# Car-Inspired Personal Aircraft The Hawker Beechcraft Teams Up with Matthew Palmer By Katie Cordrey | Published 2009-10-17 | Autos Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hawker-beechcraft References: [thedesignblog.org](http://www.thedesignblog.org/entry/light-sport-aircraft-to-personalize-air-flights/) & [hawkerbeechcraft](http://www.hawkerbeechcraft.com/) The “Light Sport Aircraft” design by Matthew Palmer, backed by Hawker Beechcraft of Wichita, Kansas, is a two-passenger aircraft concept design for [personal air transportation](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/star-walkers). Sports cars of the 1970s and early 1980s are the inspiration behind the canard-style airplane with a [fuel-efficient drag-reducing wing configuration](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/phantom-3500). The front wings of this Hawker Beechcraft creation serve double duty as they are integrated with a retractable step for entry and exit from the aircraft. **Implications** - It's hard for me to look at something like the "Light Sport Aircraft" and not immediately connect it with Tom Cruise in Top Gun. Yes, it's corny, yes, it's cliched, but nothing in the sky is as cool as that movie, and it's clear that the "Light Sport Aircraft" is tinged with its influence. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.2/10 - Popularity: 67% | Activity: 21% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 90% men, 10% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Autos](https://www.trendhunter.com/autos) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Fuel-efficient Drag-reducing Wing Configuration:** Creating aircraft designs with fuel-efficient and drag-reducing wing configurations presents an opportunity for disruptive innovation in the aviation industry. - **Canard-style Airplane Design:** Developing canard-style airplane designs inspired by sports cars offers a potential avenue for disruptive innovation in personal air transportation. - **Integration of Retractable Step in Aircraft Wings:** Incorporating retractable steps into aircraft wings provides a platform for disruptive innovation in enhancing entry and exit capabilities in personal air transportation. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Aviation:** The aviation industry can explore disruptive innovation opportunities in fuel-efficient aircraft design and canard-style airplanes for personal air transportation. - **Automotive:** The automotive industry can find potential disruptive innovation opportunities by collaborating with the aviation sector to influence canard-style airplane designs inspired by sports cars. - **Transportation:** The transportation industry can leverage disruptive innovation opportunities by incorporating retractable steps in aircraft wings for enhanced entry and exit capabilities in personal air transportation. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Plane-Inspired Vehicle Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mercedesbenz-concept-vehicle.md) - [Road-Legal Flying Vehicles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/switchblade-1.md) - [Consumer-Driven Aircrafts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/personal-evtol-aircraft.md) - [Avian African Aircraft Concepts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/aircraft-concepts.md) - [Wind-Powered Flying Vehicles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/super-flying-car.md) - [Flying Car Concepts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/flying-car-concepts.md) - [Self-Landing Hobbyist Aircrafts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/epic-aircraft-e1000-ax.md) - [Air Travel-Certified Cars](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/klein-vision-aircar.md) - [Aviation Powered Cars](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/beast-by-john-dodd.md)