The world’s first hybrid aircraft has landed on Kickstarter. The project aims to make air travel more eco-friendly.
The organisation behind the BEHA is known as Faradair. It’s a new Anglo-US venture dedicated to developing the world’s first bio-diesel electric hybrid aircraft (BEHA).
The prototype is a six-seater, but could point to the future of air travel. Because it’s a hybrid,
It’s only seeking £20,000. If that doesn’t seem like much, it’s because it has additional funding from grants and investors. The prototype won’t be built until 2016.
It has twin electric fan motors with 200hp each, plus a 200hp bio-diesel generator that incorporates a pusher propeller protected within a duct to reduce noise and make it safer. It will take off and land using electric power – a bit like London’s hybrid buses that start using electric – and the bio-diesel engine will be used in flight to recharge the batteries. Its solar panels and wind turbine tech will also help it regain power.
It’s not short of safety features either, with ballistic parachute recovery failsafe systems, and the type of fuselage crash protection structure usually found in racing cars.
Production will take place right here in Blighty.
The Kickstarter page says it’s building an impressive list of partners, which will be revealed in the coming weeks. The only one it will say is Cranfield University, which is lending its technological expertise.
Pledge £60 or more, and you and a friend can step on board for a test flight.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
