New era of flying?
The Her0 Zero Emissions Airplane was designed by an aviation newbie, Joe Doucet. Courtesy Joe Doucet This Her0 blueprint, Doucet tells CNN Travel, has both practical and aesthetic purpose. Propellers, he says, are reliable and efficient. The trade off is a slightly longer flight time -- about 20% -- but the designer reckons this wouldn't be an issue on short or medium haul flights. As for the swept-back wing design, this is to ensures the airplane's well balanced -- most of the weight will be in the back of the aircraft, as that's where the battery will be situated. The airplane is both aesthetic and practical. Courtesy Joe Doucet Aesthetically speaking, Doucet says he wanted the plane to look "somewhat futuristic" but also be an attractive travel option for fliers. "If you can make this something that is desirable, something that makes people question why it's not there, you have a better chance of forcing the hand of industry to respond to consumer demand," he says.Move towards electric
Doucet hopes the design will catch the eye of the aviation industry. Courtesy Joe Doucet In December 2019, the first fully commercial electric plane completed a test flight in Canada. As well as new designs -- such as Airbus' dramatic "bird of prey" concept airplane -- some aviation companies are also looking into ways of converting existing aircraft into electric, or hybrid-electric vehicles, to minimize environmental impact of short-haul flights. UK-based Cranfield Aerospace Solution has set itself a mission to convert a nine-seat Britten-Norman airplane into the UK's first all-electric powered aircraft. The aircraft would work well for short and medium-haul flights. Courtesy Joe Doucet Doucet describes himself as a "designer, entrepreneur, inventor and creative director" -- but he's not an aeronautical engineer, and this his first foray into the world of aviation. The designer says he drew upon his years of frequent flying in an attempt to find a solution to an issue that he'd been considering for some time. "I really follow problems where they take me, and try to address the solutions elegantly," he says. Her0, Doucet acknowledges, may never see the light of day. But the designer's sole goal is to open up a conversation, if interest around his design encourages progress towards electric planes, he'll count it as a success. As it is, he's already been approached from aviation engineers, suggesting improvements and discussing potential collaboration.DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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