Presentation of 5 awards concerning aerospace innovation 2022 during the Excellence Club Aerospace Awards ceremony on 4 October 2022 at B612 Toulouse
On 4 October 2022 in Toulouse, in the Toulouse Métropole Innovation Centre called B612, the Excellence Club Aerospace 2022 awards ceremony took place.
This Toulouse Metropole B612 building brings together researchers, established aerospace companies and emerging companies to foster new ideas in the aerospace sector. And its name B612 is a reference to the book by the aviator and writer Antoine de St Exupéry, whose title “The Little Prince” corresponds to the hero from asteroid B612.
A whole range of players from the aerospace world, large and small innovative companies, both French and foreign (USA, Germany, etc.), were brought together to officially award five prizes for the most innovative projects of the year 2022. The trophies were awarded on the subjects of Green Aviation, Innovation, Artificial Intelligence, Connectivity / IoT (Internet of Things) and Inspiring Student. The selection of the best projects submitted for evaluation was made by a jury of academics and professionals representing international companies chosen for their concern for promoting innovation and their awareness of the social responsibility they bear. The jury included prominent members from Liebherr Aerospace, Limatech, IbaseT (publisher of a renowned ERP), …. to name but a few. Each awarded project received a crystal trophy bearing the name of the awarding company and the technical field rewarded.
Mr Thierry SENTOUS, City Councillor, expert advisor in Aeronautics to the Mayor of Toulouse represented Mr Jean Luc MOUDENC, President of Toulouse Métropole
Air et Cosmos was a partner of the evening and its representative Mr Yann Le GOFF brought a good mood and an enthusiasm which contributed to the success of the evening.
The event was also broadcasted live streaming on the Youtube channel of the Club and on LinkedIn for the participants who could not be present.
1 – Green Aviation Award: Thales
The award-winning project, Flights Footprint Estimator, consists of optimising the flight profiles of commercial aircraft to significantly minimise CO2 and non-C02 emissions, particularly condensation trails and NOX, which are responsible for global warming. There is no doubt that this type of project is a significant and expert contribution to a subject that concerns us all.
2 – Innovation Award: AirBusiness Academy
The Innovation Award goes to AirBusiness Academy, for its “Early Adopters” approach to the launch of a new ‘Civil Aviation Carbon neutrality’ training course.
The programme brought together 13 participants from 9 different companies representing the whole value chain of the aviation industry (airlines, suppliers, airports…) to research, examine and exchange on the different ways to address the issue of carbon neutrality by 2050. The customer-centric innovation approach therefore consists of placing the end-users and the identification of their needs at the heart of the reflection for the co-design of this training, in order to ensure its desirability, its value, its impact, and a responsible business growth. The approach was systematic, using simulation tools (AirManager™) and assessing the impact of the actions envisaged on emissions, but also on the value chain. The creativity of the project consisted in identifying, sharing and cumulating in an optimal way all the methods currently available, in order to minimise the carbon impact in the future.
3 – Artificial Intelligence Award: Iwiation (German company)
The aim of the awarded project is to improve safety on small airfields. The use of artificial intelligence makes it possible to detect aircraft and calculate their position in real time based on visual data. This makes it possible to document all object movements on the aerodrome and to send warnings to the operator responsible for the aerodrome. In addition, the system allows landings and departures to be documented from transponder information and visual call sign detection.
4 – Connectivity / IOT (Internet of Thing): Collins / easyJet / Airbus
This prize was awarded by Mr Thierry SENTOUS of Toulouse Métropole. The winning project is a team composed of Collins / easyJet / Airbus for a programme aimed at connecting the aircraft to ground operations in order to provide services that reduce the weight of the aircraft and consequently its fuel consumption and environmental impact.
EasyJet’s Airbus A320neo aircraft have been equipped with a new generation of Satcom integrated with the Flight Operations & Maintenance Exchanger (FOMAX) developed by Collins Aerospace and Airbus to provide pilots with real-time information to optimise routes, for example, or to adjust the fuel load to the strict requirements of the flight, thus generating substantial fuel consumption reductions.
5 – Inspiring Student Award : Neamine project with Thomas DELHON IPSA / ISAE
The winning project consists in a first step of identifying accessible asteroids with rare materials. After selecting an asteroid, it is then a matter of going to look for the materials sought and bringing them back.
This Excellence Club Aerospace Awards 2022 event on 4 October 2022 will give the best projects greater visibility so that they can develop further. During the evening cocktail party, many contacts were also made, combining usefulness and pleasure. Let’s wish the best to all these innovative projects linked to the aerospace field and see you next year.