Aero Engineers Australia
Encyclopedia
Aeronautical Engineers Australia (AEA) is an Australian aeronautical engineering consultancy and aircraft technical service provider. It is the largest civil aircraft design organisation in the Asia Pacific region and is now headquartered in Brisbane
.
in 1978
in order fill the gap in airworthiness people authorised to approve the design of modifications and repairs in Western Australia
. Originally starting with a few desks in a part-owned hangar at Jandakot Airport
, the practice grew and moved to its current location at 1 Eagle Drive in 1990. In 1995, the company established its second office at Parafield Airport
in Adelaide
to widen its client base and better serve existing customers in the Adelaide region. In 2000, AEA joined with HSJ aviation and founded its third office at Sydney
's Bankstown Airport
. The company has since gone on to establish offices at Brisbane
and Melbourne
.
In 2003, a Cessna 404
crashed at Jandakot Airport. On investigation, the ATSB
found a replacement bush used in one of the engine fuel pumps and approved by AEA had seized, causing the engine to fail on takeoff. Although the Cessna 404
is designed to climb on one engine. The pilot had no option but to turn the plane around to attempt to make a safe landing on the runway, however the plane loss alitude and crashed into bushland. The pilot quick actions saved the lives of 3 passengers. In order to recover costs and losses as a result of the accident, the families and employer of the victims are suing the Civil Aviation Safety Authority
though AEA, as many of the other companies involved have since ceased trading.
In 2010 AEA was bought by the Nova Defence Group to expand Nova's business into the commercial sector.
of aircraft modifications, repairs and testing of aircraft components, aircraft weight control (aircraft reweighs, trimsheets and loading systems) in accordance with Civil Aviation Order 100.7 (CAO 100.7), design and manufacture of aircraft components (such as cargo nets, replacement parts, survey installations, equipment frames, skis, etc.) under a Production Certificate and Civil Aviation Safety Regulation Part 21 (CASR 21), flammability testing to FAR/JAR25.853 and similar provisions, systems integration, flight and performance testing, aircraft design, aeronautical consultancy, civil/military platform design etc.
Additionally Airline Technical Services was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of AEA to provide speciality services to the airline sector, and Swannell Racing now provides roll cage homologation services to the local racing industry.
The Explorer is a high-performance but rugged utility aircraft that can perform a wide variety of roles at a lower cost than other equivalent aircraft. It was developed to cope with the harsh Australian conditions and unprepared dirt strips but still deliver a 180kt cruise, almost 1000 nm range and economical performance. The aircraft utilises the latest in aerofoil design, a carbon fibre fuselage shell, a unique retractable undercarriage, flat cabin floor, and a newly devised construction method that minimises construction and assembly time. The aircraft was initially developed as the 350R but now incorporates the 500T turbine variant and the stretched 750T.
AEA conceived, designed and developed the Explorer and started Explorer Aircraft Australia Pty Ltd to develop and market the family of aircraft. As the Explorer project grew, this role was passed onto Explorer Aircraft Inc. which is now located in Houston, Texas. To date, no funding has been received to continue the project to the development stage.
, search and rescue
) or alter the aircraft in some other way. To ensure that the aircraft continues to be airworthy (i.e. safe to fly), the repair or modification must be examined by an aeronautical engineer so that the many complex factors that affect aircraft flight, structures and systems can be assessed and the design change approved as airworthy. To do this the engineer assesses the design of the modification or repair against the airworthiness requirements for the aircraft and then must justify that the design meets these requirements through the use of analysis, testing and experience. If the design has been shown to meet the airworthiness requirements it may be approved under Civil Aviation Regulation 35 (CAR35) and is hence 'approved data', satisfying CAR42U.
Provisions similar to CAR42U exist for how to and what to use when performing maintenance on an aircraft under CAR42V. If maintenance personnel wish to deviate from the aircraft's approved maintenance data, the materials and procedures need to be approved under CAR36A.
AEA, along with other similar approved persons around Australia, is an approved design authority under CAR35 and CAR36 (for the approval of replacement components). AEA is also approved under the Papua New Guinea Civil Aviation Rules Part 146 which mirrors CAR35 for PNG registered (P2 registered) aircraft.
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
.
History
AEA was established by Graham Swannell in PerthPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in 1978
1978 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1978:-January:* January 1 – British Aircraft Corporation, Hawker Siddeley, and Scottish Aviation are absorbed into British Aerospace...
in order fill the gap in airworthiness people authorised to approve the design of modifications and repairs in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. Originally starting with a few desks in a part-owned hangar at Jandakot Airport
Jandakot Airport
Jandakot Airport is an Australian general aviation airport located in Jandakot, Western Australia. Jandakot airport opened in 1963. From 1 July 1998, Jandakot Airport Holdings purchased a 50-year lease with a 49-year option to operate and maintain the airport including its conservation...
, the practice grew and moved to its current location at 1 Eagle Drive in 1990. In 1995, the company established its second office at Parafield Airport
Parafield Airport
Parafield Airport is on the edge of the residential suburb of Parafield, South Australia, 18 kilometres north of the Adelaide Central business district and adjacent to the Mawson Lakes campus of the University of South Australia. It is Adelaide's second airport and the fifth busiest airport in...
in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
to widen its client base and better serve existing customers in the Adelaide region. In 2000, AEA joined with HSJ aviation and founded its third office at Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's Bankstown Airport
Bankstown Airport
Bankstown Airport is a general aviation airport and business park located in the City of Bankstown, from the central business district of Sydney, Australia...
. The company has since gone on to establish offices at Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
In 2003, a Cessna 404
Cessna 404
|-See also:-External links:* *...
crashed at Jandakot Airport. On investigation, the ATSB
Australian Transport Safety Bureau
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is Australia’s national transport safety investigator. The ATSB is the federal government body responsible for investigating transport-related accidents and incidents within Australia. It covers air, sea and rail travel. The Australian Transport Safety...
found a replacement bush used in one of the engine fuel pumps and approved by AEA had seized, causing the engine to fail on takeoff. Although the Cessna 404
Cessna 404
|-See also:-External links:* *...
is designed to climb on one engine. The pilot had no option but to turn the plane around to attempt to make a safe landing on the runway, however the plane loss alitude and crashed into bushland. The pilot quick actions saved the lives of 3 passengers. In order to recover costs and losses as a result of the accident, the families and employer of the victims are suing the Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is the Australian national aviation authority , the government statutory authority responsible for the regulation of civil aviation.-History:...
though AEA, as many of the other companies involved have since ceased trading.
In 2010 AEA was bought by the Nova Defence Group to expand Nova's business into the commercial sector.
Services
AEA provides a variety of services to the general aviation industry, including the design and certificationType certificate
A Type Certificate, is awarded by aviation regulating bodies to aerospace manufacturers after it has been established that the particular design of a civil aircraft, engine, or propeller has fulfilled the regulating bodies' current prevailing airworthiness requirements for the safe conduct of...
of aircraft modifications, repairs and testing of aircraft components, aircraft weight control (aircraft reweighs, trimsheets and loading systems) in accordance with Civil Aviation Order 100.7 (CAO 100.7), design and manufacture of aircraft components (such as cargo nets, replacement parts, survey installations, equipment frames, skis, etc.) under a Production Certificate and Civil Aviation Safety Regulation Part 21 (CASR 21), flammability testing to FAR/JAR25.853 and similar provisions, systems integration, flight and performance testing, aircraft design, aeronautical consultancy, civil/military platform design etc.
Additionally Airline Technical Services was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of AEA to provide speciality services to the airline sector, and Swannell Racing now provides roll cage homologation services to the local racing industry.
Major projects
- CASA 212 Skiplane for SkytradersSkytradersSkytraders is an Australian airline. It is headquartered at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne, Australia. It has no routes of its own, but operates to support the Australian Antarctic Division's scientific research programme in Antarctica.- Fleet :...
- Fokker 50 Hardened Cockpit Door for SkywestSkywest AirlinesSkywest Airlines Pty Ltd is a regional airline company based in Perth, Western Australia, Australia; servicing key towns in the state of Western Australia, Darwin, Northern Territory and Melbourne, Victoria; as well as charter flights to Bali, Indonesia....
and Alliance AirlinesAlliance AirlinesAlliance Airlines is a charter airline based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It specialises in long-term contract charter to the mining and resources industry and governments in Australia, as well as ad-hoc charter operations and aircraft leasing to international airlines... - Dornier 328Dornier 328|-See also:- References :* Swanborough, Gordon. "Dornier 328: A Daimler for Commuters". Air International, March 1992, Vol. 42 No. 3. pp. 123–128. ISSN 0306-5634....
Inflight Opening Door for AeroRescuePearl AviationPearl Aviation is the most prominent of a group of aviation companies owned by Paspaley Pearling. It is an air charter company based in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It operates specialist aviation services including air ambulance, mining site flights, offshore oil support and contract... - Grumman G-73 Turbo Mallard Conversion for Paspaley PearlingPearl AviationPearl Aviation is the most prominent of a group of aviation companies owned by Paspaley Pearling. It is an air charter company based in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It operates specialist aviation services including air ambulance, mining site flights, offshore oil support and contract...
- Pilatus PC-12Pilatus PC-12The Pilatus PC-12 is a single-engine turboprop passenger and cargo aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. The main market for the aircraft is corporate transport and regional airliner operators.-Design and development:...
Aeromedical Conversion for the Royal Flying Doctor Service of AustraliaRoyal Flying Doctor Service of AustraliaThe Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia is an emergency and primary health care service for those living in rural, remote and regional areas of Australia... - Cessna 441Cessna 441-See also:-External links:* *...
Life Extension Program for TAE
Aircraft Designs
Since the 1980s, AEA has also been involved in the design of a number of whole aircraft projects including the Eagle 150B and the Explorer.The Explorer is a high-performance but rugged utility aircraft that can perform a wide variety of roles at a lower cost than other equivalent aircraft. It was developed to cope with the harsh Australian conditions and unprepared dirt strips but still deliver a 180kt cruise, almost 1000 nm range and economical performance. The aircraft utilises the latest in aerofoil design, a carbon fibre fuselage shell, a unique retractable undercarriage, flat cabin floor, and a newly devised construction method that minimises construction and assembly time. The aircraft was initially developed as the 350R but now incorporates the 500T turbine variant and the stretched 750T.
AEA conceived, designed and developed the Explorer and started Explorer Aircraft Australia Pty Ltd to develop and market the family of aircraft. As the Explorer project grew, this role was passed onto Explorer Aircraft Inc. which is now located in Houston, Texas. To date, no funding has been received to continue the project to the development stage.
- Eagle Aircraft 150BEagle Aircraft 150B-External links:* Composites Technology Research Malaysia* * * * *...
---- (1997) Single-engine two-seat civil utility aircraft with conventional tailplane and canard surfaces. Composite construction
- AEA MaverickAEA MaverickThe Aero Engineers Australia Maverick is a single-seat sportsplane of conventional configuration. Constructed largely of composite materials, it is powered by a 75 kW Continental O-200A engine and is capable of manoeuvres with loads of up to +6 or -3 g.Only one aircraft had been built,...
------------ (1987) Single-engine one-seat sport aircraft of composite construction
- Explorer 500RAEA Explorer-Specifications AEA 500T :-See also:-References:* Jackson, Paul. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group, 2003. ISBN 0-7106-2537-5.-External links:**...
------------ (1998) Single-engine high-wing transport aircraft. Piston engine
- Explorer 500TAEA Explorer-Specifications AEA 500T :-See also:-References:* Jackson, Paul. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group, 2003. ISBN 0-7106-2537-5.-External links:**...
------------ (2000) Turboprop version of 500R
- Explorer 750TAEA Explorer-Specifications AEA 500T :-See also:-References:* Jackson, Paul. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group, 2003. ISBN 0-7106-2537-5.-External links:**...
------------ (____) Stretched version of 500T
Role
Under Civil Aviation Regulation 42U (CAR42U), any modification or repair that is carried out on an Australian aircraft must be done in accordance with 'approved data'. This approved data is usually contained within the aircraft's manuals (aircraft maintenance manual, structural repair manual, component maintenance manuals etc.) issued by the aircraft's manufacturer. However, sometimes there is damage to the aircraft that is outside the scope of these manuals or the operator wishes to modify the aircraft to help it perform a specific function (aerial firefightingAerial firefighting
Aerial firefighting is the use of aircraft and other aerial resources to combat wildfires. The types of aircraft used include fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Smokejumpers and rappellers are also classified as aerial firefighters, delivered to the fire by parachute from a variety of fixed-wing...
, search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
) or alter the aircraft in some other way. To ensure that the aircraft continues to be airworthy (i.e. safe to fly), the repair or modification must be examined by an aeronautical engineer so that the many complex factors that affect aircraft flight, structures and systems can be assessed and the design change approved as airworthy. To do this the engineer assesses the design of the modification or repair against the airworthiness requirements for the aircraft and then must justify that the design meets these requirements through the use of analysis, testing and experience. If the design has been shown to meet the airworthiness requirements it may be approved under Civil Aviation Regulation 35 (CAR35) and is hence 'approved data', satisfying CAR42U.
Provisions similar to CAR42U exist for how to and what to use when performing maintenance on an aircraft under CAR42V. If maintenance personnel wish to deviate from the aircraft's approved maintenance data, the materials and procedures need to be approved under CAR36A.
AEA, along with other similar approved persons around Australia, is an approved design authority under CAR35 and CAR36 (for the approval of replacement components). AEA is also approved under the Papua New Guinea Civil Aviation Rules Part 146 which mirrors CAR35 for PNG registered (P2 registered) aircraft.