Akron, Ohio--Goodyear Tire and Rubber has announced its first tyre evaluation centre in the southern hemisphere, and only the second in the world, after the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. The latest evaluation centre is the 43 Air School in Port Alfred, South Africa.
Goodyear says the evaluation centres perform a similar function to its test tracks and proving grounds, but for aero tyres. The centres, "will evaluate Goodyear and competitor tyres 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 tyre performance." said Goodyear in a statement.
"When it comes to aviation tyres, 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 tyre performance, we need aircraft and we need landings to provide data quickly," Brown said.
Both evaluation centres are schools for future commercial pilots.
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Press release from Goodyear
Website of Florida aero school
Website of South African aero school