While we seem to be hanging on to the classic tube-and-wing aircraft design for the foreseeable future, the aviation industry is also looking to innovate to meet the challenges set before it in transitioning to more environmentally friendly means of operations. You have probably heard of several startups within the electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Vehicle (eVTOL) segment or the new supersonic hopeful Boom. Meanwhile, in March 2021, an Alabama startup known as SE Aeronautics unveiled its new concept widebody aircraft, and it is a significant departure from what we are used to seeing on the runways.SE Aeronautics (the SE standing for Super Efficient) has reworked the entire concept of an airliner and revealed an innovative tri-wing aircraft that they say will have a 70%lower fuel burn and 80% lower carbon footprint than similar traditional planes. Currently, it is only theoretical, but if realized, its specs truly make for a game-changing aircraft. Here’s what you need to know about the proposed SE200.

A widebody redesign

Widebody orders may be down as a result of the pandemic. However, industry sources say that they will return to a more normal state of affairs in the next couple of years. And as the industry faces more and more pressure to decarbonize, fuel efficiency and lower emissions will be high on airlines' wish lists for whatever update or model comes next. Chasing CO2 grams per passenger kilometer will be an industrious task, and if a new airplane concept could slash them significantly without compromising safety or payload, well, commercial carriers would certainly be chuffed.

Alas, the SE200 is still very much a drawing board design, and as we know, not all aircraft that are dreamed of by engineers actually make it onto a production line. Meanwhile, it does not hurt to dream in composite, and as such, let's take a closer look at this potential disruptor of a tri-wing plane.

SE200
Photo: SE Aeronautics

Multiple stakeholders are developing new technologies and strategies to reduce aviation’s impact on the environment. So far, these solutions have revolved around new engine technology, new construction materials, and new ways of powering aircraft. But what if the aircraft, as we know it, is ready for a radical redesign?

The SE200 promises more efficient flight, lower cost of operation, increased passenger safety, and a useful lifespan that is double that of a traditional aircraft. Lloyd Weaver, Chief Engineer at SE Aeronautics, says that the company has considered everything in the design of this aircraft, commenting,

"Our innovative technology and new aircraft design will lower fuel consumption by 70% and lower CO2 emissions by 80% as measured by per seat kilometer. The innovative design is a more efficient, light-tri wing configuration that greatly improves lift over drag, resulting in short take-off and landing (STOL) capabilities and extremely long flights. The construction is all composite, molded in one tough, safer piece. We also incorporated super thin, long wings and complete streamlining from the nose to the tail. We did it all."

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How the aircraft stacks up

The principle of the aircraft is embedded not only in its unusual tri-wing design but also in its construction. Rather than being fabricated from bolted-together panels, the SE200 features a monocoque design, meaning it is molded from one single piece of composite. This, the company says, will reduce fatigue and make the aircraft safer for passengers.

The super-thin wings are no longer doubling up as fuel storage. Instead, fuel is stored in self-sealing bladders atop the fuselage. This, in turn, will make the plane capable of floating for long periods in the event of an emergency water landing.

Propulsion will be delivered by two super-efficient engines mounted at the rear, which the company says will give it a thrust of 64,000 lbf. SE Aeronautics has considered cargo, too, with a ‘state-of-the-art bulk container system’ which could take about half the payload of a 747-8F, and a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 170,000 lb.

SE200
Photo: SE Aeronautics

In terms of passengers, the aircraft is intended to carry around 264 passengers to a range of 10,560 miles (16,995 km). That gives it longer legs than the A330neo and 787 families and almost takes it as far as the A350ULR. But are these things enough to really allow such a radical redesign to compete with Boeing and Airbus?

Tyler Mathews, CEO of SE Aeronautics, believes it is. He commented,

"This aircraft will be the most practical, profitable and permanent solution to the grossly underperforming airliner technology of today. Our manufacturing efficiency will allow us to produce our aircraft in significantly less time than the current traditional method. But the jewel in the crown is really our ability to get that fuel consumption rate down by 70%. We are going to revolutionize the industry.”

Will passengers be ok without windows?

The new widebody design promises a 2-4-2 seating arrangement and a 32″ pitch with a new, comfortable product. However, there is one major detail (or, rather, several smaller ones) that is absent from the SE200 - windows. According to a feature in PaxEx Aero from the time of the launch, the company's CEO believes that they are "a bigger problem for structural strength than they’re worth," and that passengers won't mind watching a digitally projected display of the landscape floating by outside instead.

Since SE Aeronautics revealed its patent-pending SE200 tri-wing design in March 2021, there hasn't been much news about the project. The company's Twitter account has only ever had the one tweet go up announcing the design. Environmentally friendly and experimental aircraft are fantastic (although we are kind of attached to the whole window seat experience here at Simple Flying), but all the coolest designs in the world won't mean much unless they can actually take off from the drawing board.

What do you think of the SE200? Revolutionary, or tri-wing pie in the sky? Let us know in the comment section.

Source: PaxEx Aero, SE Aeronautics