Kick-off for new EU-funded project
STEPLESS aims at reducing noise and fuel consumption of airplane approaches
STEPLESS, a project funded under Horizon Europe, aims at lowering the environmental footprint during an aircraft's final approach operations. The project started on September 1, 2024, for a duration of 30 months with an official kick-off meeting at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Braunschweig, a perfect opportunity for the partners from all over Europe, including Empa, to define the initial steps of the project work and to clarify the interrelations between the different tasks and activities.
Approaches by airplanes with increased glideslope angles (IGS) are intended to reduce the noise exposure on ground by a higher flight altitude during final approach. Steeper approach angles however, also reduce the aircraft's capability to decelerate to final approach speed. Therefore, pilots might be forced to configure the aircraft for landing earlier, which has deteriorating effects on noise and fuel consumption.
The STEPLESS project, which is implemented in the framework of the Digital European Sky of the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking, aims at transforming aircraft approach procedures by introducing a novel high-lift system designed for optimized energy management. This innovative approach focuses on enabling stepless adjustments to aircraft high-lift configurations during approach, allowing for dynamic adaptation to glide slope angles and flight conditions.
The goal: less noise, less CO2, lower costs
By enhancing the flight management system, STEPLESS will reduce both fuel consumption and noise, even under IGS scenarios. Expected outcomes include reduced CO2 emissions, operational cost savings, and noise reductions. STEPLESS aims at improving air traffic management efficiency by enhancing aircraft compliance with air traffic control speed constraints, ultimately increasing airspace capacity.
The STEPLESS consortium is composed of five research institutions, one airborne equipment manufacturer and one consulting company. The partners are located in five countries all over Europe, namely Germany, France, The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. Consortium members are the German Aerospace Center (DLR; project coordinator), Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology), the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR), Swiss SkyLab, the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), Thales Avs France and L-up.
Dr. Michael Hagmann
Communications
Phone +41 58 765 4592
redaktion@empa.ch
