TransportUP

Hoversurf, the maker of the acclaimed Hoversurf Hoverbike, has begun a new video blog discussing urban air mobility.

This week, Alex Atamanov explains the Venturi engine, which uses an electric ducted fan. Electric ducted fans are part of many popular VTOL designs:

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Hoversurf began delivering its Hoverbike to customers in September of 2018, starting with the Dubai police force. Read more about the latest news from Hoversurf here.

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Skyworks Global- A company that’s specialized in ‘gyroplanes’ for over twenty years-is producing a powerful VTOL business aircraft. With the Skyworks Global Heliplane ready to manufacture, and the HAWK-5 already in the air, the company is well set as a powerful player in the VTOL aircraft space.

The Skyworks Global Verti-Jet is a business conversion of existing technology used in the company’s ‘Heliplane’. The Helipane (featured below) is currently being marketed towards the U.S Marines. According to Skyworks Global’s brochure for the Heliplane, the aircraft can reach speeds of up to 400mph and has a range of 1,000 miles. It flies a combination of slowed-rotor compound lift technology (similar to the Carter Copter), a fixed-wing for the lift in horizontal flight, and turbofan or turboprop engines for propulsion.

Above: The Skyworks ‘Heliplane’ which is currently being marketed to the U.S Marines. Top speed is 400mph with a range of 1,000 miles.

According to Skyworks Global, the company’s motivation for building gyroplanes comes from the fact that they are both versatile and economical, as well as “unconstrained by the physics imposed speed, range, and payload limitations of a helicopter”. The company has been working on gyroplanes for over twenty years, starting with the Hawk 4, which flew at the Salt-Lake City Olympics in 2002.

Above: The Skyworks ‘Hawk 4’ which flew at the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002. 

Skyworks has also demonstrated an interest in and awareness of the upcoming air-taxi market. It’s ‘Scouthawk’ aircraft, marketed for the military, border patrol, law enforcement, rescue, urban mobility, and more, was featured in a recent Skyworks Global concept video for air taxi use:

Why it’s important: While the Skyworks Verti-Jet is not an electric VTOL, it has a very strong use case for business travel between cities, much like the Transcend Air Vy 400 or the XTI Tri-Fan 600. With a depth of experience in gyroscope flight technology, and a potential air taxi in the ScoutHawk, the company is well positioned to provide vehicles for the urban air mobility space.

Boeing’s newest passenger air vehicle (PAV) made its first flight in Manassas, VA yesterday, completing a takeoff, hover, and landing flight profile. The aircraft was designed and developed by Boeing NeXt, which leads the company’s urban air mobility development efforts.

Boeing NeXt and subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences verified some of the vehicles autonomous functions and ground control systems during the flight on Tuesday. Watch video of the flight:

The concept for Boeing’s PAV follows their early prototype reveals, with four rotors per side of the aircraft providing lift, and a single pusher propeller providing thrust for forward flight. Currently, the aircraft has a number of ground sensors attached to the skids on each side that also serve as landing gear, but that may change in the future. Furthermore, this iteration of the PAV has seating for two passengers.

The takeoff, hover, and landing of Boeing’s PAV yesterday pave the way for envelope expansion flight testing as the handling characteristics and autonomous flight control systems are refined during further operation of the aircraft. The aircraft is 30 feet long and 28 feet wide, and has a range of 50 miles.

“In one year, we have progressed from a conceptual design to a flying prototype,” said Boeing Chief Technology Officer Greg Hyslop. “Boeing’s expertise and innovation have been critical in developing aviation as the world’s safest and most efficient form of transportation, and we will continue to lead with a safe, innovative and responsible approach to new mobility solutions.”

“Boeing was there when the aviation industry was born and in our second century, we will unlock the potential of the urban air mobility market,” said Steve Nordlund, vice president and general manager of Boeing NeXt. “From building air vehicles to airspace integration, we will usher in a future of safe, low-stress mobility in cities and regions around the world.”

Why it’s important: Boeing’s rapid progress from prototype to first flight of its new Passenger Air Vehicle substantiate (in part) some of the claims that the additional resources of larger OEM’s in the aerospace field may help overcome hurdles that smaller companies may require more time to navigate. Now that the PAV is in flight testing, others will likely be watching to learn lessons from the interactions between Boeing and the FAA once certification flight testing is commenced.

Learn more about Boeing’s PAV here, and be sure to subscribe to TransportUP’s newsletter and podcast to stay up to date on all things urban aviation!

Jaunt Air Mobility, a UAM company that was recently unveiled at the Vertical Flight Society symposium this month, has acquired the rights to the Carter slowed-rotor compound (SR/C) technology used in the Carter Copter eVTOL concept.

The Carter Copter, which Carter Aviation has named as it’s ‘Electric Air Taxi’ is designed to fit Uber Elevate’s specifications for Air Taxis. Unlike many other designs, the carter copter features a single, long lift rotor rather the IDEP (integrated distributed electric propulsion). Learn more about the Carter Copter specs. 

Carter believes that it’s slowed-rotor compound technology (SR/C), which it’s been developing since as early as 1998, could be an ideal solution for urban air taxis, owing to its added efficiency, safety, and noise control. Unlike other eVTOL concepts which require parachutes in the event of emergencies, the Carter Copter can use its rotor to complete auto-rotation landings. The rotor’s added length also makes for low rotor tip speeds, which would potentially lower the noise emission from the aircraft.

The Carter Copter technology demonstrator, which made its first flight in 1998.

Apparently, Jaunt Air Mobility, a newly founded aspiring UAM company with little public information, agrees with Carter on the importance of slow-rotor compound technology. This week, Jaunt announced its acquirement of the SRC technology. Little is still known about Jaunt, except that it was founded last May by New Jersey engineer and entrepreneur Kaydon Stanzione. Jaunt aims at becoming another business partner for Uber Elevate and is currently seeking additional funding.

Carter Aviation is also working on several other types of vertical flight technology and has a depth of knowledge and experience in the area. Since 1998, Carter has been developing manned prototypes of its vehicles, as seen below, including its PAV (Personal Air Vehicle), which is still in use and undergoing test flights.

Why it’s important: With the Carter Copter, Carter and Jaunt Air represent the wealth of technology and depth of engineering knowledge that is being put toward the Urban Air Mobility Industry. The Carter Copter’s unique single-rotor design and SR/C technology, which reduces noise and increases effeciency, could make it a potential additional partner for Uber Elevate, which is the goal of Jaunt Mobility Founder Kaydon Stanzione.

Polish Aerospace Company Jetson Aero has created what many are calling a ‘flying go-kart’- a single seater eVTOL potentially designed for racing.

While Jetson Aero partly envisions that it’s ‘Jetson Speeder’ will be used for racing, its main goal is to make the possibility of personal flight available to everyone. The company, made of only a few individuals, spent a great deal of months prototyping, testing, and programming to build the finished functional prototype from scratch.

Jetson is currently working on improving battery power & charging, durability, as well as designing a light-weight carbon fiber frame. It hopes for the final product to look something like this:

Jetson isn’t the only company that’s building this type of personal aircraft. Only a few months ago, Filipino Hip-Hop dancer and inventor Kyxz Mendiola showed the world his ‘Koncepto Millenya‘, which has a very similar design to the concept version of Jetson Speeder:

Kyxz Mendiola’s ‘Koncepto Millenya‘ was unveiled to the world in October 2018, soon after which the technology was bought by electric transportation company Star8.

Other companies are also developing personal eVTOL technology for both racing and other use cases. Hoversurf recently made the first sale of its S4 Hoverbike to the Dubai police. Assen Aero, which is developing a motorcycle-like hoverbike, completed successful test flights this December.

Jetson Aero has commented: “The feeling of flying and the possibility of *flying* in every direction of three dimensions is amazing. No complications or limits of classic aircraft.” Because of the Speeder’s smaller size and simplicity, lengthy take-off procedures and piloting expertise are unnecessary, fulfilling Jetson’s of making flying more accessible to everyone.

Why it’s important: Although it’s still unclear whether vehicles like the Jetson Speeder will be used for recreation, racing, or personal commuter transport, the widespread development of this technology signifies the potential and public interest of these smaller aircraft. Although these aircraft are built on a much smaller scale than vehicles like the Bell Nexus or Boeing PAV, they further prove the concept of these types of vehicles and take big steps toward making personal vertical flight possible for everyone.