IPFS News Link • Science, Medicine and Technology
Hybrid triplane could be carrying passengers within six years
• https://newatlas.comBack in 2014, we first heard about UK firm Faradair's proposed Bio-Electric-Hybrid-Aircraft (BEHA, for short) – it was touted it as being one of the world's most environmentally-friendly airplanes. The company has now announced plans for a small BEHA airliner, which is hoped to enter service by 2025.
Like the original concept, the carbon-composite-bodied 18-seat BEHA_M1H will feature a "triple box-wing" design for enhanced lift. This configuration should allow it to take off and land on runways less than 300 meters (984 ft) in length.
Vectored thrust will be provided by two contra-rotating propfans in the rear – these will be housed within an acoustic duct, with the aim of reducing take-off noise to under 60 dba (dba stands for A-weighted decibels, which approximate the manner in which sound is heard by the human ear). By contrast, a typical jet engine at take-off sits at about 140 dba.