The NLR organisation has three divisions: Aerospace Systems, Aerospace Operations and Aerospace Vehicles. As of 1 July, Henk van Dijk has taken over the position of Vice President Aerospace Operations from Paul Eijssen. In his new position, Henk will also be a member of the management team. Paul is taking on a new challenge at Eurocontrol in Brussels. Henk has worked at NLR since 2007, initially as a human factors expert and then as the manager of the Air Traffic Management & Airports department. That department uses its knowledge and facilities to contribute significantly to programmes such as the Dutch Airspace Review (Nederlandse Luchtruimherziening) and the Digital European Sky.
In his new role, Henk is committed to safe, efficient and sustainable aviation.
“When I started working at NLR,” says Henk, “our research focused on making flying more efficient and safer. These aspects are still very important, naturally, but we as a society are now also more aware of the effects that aviation has on our well-being and on the climate. Sustainability and noise pollution are therefore high on the agenda, and rightly so. Another important cornerstone is our efforts for the Ministry of Defence. With the recently published Defence Policy Memorandum as a guideline, we are focusing on themes such as Information-Driven Actions (Informatiegestuurd Optreden) and more European cooperation.”
“From my new role, I want to play a substantial role there. Applied research is an essential step towards making sure that good ideas find their way into real-world applications. That step is by no means a matter of course.”
