GABRIEL
Integrated Ground and on-Board system for Support of the Aircraft Safe Take-off and Landing
The idea behind the project
The future air transport system will be confronted with new challenges: it must be sustainable, safer, greener and time / cost effective. Therefore, to meet the challenging targets of air transportation, radically new and innovative technologies, methods and structural solutions are required.
One of the innovative ideas is to use ground-based power to launch and recover an aircraft. It is seen as one of the most promising potential technologies, as it cuts the required engine take-off thrust and reduces the aircraft empty weight as no undercarriage will be needed, less fuel needs to be carried on board and engines can be smaller as less thrust is required. This will considerably lower the noise as well as the emitted chemical emissions.
Trial and Results
From the various technologies to perform ground-based take-off and landing GABRIEL is based on magnetic levitation. GABRIEL investigated if magnetic levitation assisted take-off and landing is feasible, safe and cost effective. The project also studied the feasibility of launch and recovery in connection to operating limits and aircraft flight controls. Operational, safety, and cost-benefit related issues were studied extensively. A small scale test was designed to assess the feasibility and estimate the limits of the assisted take-off and landing concept.
In short GABRIEL found that the concept is technologically feasible. Altogether, the concept can bring outstanding benefits, which thus require further investigations.
Project Information
This project has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement number 284884.
Period covered: September 2011 to August 2014
Project Partners
- REA - TECH Engineering and Architect Ltd., Hungary
- Slot Consulting Ltd. , Hungary
- Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
- ONERA - French Aeronautics and Space Research Center, France
- Consulting Engineer Office Dieter Rogg, Germany
- AD Cuenta B.V., Netherlands
- National Aerospace Laboratory, Netherlands
- Rzeszow University of Technology, Poland
- Wroclaw University of Technology, Poland
- Italian Aerospace Research Center, Italy
- University of Salerno , Italy