you have questions
What We Do
Can you help me test my existing aircraft design?
We’re happy to help you design, conduct, and report out any testing you need to do. However, we will need to understand what your requirements are to be sure those are met. We can design performance tests including making test cards, interfacing with your pilot, and collecting data. If you don’t have a test pilot, let us know and we can connect you with one. We also work closely with FAA UAS test sites and have Part 107 pilots on staff.
Do you work with composites?
Yes! One of our engineers spent several years designing very challenging compressor vanes for gas turbine engines. He knows fabric based carbon fiber, chopped fiber, and polymer properties like a second language. That design experience, coupled with a local network of composite manufacturers, means we can help with your design or prototype.
Do you have prototyping capability?
We have a prototyping shop including 3 axis CNC milling and routing, 3D printing capabilities, and an assembly area. Processes we don’t do in-house are completed through local partners and a few additional vendors. We also have controlled storage space to keep your items safe. We are happy to take a look at your ideas and work with you to determine how best to move forward a prototype.
Do you make drones?
Yes! We currently manufacture two different test bed UAS at low production schedules. When we couldn’t find a US-made, versatile, modular, economic solution to help enable our clients to do what they needed to get done, we designed the HX-18 and HX-10. Click here for more information.
Can you just look at my documents and tell me what I need to do?
Yes, we can do a quick turn agreement with you to evaluate the state of your documents. This can be a smaller scope, for a particular aircraft certification, or a bigger scope, which includes your internal working documents and overall information management.
We can evaluate and give you recommendations on:
- a full document set for an aircraft model
- current processes
- informational connectivity and vulnerabilities
Many clients start out this way, and find that Streamline Designs becomes a valuable partner in either auditing documents, coaching your team in the right direction, or providing the services you are not interested in executing in-house.
I'm a startup. Can you help me with fundraising?
We are happy to support your company through technical expertise and even aviation business consultation; however, we do not currently engage in fundraising on behalf of other companies. If you have an especially compelling idea, we can point you to other like-minded folks in our network who may be able to help.
Certification and Approvals
I have a working idea for an amazing flying product. How do I get it to market?
To sell something more than a small hobby toy requires approvals that typically include proving out airworthiness and production. Depending on many factors such as your aircraft’s
- size,
- function,
- projected production volumes,
- country of approval,
we will work with you to find a path to market.
How does a company show compliance to industry standards?
Standards development bodies, like ASTM, SAE, and ISO typically do not enforce compliance. In the case of aviation, the manufacturer is responsible for compliance and then signs a statement of compliance (for a particular aircraft serial number). This means that the manufacturer has interpreted the standards and has demonstrated compliance to them.
What is a novel certification path?
Some aircraft, especially ones with a traditional configuration, have a clear path to airworthiness approvals. However, many innovative concepts require paths to certification which do not have a clear “how to” guide. In fact, even formerly straightforward paths to airworthiness like type certificates contain options for approvals which potentially benefit from having an experienced guide to navigate more flexible (e.g. economical or quicker-turn) possibilities. At this point in history, this likely includes the use of industry consensus standards. For Streamline Designs, a novel certification path is a way of interacting with your Civil Aviation Authority with flexibility to achieve your product goals.
How We’re Unique
We already have in-house engineers, how would we work with you in that case?
Many of our clients have their own in-house engineers. We have engineers on staff who can take care of overflow work, complete a targeted finite project, or even cover an entire area that you don’t consider core to your business (including structural and aero analysts, test engineers, and a technical publications specialist). We are also happy to train and coach your existing engineers to understand and interpret industry standards and best practices and work to them. Have something specific in mind? Just ask us.
How did Streamline Designs get started?
We started out as a couple of engineers at a meeting in OshKosh in 2003 also present were representatives from the FAA, ASTM, the light aircraft industry (manufacturers and organizations), and EAA. We all wanted to make a way forward, enabling aircraft manufacturers to innovate, and fly-for-fun pilots to recreate, both more economically.
Streamline Designs started conducting technical audits for aircraft manufacturers in accordance with the ASTM Light Sport Aircraft standards. We moved on to training manufacturers on how to comply, and consulted with designers and manufacturers in the light aviation space.
Our client list grew to include aircraft startups and a few manufacturers who had product from other aviation categories who wanted to produce factory-built aircraft. We helped several companies cut down their certification time and created our own tools to make that process smoother for all.
Today, the model of industry standards-based certification is expanding to more than just light sport aircraft. We are grateful to have been there when this movement started, to understand what it takes to certify things that fly, and to look prospects in the eye and say, “yes, we can find a way to do that.”
How much is all of this going to cost?
We’ve executed small, one-off design improvements in less than one month for a few thousand US dollars. We have also run multi-year, multi-national approval programs. We’ll get to know you, your project, and consider the kind of value we could deliver for your own business objectives. After getting to know your project, we like to provide an easy-to-accept proposal with a clear scope and some options for you to pick from that work for every budget.
You seem to do a lot of different things. What can I anticipate in working together?
You’re right, we are a one-stop shop for enabling flight. We actually prefer this non-siloed way of operating because it provides good continuity between initial concept, through prototype, test, early production, and full scale production. Because of our past experience, we’ve learned that breakdowns in product development typically occur at the interfaces. By staying relatively generalized but able to deep-dive, we mitigate those high risk zones of uncertainty.
We also care about the entire product life cycle, not just the exciting toddler phase.
it’s time
to take flight
higher, faster, and smarter
with Streamline Designs
