Picture credit: Karem Aircraft
The AeroTrain development plan is focused on designing, analysing and testing the elements of the aircraft that are most different from the existing aircraft inventory," Karem says.
The TR53 would share a similar fuselage with the 737-600, with a 32m (106ft) length and 3.96m cross-section accommodating six-abreast seating.
The most visible difference involves the design of the propulsion and aerofoil. Instead of a pod-mounted turbofan on a straight low-wing, the TR53 would feature two, 16m-diameter tiltrotors on either side of the fuselage on a 34.5m-span high-wing with dihedral wingtips.
But that is not the TR53's only departure from conventional narrowbody technology. The primary structure for the fuselage and wing would be composite, a potential first in the narrowbody class. The aircraft also would have fly-by-wire controls.
on May 9, 2009 2:16 PM | Reply
ANhedral, not dihedral on those wing-tips ... "an-" goes down, "di-" goes up, remember ??? Or the semi-memnonic "Anne goes down, Dai goes up" ...