About the Project
Our client operates a fleet of aircraft used as test beds for equipment that may eventually be used for military or civil aviation purposes. The nose of one aircraft needed to be modified to accommodate new test equipment.
After the nose section and fuselage of the aircraft had been scanned at the airfield by another company, our team of engineers were asked to create new designs for the aircraft from the scan data provided.
Using the original data, a new aircraft nose section was redesigned to the client’s requirement. Whilst we were not made aware of the function of the new nose the PES engineers were given information on the weight, mass and dimensions of the parts which needed to be built into the new nose.
A colour error map was produced from the scan data to ensure that when the new nose cone was produced it would fit perfectly to the aircraft, allowing for any potential distortions that had developed over the life of the aircraft.
The manufactured nose section was successfully fitted first time! Before employing this technology, it would previously have taken the aircraft fitters and fabricators up to three days to fit a modified nose section.
Now scan data of the nose and fuselage has been captured, in future other new noses can be redesigned without the need to re-scan the aircraft again.