An aeronautical prototype is a system that is developed specifically for testing, both on the ground and in flight, the new functionalities that are intended to be implemented in series production aircraft, demonstrating the new skills or acquiring knowledge on a particular technology. Although you do not need to comply with all the requirements of the certification process for a permit to fly, it is imperative that you ensure flight safety within the required margins.
Prototyping of aircraft, or parts thereof, is essential to simplify processes, test performance, improve safety and reduce costs.
The main objective of the so-called prototyping is none other than to simplify processes and requirementsThe aim is to reduce aircraft delivery time and manufacturing costs by tailoring them to specific needs.
It should be borne in mind that, although the development of prototypes provides the company with unprecedented knowledge in new fields and products, some developments are sometimes unsuccessful in their first tests and have to be carried out modifications and redesigns quickly and easily.
To carry out the development of a prototype it is essential to have a multidisciplinary work team, in which there is a real cohesion between the different skills involved: design, production, purchasing, marketing, etc., as it is required a rapid response in case changes have to be made even at a very advanced stage of prototype development, adapting efficiently to circumstances that can sometimes be very changeable.
Given the innovation and development nature of this type of project, in which a high number of "trial-and-error" iterations are frequently necessary to obtain adequate solutions, the agility of the project will depend to a large extent on the autonomy that the specialists may have, as well as their experience in solving problems that arise. It is necessary that all personnel involved act as a team with a continuous flow of information.
This WORK TEAM must be able to carry out pre-design activities, preliminary calculations, development of prototype specifications, laboratory testing activities or support for on-plane activities, forming a high-performance team. The design process must be adapted to the volume of the project and information must flow between all the actors simultaneously, which highlights the importance of constant face-to-face communication between all the members of the team in order to shorten deadlines that are otherwise carried out in a more sequential manner.
The processes and requirements The design of a prototype, which is applicable to production aircraft, is an excessive amount of work and should be minimised as far as possible in order to reduce manufacturing costs and delivery times by adjusting the tasks to the specific needs. It is necessary to cutting red tapeThe new technology is a new way to bring design and manufacturing techniques down to industrial levels.
The development of the prototypes aims to achieve a functional demonstration of a new technology. For this purpose and provided that flight safety is ensured, taking the appropriate precautions, the following may be used unqualified materials or equipment for flight or industrial use, with specialists being responsible for validating the use of these components, subject to any limitations deemed appropriate.
In order to speed up the development of the prototype, whenever possible, the use of already developed componentseven if its design is not optimal for the industrialisation of the product, as long as it is suitable for the test to be carried out, validating its functionality.
All this, without forgetting the regular attention to excellence and good designIt is essential to opt for simplicity in order to achieve full functionality in the shortest possible time and to avoid cost overruns.
