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Home » Nano-Nano: The future of aviation is small. Tiny even.

Nano-Nano: The future of aviation is small. Tiny even.

    This post is not about aliens from Ork, but it is about other seemingly alien things.

    ESA image: OPTICAL COATING WITH NANOMETRE-SCALE LASER EFFECTS from ESA Article Laser Focus Down to the Nano-World 3 Dec 2013 (Click on image to read full article.)

    Nano Technology may seem alien now, but hopefully we will all soon take it for granted.

    A Tweet from the most excellent Airchive.com @airchive led me to this recent article written by Jordan Kushins for Gizmodo.com:

    5 Ideas To Improve Air Travel From A Textile Designer.

    As an interiors person, I just had to read it.

    As a nanotechnology aficionado, I found it very exciting.

    The practical applications of nanotechnology are infinite.  I firmly believe that the future is small.  In fact, tiny.

    And this tiny future may be closer than we think.

    Aerospace already has their sites firmly on Nano Tech innovations, and aviation should not lag far behind.

    With most technological developments, I want to know how they will change the products we use everyday.

    Therefore, I find applying nanotechnology to improving how textiles perform fascinating.  Using Nano Tech to improve aircraft interiors textiles and other aircraft interiors materials makes sense.

    It has the potential to make these materials not only easier to clean, but virtually stain-free because of its repellent qualities.  It could revolutionise product life-cycles, cabin maintenance, and hygiene.

    So, I ask myself, how close are we to making these materials standard in the cabin?  What certification challenges will we encounter?  Which manufacturers are already applying this technology or when will they begin to?

    That is one of the topics I’ll research in depth over the coming year.  I expect that as I learn more about the possibilities of Nano Tech applied to materials we use in the manufacturing of aircraft components, I will uncover some exciting developments.

    If you’re wondering why you should sign up for Key-In, the Flight Chic newsletter which will be issued starting 2014, this is one very good reason.

    Key-In will be dedicated to exclusive articles on my conversations with industry insiders to discuss their professional experience, their innovations, and new product developments.

    While I will write articles for a variety of media, Key-In will contain serials with detailed information which would not fit in a single article, and in-depth articles with key information not to be found elsewhere.

    I have high expectations for Key-In, and I hope you will take full advantage of the depth of information it will provide.

    On a related note:

    This week, my article on flammability certification appeared exclusively on the Runwaygirl Network.  I can not over-emphasise how honoured I was to work with Mary Kirby (@RunwayGirl), founder of Kirby Media and the Runwaygirl Network, to cover a topic which interests me so much and with which I’ve had so much practical experience.

    I could not have written this article without the contributions of two renowned experts in the field: George J. Ringger, MAS, PE and Scott Campbell, Director of Flammability Engineering at Zodiac Aerospace Commercial OEM Cabin and Structures in Huntington Beach, CA.  I am in their debt, and I know both of them have exciting things they would like to share with Flight Chic in future.

    If you’re wondering about the type of article you’ll find on Key-In, then this article on flammability certification is a good indication.

    There will be articles on operations, manufacturing, product development, regulations, and certification matters delivered straight into your inbox every month, beginning in the Spring of next year.  (Spring just sounds like a nice time for something this fruitful to sprout.)

    Key-In and learn from those in the know.

    In other exciting aviation news this week, I am very pleased with the announcement that Jennifer Coutts-Clay author of Jetliner Cabins (@Jetlinercabins) will release her seminal book on aircraft interiors and airline branding as an E-Book in February of this year.  What a perfect Valentine for all aviation lovers!

    If you follow this blog, or any blog on aircraft interiors, and you have not yet read Jennifer Coutts-Clay’s book then you absolutely must take advantage of the new edition when the E-Book is released.

    If you already have the hardback edition, then the wealth of additional information and images (both vintage and state-of-the-art), make the new E-Book version an essential addition to your aviation library.

    If you don’t happen to be in the aircraft interiors design and manufacturing sector, but are an aviation aficionado, you will love it.  I promise.

    2014 is going to be a very good year.

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