ESTOLAS

{{Short description|Hybrid aircraft}}

{{Notability|date=January 2023}}

ESTOLAS (Extremely Short Take Off and Landing on Any Surface) was a proposal for a hybrid type of aircraft that was developed from 2012 to 2014 in a project funded by the European Commission.

Instead of an airplane's usual long, relatively narrow fuselage, it was proposed to have a bloated central void filled with helium gas to make the aircraft lighter. In addition, vertical lift was to be provided by a centrally located horizontal propeller, which, together with a skirt, gives properties of a hovercraft and capability to land and take off from water, snow, and other surfaces.{{cite news |last1=Marks |first1=Paul |title=Helium-filled airplane could help in disaster zones |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24571-helium-filled-airplane-could-help-in-disaster-zones/ |access-date=30 January 2023 |work=New Scientist |date=12 November 2013}}

The 24-month project had a budget of €708,426.{{cite web |title=ESTOLAS |url=http://www.estolas.eu/en/project |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420145225/http://www.estolas.eu/en/project |archive-date=20 April 2016}}