Electric start

Goodrich Corporation has been awarded funding by the UK Department of Trade and Industry's Technology Program to develop a new type of electric engine starter system.

An extension of the 'Integrated Wing' program,  the new project dubed AMES, for Advanced More Electric Systems, is designed to support the needs of  the next generation Airbus and Boeing single-aisle aircraft.

Goodrich's Electrical Power Systems team based in Pitstone, UK, will  lead a UK industry consortium to develop electric engine start technologies which will contribute to reduced engine emissions and lower operating costs  for next generation, single-aisle aircraft.

'This award will allow our team to further develop the electric engine start capability of our award-winning variable frequency technology, an approach that has substantial benefits in the  reduction of aircraft weight, cost and emissions. AMES will deliver this electric start capability while meeting the unique design requirements of single-aisle aircraft,' said Goodrich's Peter Crouchley, Vice President of Engineering, Electrical  Power Systems.

Goodrich will work alongside Airbus UK, GE Aviation (formerly Smiths Aerospace), Norfolk Capacitors and Semelab to develop the AMES technologies.

The UK Technology Program provides funding using two of the UK's Department of Trade and Industry business support products - Collaborative  Research & Development and Knowledge Transfer Networks.

Between 2005-2008,  £320m in funding is being made available to businesses to support research and development in technology areas identified by the government's Technology Strategy Board. The program is investing directly in new and emerging technologies and  has been designed to help businesses work collaboratively with each other or with academic partners to develop technologies that will underpin  products and services of the future.