Press Release
12 May 2009 - Cranfield students design a propeller-powered regional airliner
A fuel efficient propeller-powered aircraft designed by students at Cranfield University was unveiled as part of the annual Aerospace Vehicle Design Presentation last week. 
Sixty-four Aerospace Vehicle Design MSc students have each given 1000hrs since September last year to designing the A-8 Hummingbird.
The aim of the project was to design a lighter and greener airliner suitable for both commercial and military use.
The 70-seater turbo-prop (propeller-powered) advanced regional aircraft boasts fuel efficiency and the capability of short take-off and landing.
Course Director, Phil Stocking said: “The work and imagination that has gone into this project is evidence of the innovative thinking and research taking place in aircraft design. The A-8 Hummingbird is the perfect showcase of how to use composite materials to lesson the fuel consumption and improve the agility of the aircraft.”
The 7 May presentation was attended by 200 guests from industry, the military and academia. Representatives from the major manufacturers such as EADS, Boeing and Airbus were also present.
The MSc Group Design Project from the University’s School of Engineering is now sponsored by Boeing.
David Paisley, Technical Fellow from The Boeing Company, said: “Boeing is particularly pleased to again be sponsoring this year’s Aerospace Vehicle Design challenge. The pursuit of enhanced environmental performance is vital to Boeing’s research and technology endeavors. Challenging young minds in such a way, pays dividends in terms of enhancing the future skills and creating the intellectual capacity on which our industry thrives”.
Cranfield has been at the forefront of aerospace technology for over 60 years and plays a key role in the aerospace sector. Last year Cranfield students presented their concept for a new air refueling tanker designed to provide all-weather air refueling for military aircraft including unmanned air vehicles as well as for civil airliners.
ENDS
Further information
Pictures: Image 1 – (l-r) James Kirkwood, Dave Nguyen and Jack Stockford with the aircraft. They were the core flight demonstrator team.
Cranfield University is a wholly postgraduate institution with a worldwide reputation for excellence and expertise in aerospace, automotive, defence, engineering, environment and water, health, management and manufacturing. The University is made up of the following Schools: Cranfield Health, School of Management, School of Applied Sciences, School of Engineering, and Cranfield Defence and Security at Shrivenham. For more information visit http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/
School of Engineering:
The School of Engineering is a postgraduate research institute dedicated to carrying out focused fundamental research and applying it to meet the needs of society and industry. The School runs a wide range of Masters, Doctoral and Professional Development courses and carries out extensive technology development and consultancy for its customer base. Its research, teaching and technology development functions are closely linked to industry, public and defence sectors across the UK, Europe and internationally.
For further information please contact: Naomie Stanford-Jones, Press Officer, Cranfield University, tel: +44 (0) 1234 754999
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Website: http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/
Press release number: PR-05-09-SOE
