The joint research between Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Avio Aero Praha (GE Aviation Czech s.r.o.) took place in the ecosystem that the faculty built on the basis of the Czech Government Resolution No. 668 of 27 July 2016 on the support of the development of the aviation industry in the Czech Republic. With the support of the Government of the Czech Republic and the Operational Programme Research, Development and Education within the CAAT - Center of Advanced Aerospace Technologies - project, four ground-based aircraft engine test facilities (dynamometer, core, two propeller) and a flying test facility in the form of an experimental aircraft were built, forming the basis of this research ecosystem.
Many challenging experiments were carried out in the test facilities between 2017 and 2024, which were then verified by computer simulations and analyses. In addition to the basic test facilities, auxiliary experimental facilities were built, for example, to test aircraft engine oil coolers with controlled airflow temperature at altitude, to verify the use of sustainable aviation fuel SAF, to measure aircraft engine emissions, etc. Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has thus succeeded in building a background for the development of new generation turboprop and turbine engines.
Professor Valášek commented on the successful certification: "The collaborative work between Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Avio Aero is now continuing to explore new development variants of the Catalyst engine. We aim to use the ecosystem we have built to address other research topics and thus ensure its sustainability in cooperation with research and industrial partners in the Czech Republic and abroad."
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the CTU also resumed teaching of aircraft engines, which prepares new specialists for the Czech and EU aerospace industry.
"CTU, as an important Czech technical university, has contributed to the revival of aircraft engine production and the expansion of the aviation industry in the Czech Republic. Of course, it is also our duty to educate experts in the given professions," added Vojtěch Petráček, Rector of CTU in Prague.