FAA Center of Excellence
On 18 December 2003, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced
the creation of a new Air Transportation Center of Excellence for Advanced
Materials. The kick-off meeting for the joint centers was held March 3, 2004 at the FAA Tech Center in Atlantic City. This new Center of Excellence was awarded jointly to Witchita State University
and the University of Washington. CCM is a member of the Witchita State
University team, which also includes Northwestern University, Oregon State
University, Purdue University, Tuskegee University, and the University
of California at Los Angeles. will conduct research, engineering and prototype
development toward the safe and reliable use of advanced materials and
composites in large commercial aircraft.
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"One hundred years after the first flight, this nation remains committed to
leading the world in aviation technology research and development," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta. "This new center will help lead America into its second century of aviation excellence."
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Advanced composites have emerged as the structural materials of choice
for many aerospace applications because of their superior specific strength
and stiffness properties. First developed for military applications, composites
now play a significant role in a wide range of current generation military
aerospace systems. The large commercial transport aviation industry has
seen a significant increase in adoption of composite materials during
the past 25 years, and many advances have been made in the general aviation
and rotorcraft vehicles where composites are utilized for primary structural
applications. This Center of Excellence in Advanced Materials will pursue
activities and programs on research and development for the large commercial
transport aviation industry, while focusing on localized research and
certification issues related to advanced composites.
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