XTI Aircraft TriFan 600

The XTI TriFan 600 is a luxury, high-tech, long-range passenger VTOL aircraft being designed in Englewood, CO, USA. It uses three ducted fans to take off vertically, which then rotate to a horizontal position in order to facilitate forward flight. The TriFan features a private jet style interior and has been in development since 2012. Its intended use cases are either for charter or private ownership.

Aircraft Type: Winged VTOL, Intercity

Powerplant: Hybrid-Electric. A single 1,000 shp (745 kW) Honeywell HTS900 turboshaft driving three generators, powering two 350 hp (260 kW) electric motors for the wing ducts and one each for the aft propellers.

Range: 1380 miles

Top Speed: 345 mph

Propeller Configuration: 3 ducted fans, 2 rotating

Passenger/Payload Capacity: Pilot + 5 passengers

Autonomy Level: Piloted

Wingspan/Dimensions: 37.7 ft / 38.7 ft

XTI Aircraft has a solid leadership team and momentum from building the first prototype of their TriFan 600 VTOL. Their CEO, Robert LaBelle, came from helicopter manufacturer Agusta Westland Helicopters, gaining substantial experience leading the helicopter company. Since the TriFan uses a hybrid drive system (a combination of a turbine and electric propulsion system), there may be some additional integration challenges, but XTI's innovative turbines have been tried-and-true in both fixed wing and rotorcraft applications.