Flybrid: Envisaging the Future Hybrid-Powered Regional Aviation

This paper presents the Flybrid project, a conceptual design study of a hybrid propulsion regional airliner for the 2030s scenario. The paper discusses the assumptions made to deal with a future framework 20 years ahead and presents an assessment of different hybrid architectures. This motivates a parallel hybrid solution which does not rely on in-flight battery recharge. We discuss the integration of this solution within the airframe of a typical regional aircraft architecture as well as within the airport system, in terms of both battery handling on the apron and battery recharging in dedicated areas that can be conveniently integrated as active nodes within a regional electric grid. Finally, an algorithm for the preliminary sizing of a hybrid aircraft is presented, and the resulting 90-seat airplane is described. The paper aims to identify and assess the variables which have the higher impact on the feasibility of a hybrid transport aircraft and to provide a viable procedure for designing it.