NASA Hosting Future Technology Forum at AirVenture 2016

May 5, 2016 – Will the future include self-flying aircraft? How will electric aircraft fit into the future of aviation? NASA will explore those questions and more on Friday afternoon, July 29, during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016.

The NASA Self-Flying Aircraft and Electric Propulsion Technology forum, which will be held in the AirVenture Museum’s Vette Theater from 1-5 p.m., will explore how new technology will affect the future of flight. NASA is developing technologies enabling new types of general aviation aircraft providing unprecedented access to high-speed, on-demand mobility for personal regional transportation needs. 

Current research activities in these areas will be highlighted, including simplified vehicle operations research as well as the SCEPTOR, which will be the first manned use of distributed electric propulsion. A roadmap will be presented across the technologies that can achieve the greatest impact in small aircraft capabilities, including the following sessions which each include opportunity for questions, discussions, and public participation.

The speakers are Mark Moore: NASA Planning Lead for On-Demand Mobility and Principal Investigator of SCEPTOR X-57 Distributed Electric Propulsion Flight Demonstrator, Ken Goodrich: NASA Planning Lead for Simplified Vehicle Operation, and Michael Patterson: NASA Planning Lead for Materials and Integrated Structures and Community Impact.

The schedule includes:

1 p.m.: On-Demand Mobility Vision:  Maximizing Personal Transportation Productivity

2 p.m.: Simplified Vehicle Operations:  The Path to Self-Flying Aircraft

3 p.m.: Electric Propulsion:  Transforming Existing Aircraft into Lean, Green, Cost Effective Machines

4 p.m.: Advanced Technologies for On-Demand Mobility:  Open Discussion and Q&A

The forum is open to all and is included with AirVenture admission.