Russian inventor to seek Development Investment at Dubai Air Show

A Russian inventor is to highlight new life-saving aerospace technology at Dubai 2003 - the eighth international aerospace exhibition, which will be held at the Airport Expo Dubai, United Arab Emirates from December 7-11.

The Aircraft Passenger Autonomous Rescue Capsule - APARC - is just one brainchild of prodigious innovator, Hamid Khalidov.

If an aircraft is doomed to disaster, explosives embedded in the fuselage will detonate separating it from the capsule in which the passengers sit. A parachute braking system then deploys and the capsule floats gently to the ground - or sea. Being highly durable and heat resistant, it also floats.

Khalidov will be at Dubai 2003 as a guest of Georgia's Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing (TAM).

"There's no doubt Khalidov has brilliant ideas," said Eugeniya Chebotareva, TAM's representative in the UAE. "What he will be looking for at the Dubai air show, is investment to pay for the development costs to turn the idea into reality.

"And with passenger safety paramount, we think his ideas have lots of potential," she added.

Khalidov is definitely a man of ideas. More than 60 of his patent applications were approved between 1999 and 2001 alone. Other bright ideas include a hyperfunctional keyboard, which gives a whole new look to the traditional interface.

And, the Muslim innovator also wants to keep Saudi Arabia cool. His drawing board has plans to ship ice from Antarctica to the Red Sea and pipe underground cool air for the millions of pilgrims attending Hajj.

"Innovation is very much a hallmark of the 2003 Dubai air show where many new-to-market companies will participate with a range of ground-breaking technologies and equipment," said Clive Richardson, Chief Executive, Aerospace Group, Fairs and Exhibitions (F&E), which organises the show.

To date, companies from 33 countries have contracted to participate in Dubai 2003. The show has also won pavilion commitments from 10 nations, including for the first time, the Ukraine and Jordan.

The Dubai air show is organised by F&E in co-operation with the Department of Civil Aviation, Government of Dubai and in collaboration with the UAE Armed Forces.