Testing Overseas

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber company announced recently that it has selected its second aviation tire evaluation center, the 43 Air School in Port Alfred, South Africa. This is Goodyear’s first center in the Southern Hemisphere.

The South African air school has 40 registered aircraft logging the hours of future commercial pilots. The academy also has an impeccable safety record.

Goodyear’s other evaluation facility is the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Similar to the Florida center, the 43 Air School will evaluate Goodyear and competitor tires based on their durability and safe landings. The school’s test results will be recorded and sent to the United States to measure Goodyear’s overall tire performance.

"Goodyear Proving Grounds around the world test passenger car, light truck, agriculture, medium truck and earthmover tires. But when it comes to aviation tires, we don’t have a fleet of airplanes landing and taking off," said Richard Brown, general aviation sales and marketing manager.

"For about 25 years, we’ve relied on Embry-Riddle to provide a controlled environment with many planes and many flights that generate landings. To evaluate aircraft tire performance, we need aircraft and we need landings to provide data quickly," Brown said.

Four years ago, the company used Embry-Riddle to develop the Flight Custom III tire for general aviation. Goodyear’s marketing agreement with the aeronautical university includes evaluations, promotions and testimonials on aviation tire performance, he said.

The 43 Air School will be used to evaluate tires on aircraft built and flown in the Southern Hemisphere. "The facility will make us more competitive in that part of the world," Brown said.

The company also is looking at other flight training schools to expand its evaluation capability, he added.

Goodyear is the world’s largest supplier of tires for commercial, military and general aviation aircraft. The company manufactures aviation tires in Danville, Va.; Bangkok, Thailand; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

FMI: www.goodyearaviation.com, www.43airschool.com