Overview

Magnetic levitation is already a developed and deployed technology in rail transportation. However, research is needed to prove the technical feasibility of the concept in air transportation. GABRIEL investigates how to adapt the existing magnetic levitation technologies and to redesign needed for aircraft and more particularly the fuselage. The project also studies the feasibility of launch and recovery in connection to operating limits and aircraft flight controls. A small scale test is designed to validate, assess the feasibility and estimate the limits of the assisted take-off and landing concept. Operational, safety, and cost-benefit related issues are studied extensively.

GABRIEL investigates if magnetic levitation assisted take-off and landing is feasible and cost effective. If landing on a maglev pad would prove to be feasible and economical, this unique and radically new solution could reduce aircraft fuel consumption, since aircraft weight can be reduced as no undercarriage will be needed, less fuel needs to be carried onboard and engines can be smaller as less thrust is required. Using ground power will also reduce the environmental impact with lower noise and emitted CO2 and NOx emissions.

From the various potential technologies to perform ground-based TOL, GABRIEL is based on magnetic levitation, as this found to bring numerous benefits for the present and future air transportation.

Using ground power to launch an aircraft is one of the potential enabling technologies, as it cuts the required engine take-off thrust (power) and decrease the aircraft empty weight, which will considerably reduce the noise as well as the emitted chemical emissions. There are many different ideas to improve TOL. Some of them may improve the existing technology, reducing the take-off and landing distance or speeds. Other may imitate radical changes in aircraft take-off and landing processes, by introducing unconventional and revolutionary new technologies.

The future air transport system will be confronted with new challenges: it must be safer, greener and more effective than the current system (European, 2001, Flightpath, 2011, Next, 2004, Strategic, 2001, 2004). All these have influences on aircraft take-off and landing (TOL) and generate needs in the development of radically new technologies, methods and structural solutions for TOL process realization.

All content on this website belonging to GABRIEL Project Consortium are protected by copyright. Incorporation of all or any part of the website in any other work or publication is prohibited without the prior written consent of GABRIEL Project Consortium.

(If you would like to read the documents please contact Andrej Kocsis)

Available documents:

• D1.6. Summary of the user group meeting
• D2.1. General problems of the air transportation system that needs to be solved
• D2.2. Aircraft weight breakdown and energy balance calculation
• D2.3. Evaluation of Environmental, Safety and Security Aspects of the New Technologies
• D2.4. Possible Solutions to Take-Off and Land an Aircraft
• D2.5. Technological Underpinnings for the Transformation of the Aircraft Operational Concept
• D2.8. Preliminary definition of the GABRIEL concept
• D2.9. GABRIEL Operational Concept
• D2.10 Flight and Technical Operation Concept (Manuals) of the GABRIEL System
• D2.11 Effect of maglev on aircraft characteristics
• D2.12 Effects of magnetic field
• D2.13 Evaluation of the Required Ground Power and Power Supply Chain
• D3.5 Conceptual design of the ground-based system related to the GABRIEL concept
• D3.4 Preliminary study on the safety aspects of the GABRIEL concept
• D3.6 Conceptual design of the aircraft and aircraft systems using the GABRIEL concept
• D3.7 Conceptual design of the control system for using the GABRIEL concept
• D3.8. Take-off and landing performance of the aircraft using the GABRIEL concept
• D3.9. Stability and control of the aircraft using the GABRIEL concept
• D4.2. Simulation technology and simulation of the GABRIEL concept
• D4.3. Evaluation of the Simulation Results of the GABRIEL Concept
• D4.5. Control Development of a Simplified Aircraft Model to Study the GABRIEL Concept
• D4.8. Evaluation of the test results and the developing concept
• D5.1 Airport and fly-over noise of the GABRIEL concept
• D5.2. Emission and greenhouse effects related to the GABRIEL concept
• D5.3. Effects of GABRIEL Concept on the air Transportation Sustainability
• D5.4 Impact of emergency case and adverse weather conditions on the GABRIEL philosophy
• D5.5 Required investment and operational cost of using the GABRIEL concept
• D5.6. Cost benefit analysis of the GABRIEL concept
• D5.7. Safety concept of the GABRIEL system
• D5.8. Security problems of the GABRIEL concept
• D5.9. Integration aspects and critical areas of the GABRIEL concept
• D6.3. Workshop 1
• D6.5 Exploitation Report
• D6.6. Interactive DVD
• D6.7. Roadmap
• D6.8. Workshop 2
• D6.9. Final Conclusions of the GABRIEL Project
• GABRIEL Brochure

Publications:

On the XV Conference on „Mechanics in Aviation” held in Kazimierz Dolny, Poland on 28-31 May 2012 a presentation was delivered by Andrzej Majka with the title: “Analysis of Prospective Benefits Coming out of Using System for Support of the Transport Aircraft Takeoff and Landing, Utilizing Magnetic Levitation”.

On the 7th International Conference Supply on the Wings held in Frankfurt/Main Germany on 6-8 November 2012 presentation was delivered by Andrzej Majka with the title: “Changes in Characteristics of Aircraft Aided during Take-off and Landing by Ground-Based System Using Magnetic Levitation Technology”.

A poster was displayed by Dr. F.J. van Schaik on the ACI meeting held in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 26th November 2012.

In the Journal of KONES Powertrain and Transport, Vol. 19, 2012 a paper was published by Andrzej Majka titled “Evaluation of the required ground power of a ground-based system for support of the aircraft safe take-off and landing”.

In the PTMTS series “Mechanika w Lotnictwie” (Mechanics in Aviation), 2012 a paper was published by Andrzej Majka titled “Analysis of prospective benefits coming out of using system for support of the transport aircraft take-off and landing, utilizing magnetic levitation” (in Polish).

On the 51st AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition held in Grapevine (Dallas/Ft. Worth Region), Texas on 07-10 January 2013, a presentation was delivered by Andrzej Majka titled “Analysis of the Required Thrust of an Aircraft Aided During Take-off and Landing by Ground-Based System Using Magnetic Levitation Technology”.

On the 52 SYMPOZJON „MODELOWANIE W MECHANICE” held in Ustron, Poland on 23 – 27 February 2013 a presentation was delivered by Andrzej Majka titled “Optimization of the initial climb of an aircraft aided during take-off by ground-based system using magnetic levitation technology”.

On the 52 SYMPOZJON „MODELOWANIE W MECHANICE” held in Ustron, Poland on 23 – 27 February 2013 a presentation was delivered by Andrzej Majka titled “Analysis of the Characteristics of an Aircraft Aided during Take-Off and Landing by Ground-Based System Using Magnetic Levitation Technology”.

A presentation was delivered by Mr. Peijun, Wu. on Symposium on Experiments and Simulation of Aircraft in Ground Proximity held in Zwolle, The Netherlands on 24 -26 April 2013 titled “Take-off and landing using ground based power (magnetic levitation)”.

A presentation was delivered by Mr. Daniel Rohacs on the ATOS Conference held in Toulouse, France on 8-10 July 2013 under the title: “Preliminary Evaluation of the Environmental Impact related to Aircraft Take-off and Landings supported with Ground Based (MAGLEV) Power”.

In the Journal Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, 2013 (accepted for publication) a paper was published by Andrzej Majka titled “Take-off Aided by Magnetic Levitation Technology”.

In the AIAA Proceedings, 2013, Chapter DOI: 10.2514/6.2013-1085) a paper was published by Andrzej Majka titled “Analysis of the Required Thrust of an Aircraft Aided During Take-off and Landing by Ground-Based System Using Magnetic Levitation Technology”.