Aviation expert says patience is needed
Print Edition
THE biggest highlight to date of Dennis Scott’s life in China was his face-to-face encounter with Premier Li Keqiang last September, when he received a Chinese Friendship Award at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
As one of the most experienced foreign professionals working at the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), Scott said he talked briefly with Li about the importance of overseas talent in China’s modernization.
Scott, now assistant chief designer at COMAC, has worked in the aviation industry for over 34 years, including projects with Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer and British Aerospace. He worked on the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A400M, A380 and A350, and assisted aero-engine development at Rolls Royce.
“I had long been following the ARJ21 and the C919 projects with great interest when I was in Europe,” he said.
In August 2011, he resigned from a job in Germany and flew to Shanghai with his wife and daughter. It was the first time he had set foot in the country.
“It was an adventure at that time, and, fortunately, my family likes adventures,” he said.
Because of his long and vast experience, COMAC was happy to hire him.
He is supporting both the C919 narrow-body aircraft and the ARJ21 regional jet projects, where he is responsible for providing guidance to aircraft engineering and supplier teams at all levels, and for mentoring, coaching and training. He is also part of the future aircraft concept team.
The door to his third-floor office in the chief designers’ building at the Shanghai Aircraft Design and Research Institute is always open to anyone seeking advice. He has a large whiteboard in the office to aid in illustrating ideas.
“It is wonderful to see young people responding to this challenge and taking pride in their work,” he said of the domestic aircraft program.
Apart from technical issues, Scott also said he is working to develop a more efficient work mindset at the company, which like other state-owned enterprises has grown up on a history of sometimes-rigid hierarchy.
He proposed an “integrated project team” concept to top COMAC officials that combines all levels of personnel on a single project to bring everyone into the picture on missions at hand.
COMAC officials are now introducing a more efficient way for the different business units and departments to cooperate. Teams comprising of personnel from design and manufacturing to marketing and sales are being created.
“Patience will be needed for Chinese aircraft-making,” he said. “Even the world’s leading companies invariably experience significant aircraft development delays.”
Apart from his position in COMAC, Scott also serves as director of the Management Council of the International Pudong Talent City and is involved in programs to introduce overseas talents to Shanghai and encourage inward, overseas investment into the city’s new Pilot Free Trade Zone.
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