Ultralight amphibious PrandtlPlane: the final design

The IDINTOS project, co-founded by the Regional Government of Tuscany (Italy), concerns the design of a ultralight amphibious PrandtlPlane and the manufacturing of a flying prototype. A consortium of universities and private companies participated to the project, coordinated by University of Pisa. The paper describes the general design of the aircraft, including aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, structures, propulsion, undercarriages and interior design etc. The aircraft presents a PrandtlPlane wing configuration in order to improve the aerodynamic efficiency and to enhance the safety with respect to stall and manoeuvrability. The control surfaces (ailerons and elevators) are located on both front and rear wing so that the flight mechanics results different with respect to the conventional aircraft. The solution adopted for the propulsion system consists of two ducted propellers that are set laterally on the fuselage. The flap system is made of Fowler flaps in the front wing and plain flaps in the rear one. The interior design of the cabin has been oriented towards a better ergonomic position of the passengers whereas the dispositions of the commands wants to minimize the possibility of any human errors.