From Milazzo to California: engineer Michele Picciolo presents his research in front of NASA researchers

«Having NASA researchers as “chairman” of the session was very significant. The issue of ice on airplanes is followed with great attention at an international level because it directly concerns flight safety. Presenting my work in front of people who have been operating at the highest levels of aeronautical research for years was one of the most important moments of my doctorate.” From the land kissed by the sun to California, passing through the strategic centers of French aerospace research and one of the most important names in European defence.

Michele Picciolo, born in 1996, a young engineer from Milazzo, former student of the Polytechnic of Turin, already protagonist of our pages, once again brings the name of Milazzo to an international context of the highest level: “Aiaa Aviation Forum”, one of the most prestigious events in the world in the aeronautical sector, where universities, space agencies, research centers and industrial giants such as NASA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and the main aerospace companies meet annually world wide.

Not just a simple academic conference, but one of the places where the future of aviation is discussed: flight safety, new technologies, aerodynamics, defence, sustainability, engines, simulations and the design of tomorrow’s aircraft. And it is precisely in this scenario, in California, that Picciolo presented his research work on the phenomenon of ice on aircraft. A specialized topic, but with direct implications on flight safety. In fact, when ice forms on the wings or other surfaces of the plane, even in the form of tiny roughnesses, it changes the way the air flows around the aircraft. The result can be an increase in drag, a change in performance and greater difficulty in predicting the behavior of the aircraft under operating conditions.

«My work – explains the engineer – focuses on the effects of the roughness produced by the ice on the transition of the boundary layer, i.e. on the passage of the air flow from an ordered to a turbulent condition. In simple words, I study how even small irregularities on the surface of a wing can change the behavior of the air and influence the safety and performance of an aircraft.” The doctoral project is included in the European network “Traces”, the “Marie Skłodowska-Curie” program dedicated to the training of a new generation of researchers specialized in the problem of in-flight icing, i.e. the formation of ice during flight.

What makes the process even more relevant is the level of the institutions involved. Among these is “Onera”, the most important French aerospace research center, placed under the aegis of the Ministry of the Armed Forces. And there is also “Dassault Aviation”, one of the symbols of the European aeronautical industry. Entering this world means approaching a sector in which technology, industry and national security are directly intertwined.

And it is precisely here that one of the most significant steps in Michele Picciolo’s journey arrives: the green light to carry out an internship in “Dassault Aviation” and access the company’s research centre: «I am very proud. “Dassault” is a strategic reality for France and Europe. Access to its research centers is naturally very controlled. As part of the “MSCA” program, as far as I know, I am the first foreign researcher to be able to access the research center independently, while respecting all the necessary limitations and restrictions related to the nature of the site. It is an important sign of trust and, for me at the same time, also a responsibility.” And the “thank you” goes to his family who encouraged and supported him.