David Cook, will start by asking ‘what is a composite material’ before looking at the increasing popularity of composite materials applications in the aerospace industry in recent years. He will then go on to look at specific applications within the current families of aircraft engines: the advantages, the limitations, the challenges, before going on to see how new composite materials may be developed for use in future generations of engines.
SPEAKERS
David Cook started his career as a Technician in the British Royal Air Force, graduating from N°1 School of Technical Training, RAF Halton, in 1976 (123rd Technician Apprentice Entry). He then worked on Phantom FGR2 aircraft and Chinook helicopters before leaving the RAF in 1982 to join BAe Civil Aircraft Division, Hatfield, in the Customer Support Department, working on both the BAe146 and BAe125 programmes.
In 1989 he was recruited by Snecma and moved to France where he was given CFM56 sales responsibility for Scandinavia. He was also given the very specific objective of breaking into SAS, something he finally achieved in 1995 with what was, at the time, the biggest order ever signed by Snecma: 84 CFM56-7B engines plus spares installed on a fleet of Boeing 737-600 aircraft. After further sales successes with Finnair, Braathens, and again with SAS he was promoted CFM Vice President International Sales, Nordic Europe and Middle East. In 2001 he was further promoted within the Snecma Group to Director, Business Development for the newly-formed Aircelle and it was here that he came into contact with composites for the first time.
In 2004 David left the Snecma Group and set himself up as an independent consultant, providing Business Development advice to companies in the aerospace industry. His wide range of clients cover companies involved with both engines and composites and he has subsequently developed a strong interest in the use of composites in aircraft engines. He is also a journalist, having written for a number of aerospace publications, and a regular Speaker at major aerospace conferences.
David joined the RAeS at RAF Halton in 1973 and has enjoyed over 40 years of continuous Society membership. He is President of the Paris Branch, a serving member of both the Branches Committee and the Propulsion Specialist Committee, and was elected Fellow in 2005.