A: At my university, we are allowed to choose our own the thesis topic. Quite late in the process, after I already started comparing different proposals for their potential, I remembered about my two quarters as an exchange student at Ohio State University. Suddenly, the tandem skydiving jump I did there came into my mind, as well as that exciting feeling I felt. Driven by that excitement, I started thinking about an aviation project as a possible thesis theme and after few days of brainstorming I came up with the motor glider concept.

The final concept developed slowly, and after many weeks of research on different fields, from aerodynamics to sustainability, materials, propulsion and manufacturing methods, etc. I compared the current status with discoveries and possibilities which could allow me to come up with innovative ideas. Based on the research outcome and analysis, many points from the initial concept where rethought and changed. I did many different 2D sketches and tried a lot of different configurations until the final shape was found. From the idea to the mock up it took 4 months to complete my project.

A: For this project I decided Autodesk AliasStudio would be the ideal tool to support my own workflow and help me develop my concept and keep the whole design process within the one product.

For the first ideas, I started sketching directly in AliasStudio on a Wacom Cintiq. After evaluating the sketches, I had four concepts with different main emphases which I wanted to further develop. So I started with rough 3D modeling of the main surfaces, to help me better evaluate the proportions. During this part of the process, I loved the possibility offered by the sketch projection tool. It allowed me to quickly estimate the potential of details and new ideas without having to spend the time on really modeling the surfaces. At the end I chose elements I liked from the four modeled concepts and used them for my final design.

For rendering the final design, I used ImageStudio. Here, I really like the easy-to-understand workflow, and especially, the already existing environments. I know from other rendering engines how much time building up a scene can take. Also, the compatibility with Alias Studio is great, particularly that the layers are recognized and even the names.

A: The motivation to come up with a sustainable plane concept was certainly inspired by the ecological problems we are globally facing at the moment and by the wish to raise the ecological awareness in a sector which isn’t very progressive.

I designed a plane with reinvented lifecycle, based on the cradle to cradle¹ principle. It combines an ecological energy concept and sustainable materials with an organic design language and bionic inspired details to rethink the way planes are built.

Solar panels on the wings and the body deliver the required energy to power the electric motor in the front, ensuing an environmental friendly zero emission flight. In addition, the gliding ability of the plane permits traveling without energy consumption.

Keeping sustainability in consideration, the wings and frame are made of a biological flax compound. The transparent body is made of polycarbonate, a synthetic material, which can be repeatedly recycled without losing its properties. The seats could be woven out of regional available natural fibers, to avoid long distance transportation.

¹ Cradle to Cradle is a book about sustainable design by Michael Braungart and William McDonough

A: I especially like the big transparent canopy of my glider. I imagine flying with the plane and the remarkable feeling given by the big canopy. It would be like flying a paraglider or a hang glider—and so much more intensive than a normal plane.

By flying with ORIES, the big difference would consist in the fact, that besides the seat you are sitting in, there is no surrounding surface to give you the feeling you can hold on to. This lets you feel really free… a great experience, but not recommend for somebody who is afraid of flying.