Khalifa University students visit Boeing facilities

Eleven Khalifa University students who traveled to Seattle, Washington, as part of a discovery visit inspected Boeing facilities to better acquaint themselves with the Aerospace industry and the history of aviation. "This collaboration with Khalifa University is one of a number of educational and training initiatives that Boeing supports in the UAE and the region. It is part of our efforts to contribute towards the development of the local workforce particularly those interested in Aerospace," said Jeffrey Johnson, President Boeing Middle East. "This programme is specifically designed to share Boeing's knowledge and experience at an academic level, to support in the development of the future leaders of the aviation industry in the UAE," he added. The students' senior project focused on initial design concepts for an electric aircraft that can be used for pilot training with quick mission turnaround. The fundamental concept is to attach the battery packs under the wings of the aircraft, which allows quick battery pack replacement so that the time between training missions can be minimized to an estimated ten minutes from landing to subsequent take-off. As part of the project, students considered aerodynamic, structural and mission designs in order to develop the design concept. The aircraft is expected to be certified by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and put into service by 2016. In addition to meeting with engineers, the students also had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Flight, as well as the Boeing 777, 747 and 787 Dreamliner assembly plants.