Schönsleben, Sven

Sven is both a professional pilot and an engineer. He received his Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from ETH in 2006. His Master Thesis 'Integrated Trailing Edge Flap Track Mechanism for Commercial Aircraft' was completed at the predecessor of CMASLab, the Center of Structure Technologies, supervised by Prof. Ermanni. As an exchange student he attended the Faculty for Aerospace Engineering and Geodesy at the University of Stuttgart where he completed a thesis investigating the application of neural networks to flight control systems for large and flexible transport aircraft. Further engineering work included developing a generic multidisciplinary process and interface for space mechanism design projects at a space technology company in Switzerland.

An experienced pilot and flight instructor, Sven has flown in various parts of the world and holds pilot licenses from several countries. His flying experience includes more than 15 different aircraft types ranging from small wooden tailwheel airplane to airliner. He has been flying for a major airline for over a decade and has received flight training from a number of organizations including the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, California.

While continuing to work as an airline pilot, Sven’s research at CMASLab involves morphing technologies for flight controls of large transport category aircraft, with a focus on the interaction between flight control and maneuvering characteristics.