China News Agency, Montreal, October 31st: What is the level of China's civil aviation innovation in the world?
——Interview with Ding Shuiting, President of Civil Aviation University of China and a well-known expert in the field of aeroengines
China News Agency reporter Yu Ruidong
In the past ten years, China's transportation industry has made historic achievements and has undergone historic changes, ushering in a historic leap from a major transportation country to a strong transportation country.
Innovation-driven development plays a key role in the development of China's aviation sector.
Compared with international advanced counterparts, what is the current level of China's civil aviation technology innovation, what are the highlights, and what is the future development path?
How to enhance China's right to speak in the formulation of international aviation rules?
Ding Shuiting, president of the Civil Aviation University of China and a well-known expert in the field of aero-engines, accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency "East-West Question" during the ICAO Innovation Expo in Montreal, Canada, and answered one by one.
The following is a summary of the interview transcript:
Reporter from China News Agency: Could you briefly introduce what is the current main direction of scientific and technological innovation in the field of international civil aviation?
Ding Shuiting:
Judging from the current development trend of the international civil aviation industry, there are several important themes, which can be said to be highly compatible with the "14th Five-Year" development plan of China's civil aviation industry.
The first is green sustainable development.
The subject of my presentation at the ICAO Innovation Expo was on how to promote the safety certification and commercial success of new energy aircraft.
International counterparts generally believe that sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) may be the best and fastest path to carbon neutrality, and its contribution to carbon neutrality may reach 55%-65%.
The advantage of SAF is that it does not need to change the structure of existing aircraft and engines, nor does it change the existing airport fuel storage and transportation system, and can directly promote the application.
Carbon offset mechanisms such as the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) may become mandatory in 2027, gradually forming a market mechanism for operation.
This also involves the country's right to subsistence and development, and China's civil aviation industry should make arrangements and breakthroughs in this regard.
Ding Shuiting (2nd from right) attended the ICAO Innovation Expo and communicated with international counterparts.
Photo by Yu Ruidong
Another topic is artificial intelligence (AI), advanced algorithms and computing power, that is, the application of big data mining to improve the safety and economics of civil aviation operations.
For example, using AI to optimize air routes to save energy and reduce emissions, and use the real-time nature of system security to improve civil aviation safety.
In equipment manufacturing, new configurations of aircraft, such as electric helicopters and unmanned manned aerial vehicles that can be used in the third dimension of cities, may change people's way of life in the future.
Some new configurations of transport aircraft, such as Wing Body Fusion (BWB) distributed propulsion, have also released new signals for the future development of the industry.
A C919 passenger plane taxis on the runway of Pudong Airport.
Photo by Yin Liqin
China News Service: In the past ten years, what are the strengths and highlights of China's civil aviation science and technology innovation and development? What is the level of China's civil aviation innovation in the international industry?
Ding Shuiting:
The last ten years have been a period of rapid development of China's civil aviation.
Originally, China's civil aviation transportation industry was largely based on the operation and maintenance of European and American equipment. ensure its efficient and safe operation.
On this basis, China has become a major country in civil aviation transportation, and its air transportation volume has ranked second in the world.
In the past ten years, a new feature has emerged in the development of China's civil aviation, that is, China's independent (aviation) manufacturing industry has developed.
For example, China's ARJ21 new regional airliner has now entered the route operation, and the C919 large passenger aircraft will also enter the route. The most technically difficult civil aviation engine has also entered a period of rapid development. The AES100 turboshaft engine may obtain an airworthiness certificate within two years. The development of the Changjiang-1000 engine, which is an alternative power for the C919, is also progressing very smoothly.
It is not difficult to find that China's civil aviation transportation industry and manufacturing industry have begun to be closely integrated, and their independent innovation capabilities have been continuously improved.
With the continuous in-depth integration of the manufacturing and transportation industries, the constraints of international standards and industry rules have become more and more prominent. From the perspective of the healthy development of the international civil aviation industry, how to propose a Chinese plan and make a Chinese voice for the next generation of international regulations and rules is a top priority.
My participation in the ICAO Innovation Expo this time is to propose China's solutions to the future standards and regulations of sustainable aviation fuel.
ARJ21-700 aircraft took off from Nanchang.
Photo by Liu Zhankun
China News Service: China has formulated the "14th Five-Year Plan for Civil Aviation Development". What are the development ideas of China's civil aviation innovation in the future?
Ding Shuiting:
I think the essence of the "14th Five-Year Plan for Civil Aviation Development" can be summarized as a "five-line model", which is very consistent with some of the current international civil aviation circles.
The "five lines" can be understood as five circles from the inside to the outside: the bottom line of safety, the baseline of safety, the main line of wisdom, the high green line and the extreme line of quality and efficiency.
Specifically, it is to improve the safety baseline with new system safety technology to ensure the safety bottom line; use artificial intelligence, advanced algorithms, etc. to practice the main line of wisdom; in terms of green development, not only to achieve zero carbon, but also to achieve negative carbon, reaching the green high line; at the same time pursuing the limit of the quality and efficiency of civil air transport.
Therefore, we must do a good job of rules and regulations on the bottom line of safety. The greater the connotation, the greater the extension.
Under this basic guarantee, use the main line of wisdom to improve the high line of green development and the extreme line of quality and efficiency.
This is what I understand is the important internal development logic of China's civil aviation "14th Five-Year" development plan, so as to ensure the sound and rapid development of the civil aviation industry.
Before takeoff, the crews are checking the status of the plane with each other.
Photo by Yin Liqin
China News Agency reporter: How to improve China's right to speak in the formulation of rules and regulations in the field of international civil aviation?
Ding Shuiting:
Civil aviation is an international industry, and it is impossible to create your own set of rules completely behind closed doors.
China should aim at the development trend of the next generation of international regulations and face the bottleneck problem that the world is facing.
In fact, European and American countries will also face the challenges of new configurations and new energy aircraft.
In these respects, everyone is on the starting line, and can propose China's plans for future international regulations, and use the platform provided by ICAO to communicate and form an international voice in the process of participating in global governance.
For example, with the support of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, our research team has completed a strategic consulting project on the framework and future technology clusters of China's aero-engine autonomous regulations.
According to this result, the relevant model can be extended to the certification of new energy aircraft, sustainable energy, etc.
We hope to form a consensus through international exchanges and cooperation with international counterparts, and turn such achievements into international rules that can be used in the future.
There is still a long way to go, so there should be more engagement in global governance.
Communication is the most basic and most important.
Without the strength and foundation of innovative research, it is difficult to propose convincing international rules and standards.
It can be said that without the deep integration of the transportation industry (including the bureau) and the manufacturing industry, it is impossible to form a Chinese solution for the next generation of international regulations.
What is most needed now is the joint force of this "integration of the two industries".
Various types of engines exhibited at the 13th Airshow China attracted audiences.
Photo by Chen Jimin
China News Service reporter: Independent research and development of large aircraft and aero-engines is the key to building a "big country" in the field of civil aviation. Can you brief us on the progress in this regard?
Ding Shuiting:
Over the past ten years, the implementation of the National Large Aircraft Project, Aeroengine and Gas Turbine Project has greatly promoted independent innovation in large aircraft and large engines.
In addition to the ARJ21 being put into operation and the certification of the C919 passenger aircraft, the CR929 (long-range wide-body passenger aircraft) project has also been "riveted".
Regarding the aero-engine, the turboshaft-16 engine co-operated by China and France has obtained the airworthiness certificate.
The AES100 will be an advanced, market-competitive, cross-generation turboshaft engine.
The development of the Changjiang-1000 turbofan engine will also be successful as scheduled.
The development speed of China's civil aviation manufacturing industry will be faster and faster. The key is that the entire industrial supporting system and talent system are gradually taking shape.
I have full confidence in China's civil aviation manufacturing industry.
Civil high bypass ratio turbofan engine "Yangtze-1000" model.
Photo by Hou Yu
China News Agency reporter: As the president of Civil Aviation University of China, what do you think will be the key direction of talent training in China's civil aviation industry in the future?
Ding Shuiting:
Civil Aviation University of China celebrated its 70th anniversary last year, and has cultivated a large number of high-end talents serving the civil aviation transportation industry for more than 70 years.
If divided according to the main context, I think the personnel training in the civil aviation industry can be divided into "30 years + 30 years + 40 years".
The 30 years after the founding of the People's Republic of China is the "starting 30 years". This period is "military aviation instead of civil aviation", which mainly cultivates skilled personnel for maintenance and air traffic control.
Followed by "30 years of follow-up", China began to use a large number of European and American equipment to establish a real civil aviation. While cultivating high-level application-oriented talents, it understood and introduced foreign airworthiness regulations and established its own regulatory system.
After entering "40 years of self-reliance and self-improvement", the demand for talents turned to "cultivation of innovative talents".
The "RSR" cycle has become a new feature of personnel training in the civil aviation industry.
The first "R" is "respect", that is, respect for life, duty, and regulations, which is the "underground color" formed by the students of Civil Aviation University of China in the past 70 years.
"S" stands for "suspect", which is the "true character" that students of Civil Aviation University of China constantly form in the face of new demands; the last "R" is "research", which is the ability of Civil Aviation University of China students to win the future "bright color".
The combination of background color, natural color and bright color is the characteristic of civil aviation talent training suitable for the development needs of the "14th Five-Year Plan".
(Finish)
Interviewee Profile:
Ding Shuiting, President of Civil Aviation University of China, Distinguished Professor of Changjiang Scholars, Chief Scientist of 973, Doctoral Supervisor, and well-known expert in the field of aeroengine.
He received a bachelor's degree in thermal power engineering from Beihang University in 1990, a master's degree in aerospace propulsion theory and engineering from Beihang University in 1993, and a doctorate degree in aerospace propulsion theory and engineering from Beihang University in 1998.
He used to be the dean of the School of Energy and Power Engineering (National Pilot College) and the Aero-Engine Research Institute of Beihang University.
He is the academic leader of the innovation team of the Ministry of Education of China "Safety of Aero-Engine Complex Systems", Director and Chief Scientist of the 2011 Advanced Aero-Engine Collaborative Innovation Center of the Ministry of Education, Director of the Beijing Key Laboratory of Aircraft/Engine Complex System Safety, and General Aviation Beijing Director of the Engineering Center, Director of the Academic Committee of the International Center for Energy and Environment.