Celebrating National Aviation Week in the United States: 3 Heritage G&H Solutions that Keep Those Flying Machines Soaring
The fact that humans have managed to put objects heavier than air in the sky is a feat equivalent to the discovery of the wheel or to proper fire wielding. But as is the case with any promethean effort, the result of seamless flight came with many trials, tribulations, and even loss of lives. Numerous moments have defined aviation history throughout time, from Benedictine monks from the 11th century attaching improvised wings to their hands and feet to reach for the sky to the experimental NASA-X43 achieving a speed of Mach 9.6 (or 7,366 mph), the fastest aircraft on record. National Aviation Week in the United States gives us a chance to reflect on the amazing progress we have accomplished in this sector, looking at both man and machine performance.
At G&H, we can also proudly refer to our own “made in the UK” and “made in the USA” contributions adding value to the continuous development of this field. From thin film optical coatings to laser protection and navigation systems, our company has been serving the avionics and defense sector for decades with resounding results for our clients. Some of the most notable Gooch & Housego solutions for aircrafts and avionic applications are:
1. Ring laser gyroscope parts
RLGs represent the heart of an aircraft’s inertial navigation system (INS), determining the plane’s velocity, orientation and position. As stipulated by Hermann Statz, Terry A. Dorschner, Michael Holtz, and Irl W. Smith in Laser Handbook, a “Ring laser gyroscope (RLG) is one of a new class of rotation sensing instruments which detect absolute rotations by means of a purely electro-magnetic effect, in marked contrast to traditional mechanically based instruments typified by the spinning-wheel gyroscope.”[1]
Thanks to the vertical integration strategy employed at G&H, our teams can manufacture and supply the entire ring laser gyroscope package, including frame and specific optical components. This approach maximizes quality assurance, while keeping the operations in a cost-effective zone. A big plus for our customers comes from our RLG solutions being available for shipping in record time, a clear advantage on the avionics manufacturing market.
2. Fiber optic gyroscopes
Fiber optic gyroscope technology is known for its high accuracy, high sensitivity and minimal electromagnetic interference, making it a preferred choice for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), among other applications. These systems use the available light to calculate the motion of the aircraft.
G&H prides itself with a decades-old heritage of FOG design and production, owning an end-to-end control of the value chain behind the manufacturing process. In particular the fiber optics used to build the final gyroscope solution are tested for harsh environment conditions (including radiation damage) and undergo rigorous qualification processes that reproduce actual atmospheric qualities. What is the most important for our engineer teams is to assure the maximum amount of reliability for our FOGs, so that they work seamlessly in the final application and create an extraordinary aeronautic piece of equipment.
3. Polymer optics for defense
A choice growing in popularity in the field of optics, polymer components for the defense industry are taking over the scene. Considering the benefits in terms of versatility and cost efficiency, this takeover shouldn’t come as a surprise. As Rui Zhang, PhD in Optical Science at the University of Arizona mentions, “Compared with the other materials, such as glass material, the plastic has much smaller density but also shows excellent optical property.”[2] Applications in avionics include spectrometric systems, infrared (IR) sensors, lightweight cameras, and head-up displays (HUDs).
G&H excels in the design and manufacturing of night vision optics, laser targeting, missile guidance, infrared and thermal imaging, all of which benefit from our precision polymer lenses.
G&H Photonics Division President Stratos Kehayas remarked that “Research and development of aerospace and space hardware is typically characterized by high cost and long timescales. The ability to innovate quickly and efficiently in order to demonstrate the potential of a technology through flight demonstrations is vital.” We are keeping the same ethos of performance and precision alive by adhering to a strict and effective work ethic – being creative in developments, stringent in testing, and innovative in building the final product. During National Aviation Week, we are proud to recall our own contribution to the field, from small bolts to entire lens systems. And we are also looking forward to the next generation of high-performance technology that will challenge our understanding of avionics and manufacturing altogether.
[1] Statz, H., Dorschner, T. A., Holtz, M., & Smith, I. W. (1985). The Multioscillator Ring Laser gyroscope. In Elsevier eBooks (pp. 229–332). https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-444-86927-2.50007-3.
[2] Zhang, R. (2007). Polymer optics.