Showcase: Project Ventura // Savion Aerospace
Let’s talk about alternative fuel sources for a minute.
Electric vehicles will soon become the standard in automotive, and though the aviation industry would like to follow suit, flight demands a lot of fuel power. There just isn’t a battery strong enough to propel a jet for seven hours -- at least, not yet.
That’s what makes liquid natural gas (LNG) a compelling fuel alternative. It emits very little C02 and can actually increase flight efficiency. Also, combustion engines don’t know the difference between LNG and gasoline, so engineers can rely on traditional aerodynamics rather than reinventing the airplane.
What’s the catch? Well, in order to stay liquid, natural gas needs to be stored at enormous pressure at a very low, stable temperature. It can be done, but it requires a six-foot tall tank. That’s way bigger than your average fuselage. So no, engineers don’t need to reinvent the airplane with LNG, but they do need to think outside the box.
Fortunately for Savion Aerospace, that is precisely what our studio does best.
In 2019, we were contracted to provide high-quality renderings of their remote-piloted LNG-fueled private jet. Their engineers had done a ton of great work on the wing, tail and fuselage specs in order to make sure the aircraft was functional. But investors are interested in both functionality and style.
Using Alias Surface, our studio produced Class A surface lofts of the plane exterior, which could be used by manufacturing engineers.
We designed a spacious cabin with a foldable workstation and lay-down seats, as well as an easy-to-access screen you can use to adjust the temperature or lighting, or communicate with your remote pilot.
It’s important to note that with a six-foot fuselage, we had the opportunity to create an attractive galley you can actually stand up in.
Quick note about remote piloting: Savion works with a pilot who flew military drones for many years. They’re not just handing the controls to some knucklehead. And for those still uneasy with the idea of remote piloting, consider that on a commercial plane, pilots only manually control the craft for about five minutes each flight.
Savion is marketing their flights as a subscription service. With the app they’ve created, subscribers would have “schedule-free” access to private jets. They project their flight service will begin in 2024.