• +1-703-684-6777
  • See footer

Technoplane Mini-Bee TR3 (concept design)

Mini-Bee TR3 hybrid-electric VTOL one passenger concept design aircraft

 

Mini-Bee TR3 (concept design)
Technoplane
Moulines, Allier, France
www.mini-bee.com
www.technoplane.com

Based in France, Technoplane was founded in 2013 and is a data services and solution provider. In addition, Technoplane is also the coordinator of the aeronautical collaborative research and development team for hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) passenger and cargo aircraft. with multiple designs, all called the Mini-Bee. Technoplane is also developing several designs of a conventional takeoff and landing planes called the Beeplane.

The Mini-Bee collaborative project began in 2015 with a group of aviation enthusiasts, from multiple universities, sharing the common dream of creating hybrid-electric VTOL passenger aircraft to be efficient, safe, cost effective and practical for advanced air mobility (AAM). The team named their project Mini-Bee after the honeybee, which is known for its agility, efficiency and adaptability. In the beginning days, many sketches were drawn and standards were created. The name Mini-Bee is used for multiple unique VTOL aircraft designs that can look similar to or look completely different from each other.

The inventors presented their first mock-up of the Mini-Bee at the 2015 Paris Air Show in France. Initially, the Mini-Bee project was to study air transportation for individuals but then switched to air medical transportation. The inventors achieved a Level 1 technology readiness level (TRL1) in 2016. In the summer of 2017, the project team achieved a TRL2 with a subscale flying prototype and participated at the 2017 Paris Air Show. The subscale prototype was tested in a wind tunnel analyzing its aerodynamic properties and making adjustments to improve its performance. Also in 2017, the project team expanded to 15 universities and entered a TRL3 and had at least 10 industrial companies interested or participated in their research.

In 2018, the group made progress on the hybrid-electric configuration for their various aircraft and built a full-scale mock-up of one of their aircraft models. Overtime, the team grew with aeronautical engineers, designers, and experts in electric propulsion and energy management. The Mini-Bee team also showcased their aircraft at the 2019 Paris Air Show. In 2020, the inventors decided to make the Mini-Bee a modular design, allowing each aircraft model to fit into standard airliner cargo containers to make is easy to transport the aircraft to anywhere in the world. As of 2023, the inventors are continuing to make progress in design, flight tests and advanced simulation tools to improve the performance of each aircraft model in a wide range of weather and test conditions.

Timeline of Mini-Bee projects

  • 2015: Mock-ups drafted and designed, participated in the 2015 Paris Air Show
  • 2016: Detailed concept designs made, super structures designed, electronics and sensors integration started
  • 2017: Subscale model made and wind tunnel tested, participated in the 2017 Paris Air Show
  • 2018: Full scale prototype made
  • 2019: Continuation of working on multiple aircraft, participated in the 2019 Paris Air Show
  • 2020: Designed all aircraft models to be modular to make assembly easy and to make them easy to ship in airliner cargo containers to distribute them any place in the world
  • 2021-2023: The inventors continue to refine their designs and prototypes

The Mini-Bee TR3 hybrid-electric VTOL passenger concept design aircraft
The Mini-Bee TR3 is hybrid-electric VTOL one passenger tilt-propeller tandem winged concept design aircraft made to takeoff and land like a helicopter but have the cruise speed of an airplane. The Mini-Bee tilt-propeller aircraft has a series of multiple designs. Some designs are similar to each other and some designs are unique to themselves. With that said, the inventors plan on making as many systems and parts to be interchangeable on as many of the Mini-Bee models as possible.

The Mini-Bee TR3 is a one passenger aircraft that has been designed for long range and speed. The aircraft would be well suited for city to city flying, city to rural areas, long-range rural flying and island air travel. The advantage of today's electric and hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft is very little infrastructure is needed allowing air travel to take place in most areas of the world.

The cockpit has gull-wing doors with large windows in the doors providing excellent views for the pilot. The aircraft has a total of nine propellers and nine electric motors. There is one tilt-propeller on the ends of each wing for forward and VTOL flight. There is one pusher propeller for forward flight. There are four VTOL-only electric ducted fans in the wings and are located near the fuselage. The aircraft has a carbon fiber composite fuselage for a high strength and low weight ratio. The aircraft has one rear vertical stabilizer and has retractable tricycle wheeled landing gear. The aircraft can take off and land conventionally if desired.

In 2017, it was proposed that if €3-5 million EUR would be invested in the project, the first prototype could fly in one to two years. In 2019, Technoplane's goal is to half the price per flight for their aircraft when compared to helicopters. The inventors predicted production of the Mini-Bee would begin in 2025. The inventors envisioned most of their aircraft to be used for personal use, air taxi service, VIP travel, emergency medical service, racing, air cargo transportation and military service.

This particular Mini-Bee hybrid-electric VTOL one passenger concept design aircraft can be used for personal use or for air racing.

Specifications:

  • Aircraft type: Hybrid-electric VTOL passenger concept design aircraft
  • Piloting: 1 pilot
  • Cruise speed: Unknown
  • Propellers: 9 propellers (4 tilt-propellers, 4 electric ducted fans in wing, 1 pusher propeller)
  • Electric motors: 9 electric motors
  • Power source: Hybrid-electric power source
  • Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
  • Window: Canopy over cockpit for excellent views (has gull wing doors)
  • Wings: Tandem wings
  • Tail: 1 vertical stabilizer
  • Landing gear: Retractable tricycle wheeled landing gear
  • Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. DEP means having multiple propellers (or ducted fans) and motors on the aircraft so if one or more propellers (ducted fans) or motors fail, the other working propellers (or ducted fans) and motors can safely land the aircraft. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft.

Related Tiltrotor Aircraft:

Related Multicopter Aircraft:

Resources:


 

About us

Administered by The Vertical Flight Society
 This information on this website is provided for public use. However, you may not copy entire sections of this website and post them on your own website — because that's plagiarism!

For information on joining VFS, add additional eVTOL aircraft ≥300 lb (136 kg) or to report an error, please contact us at info@eVTOL.news or through VFS headquarters.

Our Contacts

2700 Prosperity Ave, Suite 275
Fairfax, Virginia, USA - 22031
Phone: +1-703-684-6777
Email: See footer

Latest Tweets

2024 © The Vertical Flight Society. The Electric VTOL News™, eVTOL.news™ and eVTOL News™ are trademarks of The Vertical Flight Society.

Powered by: Electric VTOL News™