Aircraft Designed from Waste Material

Aircraft Designed from Waste Materials To raise public awareness about environmental protection, Civil Aviation Department students developed a zero-waste project in aviation, designing an airport and aircraft from recycled materials consisting of glass, plastic, paper and metals. University students completed an important project emphasizing sustainability through a two-year study within the framework of "resource conservation and waste management." In the zero-waste aviation project prepared by Istanbul Topkapı University's Civil Air Transportation Management, Civil Aviation Cabin Services and Aircraft Technology programs, materials that are used in everyday life and become waste—glass, plastic, paper and metals—were combined under the aviation umbrella. The students designed an aircraft engine using a hair dryer, the fuselage from plastic pipes, and the aircraft nose and tail from PET bottles.

They designed an aircraft from recycled materials

Ali Tolga Türkoğlu, Lecturer in Aircraft Technology and project advisor, who stated that there was strong interest from students in the project, said: "We wanted to create awareness for waste management. We designed all the projects from waste materials that are not used in our daily lives or would otherwise be thrown away. We prioritized resource conservation. With this project, we aimed to increase the use of waste materials and at the same time provide resource savings."

A hair dryer became an aircraft engine

  Türkoğlu, noting that waste management involved materials used entirely in everyday life, stated: "Our students used cracked pimas pipes, which are used in construction, for the aircraft fuselage. They made the aircraft nose and tail from PET bottles and the aircraft wing from cornices. As the engine, hair dryer propellers working on four different power settings were used. With this model aircraft designed by our students, we explain both flight phases and the airport to them in practical terms."

"Students will make a difference in the sector"

Türkoğlu, emphasizing the need for proper resource use in aviation and support for zero-waste targets, stated: "In aviation, the goal is to progressively reduce carbon emissions in terms of sustainability, and this target is supported through projects. Our students implemented their projects by following all necessary steps with teams they formed themselves. Our students demonstrated their productivity, imagination and success in teamwork through the products they created. The resulting products serve as proof of our students' success and that they will stand out in the sector as productive individuals and good team players." Source (İHA)