Bauhaus Luftfahrt has purchased preliminary design software Pacelab Suite to support the development of its ambitious futuristic aircraft concepts. Launch project is the hybrid aircraft HyLiner, an ultra-quiet, low-emission mid-range aircraft with extremely short take-off capabilities.

In the context of aircraft design, 'hybrid' refers to a combination of individual technologies into an ideal whole. Pacelab Suite, the flagship product of knowledge-based engineering software producer PACE, provides Bauhaus Luftfahrt with a sophisticated software platform capable of integrating multiple disciplines including flight dynamics, propulsion, steering and materials. Bauhaus Luftfahrt will develop a dedicated system for preliminary aircraft design on the basis of the Pacelab Suite platform which fully leverages engineering knowledge and ingenuity.

"Our stated aim is to develop new ideas and concepts for the future of aviation that stand out by their high level of technical creativity. Pacelab Suite enables us to rapidly explore a large number of design variations, which greatly encourages looking in all directions and leaving the beaten track to search for innovative solutions", says Prof. Klaus Broichhausen, chairman of Bauhaus Luftfahrt. "The software's outstanding flexibility and its proven record with our industrial partner Airbus made Pacelab Suite the obvious choice."

In the long run, Bauhaus Luftfahrt and PACE plan to move beyond the buyer-seller relationship to form a partnership for developing advanced methodology and technology in aircraft design. Oliver Kranz, PACE Managing Partner, comments: "We are very happy to work with Bauhaus Luftfahrt – as entrepreneurs, because Bauhaus Luftfahrt, with its impressive network of aerospace associates, is a great commendation for our products; and as engineers, because finding unconventional approaches to solving design problems is exactly what we had in mind when we developed our software suite."