Sukhoi Civil Aircraft has introduced the concept of a new aircraft designed to fly professional sports teams, SportJet by Sukhoi. The airliner is scheduled for release and certification in 2018.
SportJet by Sukhoi will be the third product in the range of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft alongside the Sukhoi Superjet 100 and Sukhoi Business Jet concepts, expanding the product markets and promotion opportunities. According to the experts at Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, sports air transportation market now exceeds US$600 million per year.
The concept is based on the expertise and technology of Sukhoi Superjet 100, enhanced by innovative medical and IT solutions developed in cooperation with sports physicians, experts and managers. It creates a home field advantage in the air, allowing athletes to rest and recover.
SportJet by Sukhoi is based on scientific and practical research in the field of sports, such as the impact of flights, jet lag, hypoxia, dehydration, stress on the body and aerophobia that affect professional athletes from various sports.
Among the potential customers SportJet by Sukhoi are national sports federations, professional sports clubs, individuals and businesses. SportJet by Sukhoi will provide custom aircraft versions for professional teams in such sports as football, hockey, basketball and rugby, as well as a solution for customers from business aviation, emphasizing its ties with the sport and paying particular attention to health issues. The aircraft is easily customisable based on the client's needs.
Evgeny Andrachnikov, senior vice president of commerce at Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, says:
'In elite sports, where fractions of seconds and inches are of decisive importance, every detail matters in affecting the shape of the athlete. Today, to achieve the best results you need new technology and approaches, including those that increase the flight quality and, hence, the physique and morale of athletes. We are sure that flights for professional sports teams on sportjets will eventually become an integral part of the air transportation market'.
The layout of SportJet by Sukhoi will feature four functional zones: the flight zone of the first team, the recovery zone, the coaching zone and administrative area.
One of the know-hows of the first-team zone will be SMART chairs that allow not only to rest comfortably almost entirely in a horizontal position, but also to continuously monitor the body condition. Thanks to integrated biomedical gadgets, the stats on dehydration, hypoxia, stress, heart rate, etc. are at your fingertips, so you can timely react to keep the situation under control.
The chairs for athletes are complemented will air straps, the world's first diagnostic devices that are worn during the flight. The straps monitor an athlete's functional state and continuously displays an individual air adaptation index. SMART chairs and air straps are equipped with wireless transmitters that send data to the central monitor of a scientific expert from a support group and athletes' mobile devices.
The recovery zone is meant to be the sports and medical centre on board the aircraft. The AeroScan diagnostic capsule gives comprehensive info on all the athlete's physiological indicators. In addition, the athletes will be able to have a training session and to warm up during the flight. This zone will also feature a unique system for physical therapy, including cryotherapy, myostimulation, press and lymphatic drainage, and massage. Besides, it will help transport injured athletes.
The aircraft will be equipped with other devices, too, that make flights more comfortable and allow to rationally use the time on board. Among them are tools that determine the body's hydration level; adaptive lighting which reduces the impact of jet lag; and Be Ready To Win, a multimedia system with motivational programs, video analysis of matches and theoretical training.