Burnside students to restore plane and attach an electric prop
Year 10 students and Richard Glassock with the electric propulsion system at the school’s recent Ute Day.
World-leading Aircraft Project
The Burnside State High School aviation program is flying high. The school is becoming known, nationally and internationally, for its innovative aviation program which has grown in leaps and bounds. It currently offers drones and aircraft subjects starting from Year 8 up until Year 12.
“Burnside has recently partnered with the aviation research and development company Clean Altitude to undertake a significant aircraft project, to restore a Cessna 182 and attach an electric propulsion system that is currently attached to a test car,” said Technology teacher and former Engineer, Adrian Casten. “On completion the student will see it used for skydiving.”
Burnside Year 11 aviation students have the amazing opportunity to work with the Clean Altitude principals to complete this project. Tibor Glesk, the company founder, is a 46 times Australian Skydiving Champion. Twenty four years ago Mr Glesk founded Sunshine Coast Skydivers, and he has flown and operated many different types of aircraft.
Burnside State High School teacher, Matt Sampson, left, and Clean Altitude’s Tibor Glesk in the former sky-jumping plane that is being used in the rebuild.
The Design Engineer and head of research and development, Richard Glassock, is the pioneer of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones and hybrid electric aircraft propulsion and was a Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham in the UK and then Queensland University of Technology.
Mr Glassock’s work has focussed on hybrid electric and distributed propulsion for electric aircraft.
Mark Radford is an aircraft integration specialist and his Caloundra based company, AMS, specialises in aircraft maintenance, repair and operation. “In early 2023 a Cessna 182 aircraft was offered for the project by Mr Bruce Towers,” Mr Casten said.
“Bruce is a highly experienced and eminent Australian parachutist and pilot who heard about the project through the skydiving network.
The electric-powered propeller is currently fixed to a car for testing.
“Bruce’s Cessna 182 was an old parachute drop zone aircraft and required a complete overhaul and refurbishing. It had been dismantled and put into storage some years ago with some parts now missing, and others damaged.
“At around the same time, I met with Tibor Glesk,” he said.
“The opportunity was clear, to bring Bruce’s aircraft to the school to give the students the chance to bring the aircraft back into airworthy condition. We are incredibly fortunate to have several licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers on hand to supervise the program and work has begun to restore the 182 to factory specification,” said Mr Casten.
“Clean Altitude will proceed with designing the required modifications to install the electric propulsion system, giving the next generation of aerospace students the opportunity to participate in this world-leading aerospace technology project.”