February 2 - Discovery Air Innovations (DAI), in collaboration with the Canadian Transportation Research Forum, has announced the first annual Hybrid Air Vehicle (HAV) student paper competition.

DAI, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Discovery Air, is sponsoring the event to help foster the academic development of heavy lift hybrid air vehicles in North America.

DAI says the 2011-2012 competition, open to all full-time university graduate students, will focus on the humanitarian application for Heavy Lift Hybrid Air Vehicles (HLHAV). The students will examine the capabilities and operating characteristics of HLHAV and determine their ability to offer a solution to global suffering. The analysis should match or consider strengths and weaknesses of heavy lift solutions applied to specific humanitarian missions and result in clear and logically derived conclusions.

"Discovery Air Innovations is thrilled to sponsor the HAV student competition," said DAI's director of business development, Stephen Newton. "Heavy Lift Hybrid Air Vehicles are a promising technology for the future with significant application in circumstances such as humanitarian missions where conventional modes of transportation may not be feasible. Getting students involved in the developmental phase of this technology is essential for the future of this technology."

The Canadian Transportation Research Forum (CTRF,) a non-profit association that promotes the development of research in transportation "has a long history of encouraging students to pursue transportation-related studies through student paper competitions and scholarship awards," said Vijay Gill, president of CTRF. "We are proud to be able to extend that history through our collaboration with DAI."

"We are very pleased that our students will have the opportunity to engage in innovative ideas with meaningful applications," commented Dr. Paul Earl, director, Transport Institute, I.H. Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba. "The trauma of natural disasters is accentuated by disruptions to the transportation systems that limit humanitarian logistics efforts. This initiative provides an opportunity to explore the role that hybrid aircraft could play in saving lives and relieving suffering when conventional logistical services are interrupted."

The deadline for the competition is March 31, 2012 and all submissions are being judged by the CTRF. Winning authors will be awarded USD500 and USD250 for first and second prize respectively. For more information about the 2011-2012 Hybrid Air Vehicle Student Paper Competition and how to submit an entry, please visit the Discovery Air Innovations website at www.da-innovations.com

www.ctrf.ca 

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