantially declined to the point that the nation's leadership in aeronautics is at serious risk."

Dr. Dowell stated that, in its report, the committee focused on technologies the United States should pursue in aerodynamics, aircraft propulsion, avionics and embedded information technology, flight mechanics and controls, information technology in design, and structures and materials. The committee also addressed crosscutting technologies such as flight software, composite structures and materials, and autonomous aircraft.

According to the report, "If the United States is to maintain technological leadership in aeronautics and aviation, it must emphasize the development of advanced aeronautical technologies in advanced subsonic aircraft, high-speed supersonic aircraft, and short-haul aircraft."

The Committee noted that the United States' commercial and business transport airframe manufacturing industries have been under assault from European and Canadian interests. The U.S. position in the burgeoning regional jet market currently dominated by Canada and Brazil is virtually non-existent.

"There are opportunities for new industrial companies and employment opportunities to emerge based upon advances in a vigorously funded aerospace research and development program at the national level. There are numerous and exciting opportunities for major advances in many areas of aeronautical technology including automated flight vehicles, avionics, propulsion, quiet aircraft and zero-emissions aircraft," stated the committee.

Technology recommendations outlined in the report include:

• Research into avionics systems and their applications should be aggressively pursued because their use is pervasive and is often critical to the success of advanced aircraft developments.
  
  
• Research and development into Uninhabited Air Vehicles (UAVs) should be given sustained support addressing issues of reliability, maintainability and cost, so that the full potential of these promising aircraft can be realized.
  
  
• Federal programs need to recognize that retaining national leadership in aircraft propulsion demands a program balanced between near-term needs, driven by market forces, and longer-term investments required to achieve transformational national capabilities.
  
  
• Fundamental advances in information technology should be vigorously pursued to address the increasing complexity of design decisions and the high costs incurred when inappropriate decisions are taken at early stages in system design based upon inadequate information and knowledge. Research on new and more effective prediction methodologies are sorely needed to meet this challenge.
  
  
• Methodologies that facilitate the development of cost-effective, extraordinarily reliable software and systems for safety critical operations should receive the strongest possible support. Not only will such an investment help to revitalize the nation's aerospace activities, it will also enhance industrial competitiveness and national security and contribute to U.S. technology leadership well beyond aeronautics.
  
  
• Composite-Structures research is a critical enabling technology for advanced aeronautical development, and should be vigorously supported. In particular, new advances in manufacturing techniques for large-scale composite structures are required to promote the development of a new generation of aeronautical vehicles.
  
  
• Significant new aerodynamics research is required in support of innovative and promising applications ranging from micro UAVs, to Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) regional transports to Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO) launch vehicles and hypersonic missiles.
  
  
• Essential simulation, ground, and flight-testing capabilities must be preserved and new, more productive capabilities should be developed - including physical infrastructure and personnel - so that new generations of advanced aircraft can be designed safely to be competitive in the world market.

The report also addresses policy issues and their impact on civil and military aviation, including the security and quality of life, the science and engineering workforce, and the preservation of national research assets. The committee discussed challenges confronting the U.S. aeronautics enterprise, which includes a sharp decrease in the number of new commercial and military aircraft programs, a decline in the quality of the research infrastructure, and erosion in ranks of the workforce needed to ensure pre-eminence in an increasingly competitive marketplace. According to the committee, the issues are not unrelated, driven by dramatic reductions in federal funding for research in aeronautics over the past decade.

The committee noted that legislation introduced in the 108th Congress "supports many of the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry, and set research and development objectives for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which in many cases are aligned with the objectives established by the committee. We recommend that they be supported."

In closing, Dr. Dowell stated, "The committee believes that a vigorous national advanced aeronautical R&D program with strong leadership by the federal government is essential to the United States: (1) maintaining a strong national transportation system in support of a world class economy; (2) sustaining and enhancing its leadership position in global air transportation; and (3) maintaining homeland security and winning the war on terrorism."

How will the U.S. aeronautical industry respond to the challenges from beyond our borders, particularly the European challenge? On this, the 100th Anniversary of Flight, the answer is not at all clear. But, as stated in the report, "although technological achievement alone will not guarantee success, success can hardly be achieved unless U.S. aeronautics meets the technical challenge."
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"The challenges posed by our rapidly changing world - asymmetric threats, international competition, environmental awareness, advances in technology - demand that we, like the Wright brothers 100 years ago, look at the challenges as opportunities for aerospace and turn them into reality." The Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry
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The ASME Aerospace Division position statement entitled, "Persistent and Critical Issues in the Nation's Aviation and Aeronautics Enterprise" is available at www.asme.org/gric

The Dec. 10th briefing was cosponsored by: The American Association of Engineering Societies, The American Helicopter Society, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-USA, NASA Alumni League, Society of Automotive Engineers, and the NASA Aeronautics Support Team. Presentations from the briefing are available at http://www.asme.org/gric

Presentations from the ASME May 2003 http://asme.org/gric/AeroWkshop/AviationWkshop_2003.html

Kathryn Holmes handles aviation/aerospace-related public policy issues for ASME. She can be reached at holmesk@asme.org

PLEASE NOTE: THE ARTICLES CONTAINED IN CAPITOL UPDATE ARE NOT POSITIONS OF ASME OR ANY OF ITS SUB-ENTITIES, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY NOTED AS SUCH. THIS PUBLICATION IS DESIGNED TO INFORM ASME MEMBERS ABOUT ISSUES OF CONCERN BEING DEBATED AND DISCUSSED IN THE HALLS OF CONGRESS AND IN THE FEDERAL AGENCIES.