Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1505694
56 PCB007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2023 One of the trends we're seeing is Industry 4.0 and a move to digital twin. How much of the simulation of aircraft parts are you doing digitally? Sundin: We design the aircra entirely on the computer. at means we designed the parts, the assemblies—all the way up to the com- pleted product. Along the way, we test things virtually by simulation. We have virtual wind tunnels, which is CFD or computational fluid dynamics. We have virtual structures testing, which is FEA or finite element analysis. We'll do some coupon testing along the way to ver- ify, then we do full-scale testing and, ultimately, full-scale flight testing. So basically, we design and optimize on the computer, and then we real-life test. You're out flying your own aircraft. Are you satisfied with the performance? Sundin: It's meeting the performance targets, which were ambitious, so we're very happy about that. e most satisfying were the days when we achieved our major milestones. As an example, one milestone we'd looked toward for years and years was reaching 41,000 feet. We did that in May 2022. Other milestones are first flights. But when we reach the ultimate milestones, like high altitude or high speed, those are big days for us. ere's really nothing out there like the Stratos 716. ere are other single- and turbofan-powered aircra, but the performance of our aircra is very similar to the light twin-engine business jets. I would say there's no simpler high-performance aircra that's ideally suited for the owner-operator. Well, I certainly appreciate your time. Congratulations. Sundin: ank you. ____________________________ Aer sitting down with Carsten Sundin, I met up with three young engineers at Stratos— Aaron Park, Austin Alley, and John Smoker— to learn more about their journeys from educa- tion to where they are now at Stratos. Aaron Park recently graduated from Boise State University with a degree in mechani- cal engineering and is now the newest full- time design engineer at Stratos. Prior to that, Left to right: John Smoker, Austin Alley, and Aaron Park.