PR A ETERRA
“Technology and innovation
will lead us to a sustainable,
healthier future”
pose a certification challenge. The recycled leather would
need to be retreated. “The leathers have already at one
point been treated to pass burn certification
requirements,” he says. “However, when cut and rebuilt
into the basket weave, we expose the edges, which means
it has to be retreated to keep from burning. It becomes
a new composite, so material samples would need to go
through the burn certification.”
It is undecided whether the Praeterra interior will
be built for a demonstrator jet, but customers can
commission the interior or parts of it as a custom project
– Beever says it is all fully viable now. “We used materials
we know we can apply,” he explains. “We have the
craftspeople to do this woodwork. The supplier base is
eager. The laborious part would be reclaiming the metals.
If I can’t find two extra-clean fighter jets to take apart for
the plating, then I’ll use metal left over from our executive
jet manufacturing process.”
GREEN DREAM
Beever hopes to push others to make technological strides
to benefit the Earth. “Technology and innovation will lead
us to a sustainable, healthier future,” he says. Bachmann,
who grew up in the Amazon, adds that sustainability is
becoming more important. “My 18-year-old son, Thomas,
is going to love this because he keeps asking what happens
to an aircraft when it stops flying,” he says. “This will
appeal to many current travellers, but especially to the
next generation, who are very invested in these issues.”
businessjetinteriorsinternational.com
032 JULY 2019
You can
read about
other sustainable
material ideas in
the October
EVTOL
CONCEPT
2018 issue
Embraer subsidiary EmbraerX has taken another approach
to sustainability, focusing on electric propulsion for its new
concept. The futuristic flying vehicle would have electric vertical
take-off and landing (eVTOL) capability and was designed
collaboratively, for urban mobility. A key focus was the
passenger experience and accessibility.
The concept was unveiled at the Uber Elevate Summit 2019
in Washington DC, in June 2019. “Embraer’s team focused on
the customer experience with their latest vehicle concept, using
built-in redundant systems to achieve optimal safety, while also
achieving low noise output with an eight-rotor system, which
enables span-wise lift,” comments Mark Moore, engineering
director of aviation at Uber. “Our team looks forward to
continued collaboration with the Embraer team to achieve
a quiet, green and safe aerial ridesharing vehicle.”
THE MOKUME-GANE TECHNIQUE
WOULD BE USED IN THE PLACE OF
ALL METAL PLATING, WHILE THE
MAIN VENEER IS A BY-PRODUCT
OF THE FRUIT INDUSTRY
/businessjetinteriorsinternational.com
