As a passionate hobby pilot, with unfortunately far too little time, I can very well understand what Andreas Späth of Süddeutschland experienced as a co-pilot in an aerobatic pilot, with the exception of the spit bag. The aerobatics brings man (or woman) and material sometimes to the limits of the load capacity.

What fascinates me is not only flying itself, but especially the technology behind it. As a mechanical engineer, my attention naturally turns to the material and manufacturing challenges that play a crucial role in aviation. The physical stresses imposed on components are extreme. Take turbine blades in commercial jet engines, for example: they must withstand temperatures of around 1,200 degrees Celsius while simultaneously being exposed to highly aggressive particles impacting the material at enormous speeds.

The challenge lies in machining such components made from particularly difficult-to-machine materials such as superalloys, Inconel or titanium not only with the highest precision, but also economically. This is exactly the question we have been addressing at Haas Schleifmaschinen for quite some time: how to grind highly stressed aerospace components reliably and efficiently.

We are now presenting the answer to this challenge live for the very first time at the Paris Air Show 2009. This is where everyone who matters in the aerospace industry comes together: aircraft and helicopter manufacturers, specialized suppliers such as Haas Schleifmaschinen, and of course people like myself, for whom flying – despite all the technology involved – remains perhaps the most beautiful pastime in the world.