Herein we present our general idea of Aeriane Swift Motorized Fuselage Design.
Detailed description of our efforts you can find in:
Current production Swift flying wing, made by Aeriane is a foot launched microlight flight machine. But foot launching is only useful in the mountains. For us, people living in the flatlands, the only way to launch without engine is on the wheels behind the towing microlight or by the means of winch. Self launching with the help of pusher engine (aka paramotor with foldable propeller) is the most simple way to be airborne for the price of increased weight and total cost of the flying machine.
Aeriane offers add-on engine on top of existing cage designed for foot launching, which makes the whole system not perfectly optimized for the motorized flight. If the fuselage is designed for motorized flight from the beginning it could be lighter and more comfortable for the pilot compared to the compromise of existing add-on engine design.
If there is no foot launch, the fuselage does not need hammock and a strong bottom aluminum tubes, and it could be made completely from composite materials, providing better seating comfort and field of view for the pilot.
Also, current Aeriane design of the cage allows complete disassembling and folding of the fuselage for small transportation volume (with a small personal car and wings on top in a box). Our idea of motorized monocoque fuselage demands special means of transportation – minivan or a trailer for the fuselage and wings on top in a box. As a comfort option would be big trailer with wings and fuselage inside. As a note, nobody likes assembling and disassembling (and its an extra risk for a mistake), and most of us currently have some space for a bigger car and a trailer at home or in a parking lot at the airfield.
Therefore our philosophy for the flatlands is motorized composite monocoque as a second optional fuselage for original Aeriane Swift flying wing. In this case Aeriane Swiftf itself is foot launchable non certified microlight – for easy and simple start of flying in the mountains or with the help of towing. Extra motorized composite monocoque fuselage is the second step which requires certain certification in accordance with upcoming microlight certification rules, but it gives you freedom of motorized launching in the flatlands.