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Korean Air to Build Bobsleighs for Pyeongchang Olympics
Date
2014.04.11
Views
436

According to Yonhap News,

(SEOUL = Yonhap News) Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's largest flag carrier, said Tuesday that it will build bobsleighs to be used at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The company said it plans to form a consortium with local universities to build the sleighs that will be used by the South Korean national team at the premier winter sports event.

"The goal is to make full use of Korean Air's expertise in carbon fiber materials and knowhow in aerodynamics to make the sleighs with input provided by sports experts," the company said in a press release.

It said the development process will set new standards for close cooperation between the business sector and academia.

Korean Air said it has formed a partnership with Korea National Sport University, Sungkyunkwan University and Inha University, as well as arranged to get advice from scholars at the University of Southern California.

Under the plan, Korean Air will establish a development team next month, with actual design work and production to start in May. Prototypes for the two-seat and four-seat bobsleighs will be built in the following months so they can undergo extensive testing from November through February of 2015.

The company said the sleighs will be modified and improved continually, with input from experts, so the final products will be ready for use when South Korea hosts its first winter games.

Korean Air has experience in using carbon fibers that are light yet stronger than various metals. It has taken part in the building of B787 Dreamliners and the next-generation A350 passenger jet, which both use carbon fiber materials.

yonngong@yna.co.kr

Copyrights Yonhap News. All Rights Reserved.

Source Text

Source: Yonhap News (Mar. 25, 2014)