TotalSim was excited to return to the third annual Ohio Air Mobility Symposium this past March. With the event hosted at the Columbus campus of The Ohio State University, we didn’t have to go far to learn about the continuous advancements made within Ohio’s air mobility scene.
TotalSim has attended the Symposium for the past two years and it’s always exciting to reconnect with old friends and gain new ones. The Symposium is hosted by Ohio State students and their ability to create a collaborative atmosphere for innovators in the industry continues to impress.
This year’s Symposium provided a perfect opportunity for TotalSim to stay in touch with where this new industry is headed and see where their CFD services could fit into the supply chain of Ohio advancements.
“Ohio is pretty far out in front of this particular niche of air mobility,” Ray Leto, President and co-founder of TotalSim, says. “They are setting themselves up to be an ideal location to do many things in the chain of design and development through their actual utilization of these types of aircraft.”
Ohio has always been a part of the aerospace supply chain, but in this specific case, they have focused on pioneering a new facet of the industry. The air mobility testing facilities in Dayton and Springfield, Ohio set the state ahead of other programs in the country.
Ohio is one of the first states to explore the different capabilities of advanced air mobility. New possibilities on the horizon include utilizing the aircrafts to transport health care necessities in record time, serve as air taxi services and assist in regional cargo delivery.
The process of the total supply chain involves designing and developing the aircraft, prototyping, performing flight testing and certification, scaling up manufacturing and then legitimate use.
“The state does a great job of focusing on job creation and effective land use for manufacturing and end use but has not emphasized the availability of engineering professionals available in Ohio to support the design, development and testing and certification of these aircraft,” Ray explains.
As it turns out, a lot of the testing for the aircraft can be done through modeling and simulation in parallel with physical and flight testing. By doing these virtual assessments with the help of companies who are experts in this technology, such as TotalSim, money and resources can be saved throughout the whole process.
“While Ohio is fully equipped to provide the land, workforce and research for these upcoming projects, there is a real opportunity to add even more value with the engineering needed in between the research and end-use.” Ray expands. “This is where TotalSim, and engineering service companies like us, can fit into Ohio’s air mobility supply chain. We’re a resource for these aircraft manufacturers to do their structural, aerodynamic or thermal testing as they work through design challenges on the aircraft and move through certification and ultimately commercial application of their platforms.”
TotalSim is excited to actively participate and partner with Ohio as the state continues to take the lead in the advanced air mobility industry.
