His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange of the Netherlands visited NLR on Wednesday 5th december to find out about NLR’s activities in aerospace. During his visit, the Prince of Orange spoke to staff members about projects in which NLR is involved through its input of integrated and multidisciplinary aerospace knowledge. The projects for public and private sector clients in the Netherlands and other countries range from aviation to space travel, from military to civil aviation, and from new materials to innovative landing procedures.
The Prince was given a guided tour of special NLR facilities used to conduct research and develop applied knowledge. He flew a helicopter in the HPS helicopter simulator and took the controls of Grace , NLR’s aircraft simulator , where he learned how to taxi autonomously. He then had an opportunity to personally fly unmanned platforms in the UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) laboratory. In the VCNS noise simulator, he was able to experience how realistic the noise is of an overflying aircraft. The Prince’s guided tour finished with a demonstration of the possibilities offered by the NARSIM control tower simulator to develop new landing procedures that allow aircraft to produce less noise and consume less fuel.
In a meeting with the Prince, NLR staff members said that they were highly motivated to work on the frontline of applied technology and to contribute to efforts to make air travel safer, more efficient, and more sustainable, both in the Netherlands and other countries.
Foto: Marc Kruse
