CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- At Aviation
Week Network's 16th Annual Program Excellence Awards banquet last night, a team from UTC Aerospace Systems' Sensors
& Integrated Systems business was honored for the company's groundbreaking achievements in improving aviation safety in
severe icing conditions. The team won in the Supplier Research and Development/System Design and Development category. UTC
Aerospace Systems is a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).
The adverse effects of high altitude icing on aircraft propulsion and air data sensors have been a growing concern of the
aerospace industry and airworthiness authorities. The combination of modern aircraft reliance on air data sensing systems for
primary flight controls and increased air traffic in inter-tropical regions has increased exposure to high altitude icing
conditions. These conditions can affect multiple or all pitot probes installed on an aircraft and can lead to unreliable airspeed
measurements. As a result, actions were taken across the industry to improve safety, including new regulations embodied in
Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 33, Appendix D, "Mixed Phase and Ice Crystal Icing Envelope."
UTC Aerospace Systems responded by addressing both short- and long-term industry needs. A lean production system was developed
utilizing the United Technologies ACE (Achieving Competive Excellence) operating system to streamline the production of a pitot
probe that had increased robustness to Appendix D conditions. This allowed operators to retrofit their aircraft with the improved
probes more quickly than would otherwise have been possible.
At the same time, UTC Aerospace Systems launched a 5-year effort to develop a new facility capable of creating and testing
extreme icing conditions, and a new generation of air data sensors capable of operating in the expanded certification envelope.
In 2015, the company completed construction of its advanced icing wind tunnel and soon after successfully qualified the
industry's first air data sensor, a pitot probe, to the full Appendix D envelope.
"From a technical perspective, creating an environment in which to study, design and test air data sensors in new and extreme
icing conditions represented a significant undertaking," said Mauro Atalla, vice president of
engineering and technology for Sensors & Integrated Systems. "Our advanced icing wind tunnel is generally recognized in the
aerospace industry as the most capable air data icing tunnel when considering its unique combination of airspeed, altitude,
temperature and ability to deliver coverage of Appendix D conditions."
The Aviation Week Program Excellence Award the company received for its work was given in recognition of both the performance
and execution of this complex project and its parallel development efforts. This parallel development allowed for faster project
execution and ensured that each aspect of the project met its objectives. UTC Aerospace Systems is continuing to use the results
from the project to develop Appendix D-capable versions of more air data probe models.
"At UTC Aerospace Systems, we're committed to leading the aerospace industry in solving its most pressing challenges through
operational excellence and development of new technology, and that is exactly what our team did here," said Sensors &
Integrated Systems President Justin Keppy. "We're honored to receive this prestigious award from
Aviation Week, which is a testament to the hard work, dedication and ingenuity of our team."
The Aviation Week Program Excellence Awards honor global aerospace and defense programs and projects, their leaders and their
teams for going beyond meeting requirements to exemplify the best in value creation, leadership, adapting to complexity and
executing with excellence. Developed in 2004, the awards were created in response to repeated concerns about the complexity
and difficulty associated with managing and leading the aerospace and defense programs that are the foundation of the industry.
During the evaluation process, more than 300 program management representatives from across industry and government score each
application, resulting in the widespread sharing of innovative practices and processes.
About UTC Aerospace Systems
UTC Aerospace Systems is one of the world's largest suppliers of technologically advanced aerospace and defense
products. UTC Aerospace Systems designs, manufactures and services integrated systems and components for the aerospace and
defense industries, supporting a global customer base with significant worldwide manufacturing and customer service facilities.
For more information about the company, visit our website at www.utcaerospacesystems.com or follow us on Twitter: @utcaerosystems
About United Technologies Corporation
United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology
systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. By combining a passion for science with precision engineering, the
company is creating smart, sustainable solutions the world needs. For more information about the company, visit our website at
www.utc.com or follow us on Twitter: @UTC
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SOURCE UTC Aerospace Systems