The following is IMO a good fit for the AMROBA thread.
Via the Oz today:
Rhys Jones: Lifetime of work making aircraft safer
![[Image: 9b534322b213d97b808ed2b004bd1f54]](https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/9b534322b213d97b808ed2b004bd1f54)
Rhys Jones with a model of the F/A-18 Hornet Picture: David Caird
The Australian
12:00AM January 26, 2018
ANNABEL HEPWORTH
Aviation Editor
Sydney
@HepworthAnnabel
It was the roof blowing open mid-flight on Aloha Airlines Flight 243 in 1988 that showed the importance of the field Rhys Jones has dedicated decades to — the structural mechanics of aircraft and repairing corrosion.
The professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Monash University has today been awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for his work, which saw him spend 16 years at the Aeronautical Research Laboratory at Victoria’s Fisherman’s Bend, a key hub for Australian aviation that was part of the then Defence Science and Technology Organisation.
His original studies in the 1960s and 70s were in mathematics at Adelaide University, and amid all the talk of a “STEM revolution” he has some sharp thoughts on the value of the discipline today.
“Too many engineers are not taking their mathematics seriously enough,” Professor Jones says, noting how important it is to aerospace engineering. “If Australian engineers are going to be able to compete with the rest of the world, they have to have the strongest understanding of their discipline possible because we are not the cheapest — we’ve got a small local market. You’ve got to be able to innovate or die ... to understand the theory you’ve got to have really good mathematics.”
During his time with the Defence Science and Technology Organisation he helped on work done in the US to develop technology to deal with ageing aircraft, at a time when the sector was still reeling from the Aloha incident, the causes of which included fatigue damage.
In the early 1990s, he took a post at Monash University but says he always had “one foot” in work around the defence sector.
His interest in aircraft has lasted and he went on to pioneer work on civil and military planes aimed at dealing with the issues around corrosion and cracking. His work is aimed at ensuring “continued airworthiness and if you have an aeroplane with problems, how to ensure you can fix it”.
Professor Jones worked with private sector company RUAG Australia and the US Navy on a “cold spray” technique to repair aircraft that is now used on Australia’s navy helicopters and to other aircraft. One of his papers was chosen to be in a top 10 collection for the century to 2007, published by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation.
& Sandy's response:
MTF...P2
Via the Oz today:
Rhys Jones: Lifetime of work making aircraft safer
Rhys Jones with a model of the F/A-18 Hornet Picture: David Caird
The Australian
12:00AM January 26, 2018
ANNABEL HEPWORTH
Aviation Editor
Sydney
@HepworthAnnabel
It was the roof blowing open mid-flight on Aloha Airlines Flight 243 in 1988 that showed the importance of the field Rhys Jones has dedicated decades to — the structural mechanics of aircraft and repairing corrosion.
The professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Monash University has today been awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for his work, which saw him spend 16 years at the Aeronautical Research Laboratory at Victoria’s Fisherman’s Bend, a key hub for Australian aviation that was part of the then Defence Science and Technology Organisation.
His original studies in the 1960s and 70s were in mathematics at Adelaide University, and amid all the talk of a “STEM revolution” he has some sharp thoughts on the value of the discipline today.
“Too many engineers are not taking their mathematics seriously enough,” Professor Jones says, noting how important it is to aerospace engineering. “If Australian engineers are going to be able to compete with the rest of the world, they have to have the strongest understanding of their discipline possible because we are not the cheapest — we’ve got a small local market. You’ve got to be able to innovate or die ... to understand the theory you’ve got to have really good mathematics.”
During his time with the Defence Science and Technology Organisation he helped on work done in the US to develop technology to deal with ageing aircraft, at a time when the sector was still reeling from the Aloha incident, the causes of which included fatigue damage.
In the early 1990s, he took a post at Monash University but says he always had “one foot” in work around the defence sector.
His interest in aircraft has lasted and he went on to pioneer work on civil and military planes aimed at dealing with the issues around corrosion and cracking. His work is aimed at ensuring “continued airworthiness and if you have an aeroplane with problems, how to ensure you can fix it”.
Professor Jones worked with private sector company RUAG Australia and the US Navy on a “cold spray” technique to repair aircraft that is now used on Australia’s navy helicopters and to other aircraft. One of his papers was chosen to be in a top 10 collection for the century to 2007, published by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation.
& Sandy's response:
Quote:Alexander
Well done Trent for making one bright spot in General Aviation and offering some suggestions for growth. I share your concerns about subsidies, a much better solution is to stop subsidising CASA with it’s plethora of unnecessary permissions that attract enormous fees and to revisit the ‘one off’ increase fuel levy imposed by Albanese that was planned to raise $89.9 over 4 yrs for ‘special safety programs’ in 2012. Truss simply rolled that one on, so much for sunset clauses and last I heard was this was over $127 million extra collected from our aviation industry.
As a former GA owner operator across 50 yrs and sadly having watched the half destruction of a very productive and necessary GA industry, I can attest to the extraordinary over regulation, supposed update of all the rules started 30 years ago and still not finished, and causing job losses and large numbers of flying schools closing.
One additional reform that could make GA far more sustainable would be availability of freehold on airports. Airports should be like roads, public on the airside with private property on the landside. This would allow the business security that is necessary for banks to lend and investors to become involved.
All we need is a commonsense Minister who will take control away from the dysfunctional independent regulator CASA. Alex in the Rises
MTF...P2