Aircraft

A TEAM OF students from the University of Queensland won the inaugural Airbus "Fly Your Ideas" challenge at the Paris air show. The "COz" team won for its project into the use of the castor plant to develop the first ever single plant-based high-performance composite materials for cabin components.

The goal was to reduce dependency on non-renewable sources and improve end-of-life disposal.

© Airbus The "COz" team's use of bio-composite cabin materials won it the Airbus prize

The team conducted a comprehensive feasibility analysis entailing fibre production and testing, which demonstrated encouraging mechanical and environmental properties.

The multinational team comprises team leader Michael Heitzmann, Alex Ng - both PhD students in mechanical engineering, and third team member Benjamin Lindenberger, from Germany, an aerospace engineering student who is undertaking his diploma thesis at the University of Queensland.

The students were congratulated at the Le Bourget ceremony by Tom Enders, president and chief executive of Airbus, who awarded the €30,000 ($50,000) prize to the winning team.

The second-placed team, from the National University of Singapore and called "Solaire Voyager", received a prize of €15,000 for its proposal to use solar cell technology integrating photovoltaic cells aboard aircraft to generate electricity.