Engineering Managment

Wing Commander Frank Dyer

This is a complex technical project utilising, in many cases, unique state-of-the-art technology that must be amalgamated in to one product.  To achieve this the four basic stages of Design, Build, Test and Operation must be progressively advanced in a logical fashion so time and resources are not wasted.  Specific milestones must be reached and progress monitored before the project can advance in to the next stage.  The project is not being developed by one ‘company’ but rather by very innovative individuals and companies so it must follow one cohesive plan. 

Design is the first critical element of the project that determines the end product.  Tweaks and fine-tuning of the design may be required downtrack however any significant re-design is undesirable once the vehicle has been built.  A change in design in a project like this invariably affects many other areas apart from the one actually being re-designed so it is very costly in both resource and schedule.  Milestones such as Critical Design Reviews where the design is frozen are significant, but there must be a very high level of confidence in the design at this point prior to the actual build phase.   Time spent achieving this high level of confidence earlier in the design stage will save many hours downtrack. 

 

The aim of the Jetblack project is to reach the target speed safely.  There is always an inherent level of risk in a project such as this.  Safety aspects will be designed in to Jetblack to mitigate and lower this risk to the lowest levels that can practically be achieved.  Peer and independent review through milestone events, such as Safety Review Boards, to check the safety aspects built in to the vehicle, is part of the process and will be active throughout all four phases.   

 

One of the challenges of Jetblack is to get many people from all different parts of New Zealand and the world to coherently work together. Fortunately modern technology assists in the communication issue through shared websites and other software tools that allow efficient, dynamic information exchange between all stakeholders.  Jetblack has had excellent support through software providers and is utilising very modern products that ensure all involved are aligned on the project.