Special Session 2

In the post-pandemic era, general aviation is gaining significantly in importance, both globally and in local air transport systems. We observe both the return to proven aircraft designs from the second half of the 20th century as well as intensive research and development of innovative aircraft and helicopters, e.g. eVTOL, electric airplanes, etc.
Therefore, the third edition of the GARFIELD Special Session will be devoted to metrology, methods, and instrumentation for testing and evaluating general aviation aircrafts, including, business jests and turboprops, light twins, light sport aircrafts, rotorcrafts, homebulits. This will include aircraft performance measurements, flight and ground testing technology, validation of new aircraft concepts, etc. Contributions that address metrological issues in the field of electric propulsion, including the concept of distributed propulsion, light composite structures, disruptive technologies for eVTOLs and roadable aircrafts, electrical propulsion are welcome in the GARFIELD Special Session.

A special attention will be paid to airfield performance on grass runways. Grass-covered airfields are still popular, especially in the growing segment of general aviation. Today, not only small airplanes but also turboprops and even business jets take off and land from grass runways. One of the most challenging problems is the lack of evaluation methods for grass surfaces and an accompanying information system to help pilots perform safe landings and takeoffs on the grass.

Jaroslaw Pytka is a professor of mechanical engineering at the Lublin University of Technology in Lublin, Poland. His research interests include flight and ground testing, measurements of non-electrical, physical quantities, terramechanics especially with respect to airfield performance of aircrafts on unsurfaced (grass, snow-covered) runways. He is a member of the AIAA, SAE, AOPA, and EAA.