VX Aerospace : Small company, big performance

By Ginger Gardiner

“VX Aerospace is an advanced composites company near the Appalachian Mountains in Morganton, N.C., close to a growing composites hub in the Carolinas that is home to several of VX Aero’s key suppliers, Chomarat North America (Anderson, S.C.), Materials Innovation Technologies (MIT, Fletcher, N.C.), Highland Industries (Kernersville, N.C.), SAERTEX USA LLC (Huntersville, N.C.) and, soon, Toray Industries Inc. (Tokyo, Japan), which has a new carbon fiber plant near Spartanburg, S.C., on the drawing board to support the booming aerocomposites manufacturing base in Charleston, S.C.

Although VX Aero designs and manufactures a wide range of tooling and parts for automotive and heavy-truck applications, and even carbon fiber-reinforced composite ceiling fan blades, aerospace structures are its core competency. It is certified to AS-9100:2009, the “aerospace standard” for quality management and a prerequisite for participation in military and commercial aircraft production.

VX Aero’s founder and chief engineer, Bob Skillen, is a degreed aerospace engineer and ex-U.S. Navy F-14 aviator. His more than 25 years of experience in manufacturing includes tenures in Navy depot operations and on the MIL-Handbook-5 and NAS standards committees. On his watch, VX Aerospace was the first composites manufacturer to field an out-of-autoclave (OOA) part on an active-duty Navy aircraft, the CH-46E SeaKnight helicopter. VX Aero has designed, prototyped and produced more than six-dozen unique composite components for that craft, many replacing aluminum parts.”

VX Aerospace Wins JEC Innovation Award at JEC Europe 2015

”According to Chomarat, KittyHawk is a revolutionary airplane that takes the well-known advantages of traditional blended-wing aircraft and associates them with today’s state-of-the-art concepts, materials and manufacturing techniques. This one-of-a-kind configuration combines dynamic stability and aerodynamic efficiency.

In addition, thanks to the use of high-performance composites, Chomarat says the structure has low density, high damage tolerance and fewer parts. “We are very proud to receive a special award from the JEC Group for the VX-1 KittyHawk. It recognizes the innovative, high-potential aspect of our project internationally. We’d like to thank our partner Chomarat, whose C-Ply reinforcement made it structurally possible to develop the KittyHawk, as well as Stanford University, North Carolina State University and University of South Carolina”, said VX-Aerospace CEO Bob Skillen.

The C-Ply composite reinforcements developed by Chomarat are designed to optimise the fibre performance, giving the structure properties such as low weight, structural efficiency, durability and make it easier to manufacture. These properties and the innovative aircraft design allow for a large payload space. Furthermore, for the same payload space, its carbon footprint can be reduced compared to other aircraft through the optional use of alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG). When CNG is used, the VX-1 KittyHawk emits 40% less pollution than other aircraft.”

TAKING AEROSPACE MANUFACTURING TO NEW HEIGHTS

Dynamic composites are extremely useful in the advancement of the aerospace industry. The use of composites can reduce the weight of aerospace vehicles up to 20 to 50%. They have a high thermal stability and are resistant to fatigue and corrosion. With the ever growing demand within the industry for something state-of-the-art, it is vital that aerospace manufacturers be both adaptable and innovative.

VX Aerospace is a dynamic, advanced composites design and manufacturing company located in Morganton, North Carolina. Their facility sits in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountain range, an hour’s drive east of Asheville, North Carolina. But VX Aerospace is more than its name would suggest. The organization is beginning to branch out into ATV manufacturing.

I sat down and talked with Robert Skillen, founder and chief engineer of VX Aerospace. He founded the company in 2007, following his stint in the Navy as an F-14 aviation pilot. Robert obtained an aerospace engineering degree while attending the prestigious U.S. Naval Academy.

In this episode of Clocking In, we discuss Robert’s background and role within the organization, the philosophy he uses with training the company’s workforce and whether pilots may become obsolete in the future and more.