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96-543: The Electravia Electro Trike is a French electric ultralight trike , produced by Electravia of Alpes de Haute Provence. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft. The Electro Trike prototype was introduced at the first Green Aviation Airshow at Le Bourget in June 2008. The Electro Trike was designed to comply with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight category and

192-532: A Diamond HK-36 Super Dimona motor glider as a research test bed for a hydrogen fuel cell powered light airplane. Successful flights took place in February and March 2008. The European Commission has financed many low TRL projects for innovative electric or hybrid propulsion aircraft. The ENFICA-FC is a project of the European Commission , to study and demonstrate an all-electric aircraft with fuel-cells as

288-493: A Guinness World Record for the farthest distance. In June 2017, Airbus presented its CityAirbus , an electrically powered VTOL aircraft demonstrator. The multirotor aircraft is intended to carry four passengers, with a pilot initially and to become self-piloted when regulations allow. Its first unmanned flight was scheduled for the end of 2018 with manned flights planned to follow in 2019. Type certification and commercial introduction are planned for 2023. Ingenuity ,

384-423: A commercial pilot license (CPL(H)) or an air transport pilot license (ATPL(H)) for manned craft. CAE is developing training programs utilizing data analytics with complex simulators. CAE and BETA partnered to offer eVTOL pilot and maintenance technician training for ALIA eVTOLs. CAE and Volocopter partnered to develop a pilot training program for Volocopter eVTOLs. Mechanics also need to be certified, but as this

480-494: A 10-seater, eventually an at least 120 passengers single aisle, short haul airliner and targets 50% lower noise and 10% lower costs. Jeffrey Engler, CEO of Wright Electric, estimates that commercially viable electric planes will lead to around a 30% reduction in energy costs. On March 19, 2018, Israel Aerospace Industries announced it plans to develop a short-haul electric airliner, building on its small UAS electric power systems experience. It could develop it in-house, or with

576-451: A 12-hour flight from NASA Dryden . After further modifications, the aircraft was moved to the U.S. Navy 's Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on the Hawaiian island of Kauai . On July 7, 1997, Pathfinder raised the altitude record for solar–powered aircraft to 71,530 feet (21,800 m), which was also the record for propeller–driven aircraft. On August 6, 1998, Pathfinder Plus raised

672-502: A 5 kW/kg power density, competing with the 260 kW (350 hp), 50 kg (110 lb) Siemens SP260D for the Extra 330LE . By September 2018, a 350 hp (260 kW) electric motor with a propeller had been tested on a Cessna iron bird. The 750 hp (560 kW) Caravan first flew in 2020 and by 2022 MagniX estimates electric aircraft will have ranges of 500 and 1,000 miles (800 and 1,610 km) by 2024. The motor ran on

768-448: A 50 min endurance. Pipistrel plans to deliver over 30 examples in 2020, to be operated as a trainer aircraft . On 12 October 2021, Diamond Aircraft announced the development of the e DA40 , targeting a 2022 first flight and a 2023 EASA/FAA Part 23 certification, tailored to the flight training market. The two-seat aircraft is expected to be able to fly for up to 90 minutes, with 40% lower operating costs than piston power. The eDA40 has

864-543: A UAM system. NASA's concept of operations, or ConOps, relies on defined corridors for UAM craft which must then abide by specific protocols when inside the corridor. EASA's regulatory approach leaves local decision to “local actors” and will instead seek to certify the aircraft themselves for safety. They developed the VTOL special condition to certify the specific class of aircraft that were previously undefined. Aircraft need to be certified as airworthy, as well as registered with

960-810: A blend of the FAA Part 23, 27, 33, 35, and 36 requirements to certify its eVTOL. BETA applied for eVTOL certification under Part 23 with the FAA. BETA was the first manned eVTOL to receive military airworthiness from the Air Force. All VTOL and eVTOL aircraft that carry persons or property for hire must be flown by an appropriately certificated operator. Joby applied for a FAA Part 135 certificate to operate their own aircraft for UAM projects. Lilium partnered with Luxaviation to operate eVTOL jets in Europe. Pilots need to be certified to operate an eVTOL and remote eVTOLs. Pilots can obtain

1056-444: A catalytic membrane. Small fuel cells can power light drones for three times longer than equivalent batteries. Fuel cells are in development for larger aircraft. Experimental regional aircraft retrofitted with fuel cell-electric propulsion systems have flown in 2023. In January 2023, ZeroAvia flew a Dornier 228 with one original Honeywell TPE 331 turboprop engine on the right wing and a proprietary ZeroAvia hydrogen-electric engine on

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1152-570: A circumnavigation of the Earth using solar power. Electric VTOL aircraft or personal air vehicles are being considered for Urban Air Mobility . Electric commercial airliners could lower operating costs. By May 2018 almost 100 electric aircraft were known to be under development. This was up from 70 the previous year and included 60% from startups, 32% from aerospace incumbents, half of them major OEMs and 8% from academic, government organizations and non-aerospace companies, mainly from Europe (45%) and

1248-447: A detection and avoidance radar to navigate traffic, and software to track landing zones for repeatable vertical landings. Fly-by-wire systems translate a pilot's inputs into commands sent to an aircraft's motors, propeller governors, ailerons, elevators and other moving surfaces. They are essential in multirotor designs because human pilots cannot control multiple propellers without computer assistance. In June 2019, Honeywell introduced

1344-431: A fatal crash in early tests. One of the first vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft (VTOLs) was the 1924 Berliner No. 5. It recorded its best performance when it reached a height of 4.57 m (15 ft) during a one-minute, thirty-five second flight. Pitcairn , Cierva , Buhl and other manufacturers developed autogyros prototypes. The Avrocar was a disk-shaped aircraft designed for military use. Initially funded by

1440-583: A flight of its eVTOL that flew a 150-mile flight on a single battery charge by flying in a 14-mile circle 11 times for a total flight time of one hour and 17 minutes. Air mobility is progressing along both manned and UAV directions. In Hamburg , the WiNDroVe project – (use of drones in a metropolitan area) was implemented from May 2017 through January 2018. In Ingolstadt , Germany the Urban Air Mobility project began in June 2018, involving Audi , Airbus ,

1536-431: A gasoline-powered Cessna and other aircraft in a series of trials verified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale . The Long ESA was found to be less expensive, have a higher maximum speed, and higher rate of climb, partly due to the ability of the aircraft to maintain performance at altitude as low air density does not impair engine performance. In 2017, Siemens used a modified Extra EA-300 acrobatic airplane,

1632-412: A gross weight of 193 kg (425 lb), giving a useful load of 108 kg (238 lb). The single battery pack gives a flight endurance of one hour, while the addition of a second battery pack allows flights of 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours. Data from Bayerl General characteristics Performance Electric aircraft Crewed flights in an electrically powered airship go back to

1728-548: A higher energy density than lead–acid batteries , needed to power a heavier than air aircraft . Following successful human-powered flight , a relaunched Kremer prize allowed the crew to store energy before takeoff. In the 1980s, several such designs stored electricity generated by pedalling, including the MIT Monarch and the Aerovironment Bionic Bat. The Boeing -led FCD (fuel cell demonstrator) project uses

1824-428: A miniaturized computer specifically designed for UAM aircraft. Advanced autonomous eVTOL fleets require management software to scale to profitable levels. Pilot training is costly and expensive, and pilots themselves take up much of an aircraft's payload. So many manufacturers are designing aircraft that can fly autonomously as automation technology improves. Sikorsky is developing MATRIX technology, while Honeywell

1920-402: A more powerful motor. Even with the lifting capacity of an airship, the heavy accumulators needed to store the electricity severely limited the speed and range of such early airships. Fully electric airships are expected to be available again by the 2030s. In 1909, an electric free flight model was claimed to have been flown eight minutes, but this claim has been disputed by the builder of

2016-605: A one-way fare was $ 4–11. From 1964 to 1968, PanAm offered regular helicopter connections between midtown Manhattan and John F. Kennedy International Airport, allowing for passengers to connect directly to their flights from the New York City Pan American building. The service was halted in 1979 after a crash in 1977 killed four people on the roof and one on the ground below. In the 1980s, Trump Shuttle offered helicopter service between Wall Street and LaGuardia Airport , utilizing Sikorsky S-61 helicopters. The service

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2112-506: A peak speed of 80 knots (150 km/h). The Robinson R44 helicopter was modified with two three-phase permanent magnet synchronous YASA Motors , weighing 45 kg (100 lb), plus 11 Lithium polymer batteries from Brammo weighing 500 kg (1,100 lb). It later flew for 20 minutes in 2016. On December 7, 2018, Tier 1 Engineering flew an electric, battery-powered R44 over 30 nmi (56 km) at 80 kn (150 km/h) and an altitude of 800 ft (240 m), setting

2208-480: A pedal-powered airplane to attempt the Channel crossing, the airplane proved too heavy to be successfully powered by human power and was then converted to solar power, using an electric motor driven by batteries that were charged before flight by a solar cell array on the wing. The maiden flight of Solar One took place at Lasham Airfield , Hampshire, on June 13, 1979. The MacCready Gossamer Penguin first flew carrying

2304-536: A pilot in 1980. The MacCready Solar Challenger was first flown in 1980, and in 1981 flew 163 miles from Pontoise Aerodrome , north of Paris, to Manston Royal Air Force Base in Manston , England, staying aloft 5 hours and 23 minutes, with pilot Stephen Ptacek at the controls. The human piloted Solair 1, developed by Günther Rochelt, flew in 1983 with notably improved performance. It employed 2499 wing-mounted solar cells. The German solar-powered aircraft "Icaré II"

2400-622: A pilot on 30 minute flights with a 30-minute reserve. Magnix is seeking FAA certification for its 640 kW (850shp) Magni650 aircraft engine, while battery provider H55 (a spin-off from Solar Impulse) is pursuing EASA approval. A demonstrator for the German Scylax E10 10-seater should fly in 2022. It should be used by FLN Frisia Luftverkehr to connect East Frisian islands with its 300 km (160 nmi) range and 300 m (980 ft) short takeoff and landing distance. Urban air mobility Urban air mobility (UAM)

2496-620: A planned three-seat variant for future release. The eDA40 had its initial flight on 20 July 2023. On 19 February 2024, Aura Aero rolls-out its first prototype of Integral E. The NASA Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) is a NASA reconfigurable testbed in Plum Brook Station , Ohio, used to design, develop, assemble and test electric aircraft power systems, from a small, one or two person aircraft up to 20 MW (27,000 hp) airliners . NASA research agreements (NRA) are granted to develop electric-propulsion components. That programme

2592-597: A positive attitude towards UAM, while 71% were ready to try UAM services. Projects underway include Lilium announcing to create the first U.S. vertihub in Orlando for its on-demand electric jet service and EHang created an UAM pilot program in Spain in the city of Seville. In December 2016, the Vertical Lift Research Centers of Excellence (VLRCOE) announced its new academic teams for its program. The joint effort of

2688-472: A sailplane. It is the first two-seat electric aircraft to have achieved series production. As pilot training emphasises short flights, several companies make, or have demonstrated, light aircraft suitable for initial flight training. The Airbus E-Fan was aimed at flight training but the project was cancelled. Pipistrel makes light sport electric aircraft such as the Pipistrel WATTsUP , a prototype of

2784-620: A small battery, which powered the motor. Following a 1.5-hour charge, the battery could power the aircraft for 3 to 5 minutes to reach a gliding altitude. It followed a successful model test in 1974, as solar cells were developed, at the same period than with NiCad batteries. Under the direction of Freddie To, an architect and member of the Kremer prize committee, the Solar One was designed by David Williams and produced by Solar-Powered Aircraft Developments. A motor-glider type aircraft originally built as

2880-412: A startup like Israeli Eviation , U.S. Zunum Aero or Wright Electric. Australia-based MagniX has developed an electric Cessna 208 Caravan with a 540 kW (720 hp) motor for flight durations up to an hour. The company's Magni5 electric motor produces continuously 265 kW (355 hp), 300 kW (400 hp) peak at 2,500 rpm at 95% efficiency with a 53 kg (117 lb) dry mass,

2976-418: A system to connect cities, states, drone operators, and the FAA into a single space to map out the safest routes for autonomous drones using publicly available flight data. Governments around the world have begun debating changes to their airspace rules to accommodate high numbers of autonomous or semi-autonomous aircraft operating at low altitudes. NASA and EASA have proposed concepts for the requirements of

Electravia Electro Trike - Misplaced Pages Continue

3072-416: A test dynamometer for 1,000 hours. The iron bird is a Caravan forward fuselage used as a test bed, with the original Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engine replaced by an electric motor, inverter and a liquid-cooling system, including radiators, driving a Cessna 206 propeller. The production motor will produce 280 kW (380 hp) at 1,900 rpm, down from the test motor's 2,500 rpm, allowing

3168-405: A type of propeller mounted within a duct, which optimizes the thrust from the tips of the blades. Tiltrotor aircraft lift exclusively by rigid propeller and have no other horizontal propulsion type. They generate horizontal thrust by physically tilting the rotors into a horizontal position once airborne. Tiltwing aircraft are similar to tiltrotor aircraft, but rather than independently rotating

3264-507: A wide variety of missions including cargo and logistics. This is also supported by the drone market consulting firm Drone Industry Insights, who also includes vertiports into the definition of AAM and UAM. The development of the earliest predecessors of UAM aircraft began in the early 1900s with early concepts of “ flying cars ” such as Glenn Curtiss's Autoplane, developed in 1917. Three years later, Henry Ford began prototyping “plane cars” as single-seat aircraft, but halted development after

3360-429: Is a specific air traffic management system designed around the unique needs of unmanned and low-altitude aircraft. UTM provides airspace integrations necessary for ensuring safe operation through services such as design of the actual airspace, delineations of air corridors, dynamic geofencing to maintain flight paths, weather avoidance, and route planning without continuous human monitoring. Airspace Link developed AirHub,

3456-435: Is an emerging industry, there are not yet regulations in place to do so for the relevant aircraft and technologies. Applications include commute, law enforcement, air medical, fire, private security, and military. Public acceptance of UAM relies on a variety of factors, including but not limited to safety, energy consumption, noise, security, and social equity. Safety risks overlap with most current aircraft risks, including

3552-523: Is as a sustaining motor or even a self-launching motor for gliders . The most common system is the front electric sustainer , which is used in over 240 gliders. The short range is not a problem as the motor is used only briefly, either to launch or to avoid an outlanding (an unplanned landing while soaring). The first commercially available, non-certified production electric aircraft, the Alisport Silent Club self-launching glider , flew in 1997. It

3648-546: Is developing integrated avionics systems comprising a vehicle management system, autonomous navigation, a fly-by-wire control system, and compact satellite connectivity. The avionics are modular and able to integrate with third-party applications. The architecture can also incorporate simplified vehicle operations, which replaces traditional pilot displays with imagery that is similar to a car GPS system or smartphone app. UAM requires infrastructure for vehicles to take off, land, be repaired, recharge or refuel, and park. The size of

3744-493: Is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing, with its single surface wing covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its 10 m (32.8 ft) span wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame weight-shift control bar. The powerplant is an Electravia GMPE 102 electric motor, producing 26 hp (19 kW). With a single Lithium polymer battery pack the aircraft has an empty weight of 85 kg (187 lb) and

3840-590: Is optionally driven by a 13 kW (17 hp) DC electric motor running on 40 kg (88 lb) of batteries that store 1.4 kWh (5.0 MJ) of energy. The first certificate of airworthiness for an electric powered aircraft was granted to the Lange Antares 20E in 2003. Also an electric, self-launching 20 m (66 ft) glider/sailplane, with a 42 kW (56 hp) DC/DC brushless motor and lithium-ion batteries , it can climb up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft) with fully charged cells. The first flight

3936-437: Is partnered with Pipistrel and other manufacturers to develop automatic landing systems for their respective aircraft. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are necessary to develop autonomous craft, but pose a complication to certification because they are non-deterministic, i.e. they may behave differently given the same input in the same scenario. Avionics are electronic systems designed for aircraft. Honeywell

Electravia Electro Trike - Misplaced Pages Continue

4032-442: Is powered by four electric motors. Energy from solar cells on the wings and horizontal stabilizer is stored in lithium polymer batteries and used to drive propellers. In 2012, the first Solar Impulse made the first intercontinental flight by a solar aircraft, flying from Madrid , Spain to Rabat , Morocco. Completed in 2014, Solar Impulse 2 carried more solar cells and more powerful motors, among other improvements. In March 2015,

4128-471: Is the use of small, highly automated aircraft to carry passengers or cargo at lower altitudes in urban and suburban areas which have been developed in response to traffic congestion. It usually refers to existing and emerging technologies such as traditional helicopters , vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft (VTOL), electrically propelled vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft ( eVTOL ), and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). These aircraft are characterized by

4224-812: The CityAirbus demonstrator, the Lilium Jet or the Volocopter , the EHang 216 and the experimental Boeing Passenger Air Vehicle . In the concept phase, urban air mobility aircraft, having VTOL capabilities, are deployed to take off and land vertically in a relatively small area to avoid the need of a runway. The majority of designs are electric and use multiple rotors to minimize noise (due to rotational speed) while providing high system redundancy. Many of them have completed their first flight. The most common configurations of urban air mobility aircraft are multicopters (such as

4320-694: The FAA , a vertiport is an identifiable ground or elevated area, that can be associated with various equipment and facilities, used for the take off and landing of tiltrotor aircraft and rotorcraft. The industry has used different terms for describing the various levels of equipment and sizes of these facilities. Vertipads are simple landing pads designed to be used by one aircraft at a time. Vertiports or vertibases can feature one or more final approach and takeoff (FATO) and touch-down and lift-off (TLOF) areas, as well as several VTOL stands and other aircraft and passenger facilities. Vertihubs are larger aviation facilities serving

4416-457: The Fraser River near Vancouver . The normally-fitted Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior piston engine of the six-passenger Beaver was replaced by a 135 kg (297 lb) magni500 , with swappable batteries, allowing 30 minute flights with a 30-minute reserve. By April 2022, flight testing of a certifiable version through a STC was delayed until late 2023, to carry four passengers and

4512-608: The Kitty Hawk Flyer . On October 5, 2011, Marcus Leng, Founder of Opener, piloted the first manned flight of a fixed-wing all electric VTOL aircraft. On October 21, 2011, the co-founder and primary designer of Volocopter , Thomas Senkel, flew the first manned flight of an electric multicopter , the Volocopter VC1 prototype. In 2012, Joby Aviation and NASA partnered to prototype an experimental eVTOL. In 2014, The Leading Edge Asynchronous Propeller Technology (LEAPTech) project

4608-640: The MB-E1 , was made in 1973, and most crewed electric aircraft today are still only experimental prototypes. The world's first serially produced self-launching, manned electric aircraft with EASA type certification since 2006 and a patented wing-integrated battery system, the Lange E1 Antares , completed its maiden flight in 1999; since 2004, more than 100 aircraft of this type have been delivered, totalling more than 165,000 electric flight hours to date (until 2022). Between 2015 and 2016, Solar Impulse 2 completed

4704-516: The Pipistrel Alpha Electro . The advantage of electric aircraft for flight training is the lower cost of electrical energy compared to aviation fuel. Noise and exhaust emissions are also reduced compared with combustion engines. The Bye Aerospace eFlyer 2 (formerly the Sun Flyer 2) is a light electric aircraft designed and under development by Bye Aerospace of Denver, Colorado. The aircraft

4800-864: The United States Army , United States Navy , and NASA aims to foster direct collaboration between the government and academic institutions. Universities have been associated into various teams: Georgia Institute of Technology , Iowa State University , Purdue University , University of Michigan , and Washington University ; University of Liverpool , Pennsylvania State University , Embry Riddle Aeronautical University , University of California, Davis , and University of Tennessee , University of Maryland, United States Naval Academy , University of Texas at Arlington , University of Texas at Austin , and Texas A&M University ; Technical University of Munich , Roma Tre University , and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology . Volocopter and CAE partnered to create

4896-425: The 19th century, and to 1917 for a tethered helicopter . Electrically powered model aircraft have been flown at least since 1957, preceding the small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones used today. Small UAS could be used for parcel deliveries, and larger ones for long-endurance applications: aerial imagery, surveillance, telecommunications. The first crewed free flight by an electrically powered aeroplane ,

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4992-571: The 330LE, to set two new records: on March 23 at the Dinslaken Schwarze Heide airfield in Germany, the aircraft reached a top speed of around 340 km/h (180 kn) over 3 km (1.6 nmi) and the next day, it became the first glider towing electric aircraft. NASA was developing the X-57 Maxwell to demonstrate technology to reduce fuel use, emissions, and noise, but the program

5088-752: The BlackFly a personal air vehicle, after nine years of development. Joby Aviation tested its tilt-rotor UAM vehicle in flight in March 2021. In June 2021, EHang completed the first pilotless test flight of the AAV EHang216 in Honshu, China. In the same month, Volocopter demonstrated its first public flight of an electric air taxi in France along with remote-controlled flight of its eVTOL, the Volocopter 2X. In July 2021, Joby completed

5184-828: The Canadian government, the project was dropped due to costs until the U.S. Army and Air Force took over development of the Avrocar in 1958. The Avrocar encountered issues with both thrust and stability and the project was eventually canceled in 1961. Beginning in the early 1950s, air operators offered UAM air taxis services via helicopters in a handful of U.S. cities, including New York , Los Angeles , and San Francisco . In 1964, New York Airways (NYA) and Pan American offered more than 30 flights between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport with stops in Manhattan such as Wall Street . The average cost for

5280-627: The Carisma Research Center, the Fraunhofer Application Center for Mobility, the THI University of Applied Sciences (THI in the artificial intelligence research network) and other partners. Envisioned was use of UAM in emergency services, transport of blood and organs, traffic monitoring, public safety and passenger transport. The German, Dutch and Belgian cities Maastricht , Aachen , Hasselt , Heerlen and Liège joined

5376-590: The Helios prototype broke up and fell into the Pacific Ocean off Hawaii after the aircraft encountered turbulence, ending the program. In 2005, AC Propulsion flew an unmanned airplane named "SoLong" for 48 hours non-stop, propelled entirely by solar energy. This was the first such around-the-clock flight, on energy stored in the batteries mounted on the aircraft. The QinetiQ Zephyr is a lightweight solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). As of 23 July 2010 it holds

5472-461: The NASA small uncrewed aerial system (sUAS) which flew on Mars in 2021 to become the first extraterrestrial aircraft, has a single pair of coaxial rotors . The Dragonfly rotorcraft lander should be the second aircraft and rotorcraft to operate on another astronomical object than Earth. It should be flying in the atmosphere of Titan starting around 2034. The VTOL capabilities is incorporated in order to move

5568-446: The U.S. (40%). Mostly urban air taxis (50%) and general aviation aircraft (47%), a majority are battery-powered (73%), while some are hybrid-electric (31%), most of these being larger airliners. By May 2019, the number of known electric aircraft development programmes was closer to 170, with a majority of them aimed at the urban air taxi role. By 2022, about 100 electric aircraft designs were under development worldwide. By 2023,

5664-753: The UAM Initiative of the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities (EIP-SCC). Toulouse , France, is participating in the European Urban Air Mobility Initiative. The project is coordinated by Airbus, the European institutional partner Eurocontrol and EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency). The concept was realized in São Paulo , Brazil, with over 15,000 passengers flown by Voom. There, urban air mobility

5760-470: The US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules. It was first developed by taking the existing DTA Alizés carriage and its Ellipse Fuji wing and replacing the internal combustion engine with an electric motor . The aircraft features a cable-braced hang glider -style high wing , weight-shift controls, a single-seat open cockpit, tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration . The aircraft

5856-783: The Volocopter) or so-called tiltwing convertiplane aircraft (e.g. A³ Vahana ). The first type uses only rotors with vertical axis, while the second additionally have propulsion and lift systems for horizontal flight (e.g. pressure propeller and wing ). In order for UAM aircraft to be most efficient, recharging and refueling must be done as quickly as possible, whether that is swapping batteries, fast recharging batteries, or hydrogen refueling. Conventional fossil fuels are readily available and offer high power density (the amount of power produced per kilogram of fuel). However, traditional piston or turbine engines emit smoke and noise. The heavy mechanical linkages needed to distribute power limit

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5952-408: The aircraft at night. In July 2010 a Zephyr made a world record UAV endurance flight of 336 hours, 22 minutes and 8 seconds (more than two weeks) and also set an altitude record of 70,742 feet (21,562 m) for FAI class U-1.c (remotely controlled UAV with a weight between 50 and 500 kg (110 and 1,100 lb)). For a tethered device such as an air observation platform, it is possible to run

6048-471: The aircraft took off on the first stage of a planned round-the-world trip, flying eastwards from Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates. Due to battery damage, the craft halted at Hawaii , where its batteries were replaced. It resumed the circumnavigation in April 2016 and reached Seville , Spain, in June 2016. The following month it returned to Abu Dhabi, completing its circumnavigation of the world. An application

6144-427: The aircraft will be owned and operated by professional operators, as with taxis, rather than by private individuals. Urban air mobility is a subset of a broader advanced air mobility (AAM) concept that includes other use cases than intracity passenger transport; NASA describes advanced air mobility as including small drones, electric aircraft, and automated air traffic management among other technologies to perform

6240-483: The appropriate governing body. Regulations for UAM aircraft are most similar to helicopter regulations but will need additional regulations for electric and/or autonomous craft. FAA established certification basis for its eVTOL craft. eVTOLs are classified with the FAA as an airplane that can take off and land vertically. EASA released special condition VTOL certification to separate VTOLs and eVTOLs from conventional rotocraft or fixed-wing aircraft. Archer Aviation uses

6336-659: The company gave the official go-ahead. The first free-flying electric helicopter was the Solution F/Chretien Helicopter , developed by Pascal Chretien in Venelles, France. It went from computer-aided design concept on September 10, 2010, to first flight in August 2011, in under a year. In September 2016, Martine Rothblatt and Tier1 Engineering successfully tested an electric-powered helicopter. The five minute flight reached an altitude of 400 feet (120 m) with

6432-425: The endurance record for an unmanned aerial vehicle of over 2 weeks (336 hours). It is of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer construction, the 2010 version weighing 50 kg (110 lb) (the 2008 version weighed 30 kg (66 lb)) with a span of 22.5 m (74 ft) (the 2008 version had a 18 m (59 ft) wingspan). During the day it uses sunlight to charge lithium-sulphur batteries , which power

6528-572: The first recorded electric Radio-Controlled model aircraft flight in 1957. Power density for electric flight was problematic even for small models. NASA's Pathfinder, Pathfinder Plus , Centurion , and Helios were a series of solar and fuel cell system–powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) developed by AeroVironment , Inc. from 1983 until 2003 under NASA 's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology program. On September 11, 1995, Pathfinder set an unofficial altitude record for solar-powered aircraft of 50,000 feet (15,000 m) during

6624-589: The high aspect ratio wing with 12 smaller props. US/UK startup ZeroAvia develops zero-emissions fuel-cell propulsion systems for small aircraft, and tests its HyFlyer in Orkney supported by £2.7 million from the UK government. On April 29, 1979, the Mauro Solar Riser became the first person-carrying, solar-powered aircraft to fly, with photovoltaic cells delivering 350 W (0.47 hp) at 30 volts and charging

6720-401: The industry without construction of additional infrastructure or modification of existing helipads. Airports are already being used in limited locations to facilitate on-demand helicopter and eVTOL services. Such airports include John Wayne Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Portland International Airport. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) traffic management (collectively UTM)

6816-700: The installation without a reduction gearbox. On 28 May 2020, the MagniX electric-powered nine-passenger Cessna 208B eCaravan flew on electric power, towards commercial operation certification. A 560-kW (750-hp) MagniX electric motor was installed in a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver seaplane. Harbour Air , based in British Columbia , was hoping to introduce the aircraft in commercial service in 2021, for trips under 30 minutes initially, until range increases as better batteries are introduced. On December 10, 2019, it made its first flight of four minutes duration from

6912-453: The lack of infrastructure required for recharging stations. Hybrid-electric systems use a combination of internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric propulsion system components. Different combinations are possible. These systems can provide combined advantages from different energy sources, but still must be viewed in terms of the overall system's efficiency. Hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity by circulating hydrogen gas through

7008-510: The lander and its sensors at various locations farther from the landing site. On 21 October 1973, the Militky MB-E1, a Brditschka HB-3 motor glider converted by Fred Militky and piloted by Heino Brditschka, flew for 9 minutes from Linz in Austria: the first electric aircraft to fly under its own power with a person on board, powered by Nickel–cadmium batteries (NiCad). NiCad batteries have

7104-580: The largest structure in the UAM environment. They can offer service ssuch as FBOs and MROs . Vertihubs would serve concentrated high-traffic regions. In 2020, Lilium announced their plans to construct a vertiport near Orlando International Airport. Joby has partnered with REEF Technology and Neighborhood Property Group (NPG) to use the rooftops of parking structures as take-off and landing areas. Existing helipads, or helicopter landing pads, can be used to accommodate UAM aircraft. Helipads are insufficient to sustain

7200-471: The left wing. In March 2023, Universal Hydrogen 's electric Dash 8-300 made its maiden flight. Common VTOL and eVTOL configurations include: Multirotor aircraft have small wings, or no wings at all. They use downward-facing propellers or fans to generate the majority of their lift. Lift-plus-cruise aircraft utilize vertically mounted propellers for take-off and landing, but a horizontal propeller and wings for sustained cruise flight. Ducted fans are

7296-474: The lucrative consumer drone market. The Taurus Electro was the first two-seat electric aircraft to have ever flown, while the Taurus Electro G2 is the production version, that was introduced in 2011. Powered by a 40 kW (54 hp) electric motor and lithium batteries for self-launching to an altitude of 2,000 m (6,600 ft), after which the engine is retracted and the aircraft then soars as

7392-442: The main or auxiliary power system. During the three-year project, a fuel-cell based power system was designed and first flown in a Rapid 200FC ultralight aircraft on 20 May 2010. The first NASA Green Flight Challenge took place in 2011 and was won by a Pipistrel Taurus G4 on 3 October 2011. In 2013, Chip Yates demonstrated that the world's fastest electric airplane, a Long ESA, a modified Rutan Long-EZ , could outperform

7488-514: The motor burned out after only a few flights. In 1964, William C. Brown at Raytheon flew a model helicopter that received all of the power needed for flight by microwave power transmission . The world's first large-scale all-electric tilt-rotor was the AgustaWestland Project Zero unmanned aerial vehicle technology demonstrator, which performed unmanned tethered fights on ground power in June 2011, less than six months after

7584-453: The national altitude record to 80,201 feet (24,445 m) for solar-powered and propeller-driven aircraft. On August 14, 2001, Helios set an altitude record of 29,524 metres (96,863 ft) – the record for FAI class U (experimental/new technologies), and FAI class U-1.d (remotely controlled UAV with a mass between 500 and 2,500 kg (1,100 and 5,500 lb)) as well as the altitude record for propeller–driven aircraft. On June 26, 2003,

7680-525: The number and configuration of rotors on an aircraft. Synthetic fuels have the potential to produce nearly CO 2 -neutral energy while utilizing existing refueling infrastructure. But they pose the same challenges as conventional fuel in terms of noise and mechanical limitations. Rechargeable batteries are often used in UAVs and eVTOLs. Emerging eVTOL vehicles are limited by the relatively low energy density to weight ratio in current battery technology, as well as

7776-438: The number of sustainable aircraft concepts under development (not only electric) was estimated at up to 700. The use of electricity for aircraft propulsion was first experimented with during the development of the airship in the latter part of the nineteenth century. On 8 October 1883, Gaston Tissandier flew the first electrically powered airship. The following year, Charles Renard and Arthur Krebs flew La France with

7872-429: The physical infrastructure determines the market size, as trips can only be completed between established landing areas. While some components can be integrated into existing aviation and aerospace infrastructure, additional facilities need to be constructed. For large cities it is estimated that there could be 85–100 take-off and landing pads to accommodate a UAM environment. See main article vertiport According to

7968-532: The physical security of passengers in the absence of crew members and the cybersecurity of both the craft and the systems governing it. In regard to social equity, the high initial costs of UAM services could prove to be detrimental to public opinion, especially as the affordability of services and technologies is not guaranteed. In the NASA UAM market study, respondents with higher incomes were more likely to take UAM trips. An EASA survey showed that 83% of respondents had

8064-443: The potential for flights outside of approved airspace, proximity to people and/or buildings, critical system failures or loss of control, and hull loss. In the case of autonomous or remote-piloted aircraft, cybersecurity becomes a risk as well. The type of and volume of the noise caused by aircraft and rotorcraft are two leading factors regarding the public perception of eVTOL craft in UAM applications. Specific security concerns include

8160-561: The power up the tether. In an attempt to create a more practical solution than the clumsy balloons then in use, the Austro-Hungarian Petróczy-Kármán-Žurovec PKZ-1 electric-powered helicopter was flown in 1917. It had a specially-designed 190 hp (140 kW) continuous-rated electric motor made by Austro-Daimler that was powered by a cable connected to a DC generator on the ground. However, electric motors were not yet powerful enough for such applications and

8256-409: The rotors, the entire wing is rotated. Flight controls consists of flight control surfaces, cockpit controls, and operating mechanisms to control an aircraft's direction in flight. Honeywell, Pipistrel, Vertical Aerospace, Lilium and other companies are collaborating to create new flight controls for a variety of eVTOL aircraft. Honeywell developed a fly-by-wire computer that controls multiple rotors,

8352-406: The use of multiple electric-powered rotors or fans for lift and propulsion, along with fly-by-wire systems to control them. Inventors have explored urban air mobility concepts since the early days of powered flight. However, advances in materials, computerized flight controls, batteries and electric motors improved innovation and designs beginning in the late 2010s. Most UAM proponents envision that

8448-476: Was cancelled due to problems with the propulsion system. Modified from a Tecnam P2006T , the X-57 will have 14 electric motors driving propellers mounted on the wing leading edges. In July 2017, Scaled Composites is modifying a first P2006T by replacing the piston engines with electric motors, to fly early in 2018, then will move the motors to the wingtips to increase propulsive efficiency and finally will install

8544-478: Was cancelled in 2023. In September 2017, UK budget carrier EasyJet announced it was developing an electric 180-seater for 2027 with Wright Electric . Founded in 2016, US Wright Electric built a two-seat proof-of-concept with 272 kg (600 lb) of batteries, and believes they can be scaled up with substantially lighter new battery chemistries . A 291 nmi (540 km) range would suffice for 20% of Easyjet passengers. Wright Electric will then develop

8640-841: Was designed and built by the institute of aircraft design (Institut für Flugzeugbau) of the University of Stuttgart in 1996. The leader of the project and often pilot of the aircraft is Rudolf Voit-Nitschmann, the head of the institute. The design won the Berblinger prize in 1996, the EAA Special Achievement Award in Oshkosh, the Golden Daidalos Medal of the German Aeroclub and the OSTIV-Prize in France in 1997. Solar Impulse 2

8736-696: Was discontinued in the 1990s after Trump Shuttle was acquired by US Airways. In 1986, Helijet began as a helicopter airline with routes between Vancouver and Victoria in British Columbia . BLADE, launched in 2014 in New York City, providing helicopter-based air taxi services. BLADE has since launched similar services in the San Francisco Bay Area and Mumbai . In 2017 Voom, a subsidiary of aircraft maker Airbus , flew more than 15,000 passengers in São Paulo, Brazil using Airbus helicopters. The Voom UAM demonstration program operated for four years and

8832-512: Was first publicly introduced on 11 May 2016, and first flew on 10 April 2018. On 10 June 2020, the Velis Electro variant of the two-seat Pipistrel Virus was the first electric aircraft to secure type certification , from the EASA . Powered by a 76 hp (58 kW) electric motor developed with Emrax , it offers a payload of 170 kg (370 lb), a cruise speed of 90 kn (170 km/h), and

8928-413: Was in 2003. In 2011, the aircraft won the 2011 Berblinger competition. In the late 2000s, a Chinese manufacturer of radio-controlled models Yuneec International developed and tested several battery-powered manned fixed-wing aircraft, including E430 , the first electric aircraft designed to be serially produced, but failed to commercialize them (only prototypes were built) and in the mid-2010s, turned to

9024-621: Was launched as a collaboration of NASA Langley Research Center and NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center along with Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero) and Joby Aviation. Lockheed Martin debuted their optionally-piloted helicopter, the S-76B Sikorsky Autonomous Research Aircraft (SARA) in 2019, in downtown Los Angeles. In 2018, the Wisk Cora eVTOL test flight occurred in Mountain View, CA. That same year, Opener flew

9120-658: Was provided by helicopters . Helicopter air taxis are already available in Mexico City , Mexico. Fast air connections are still associated with high costs, and cause considerable noise and high energy consumption. The Voom UAM demonstration program operated for four years, and was shut down in March 2020. Urban-Air Port , a UK Government-sponsored helipad+ startup R&D firm, with a prototype at Coventry , equipped for eVTOLs, PAVs and drones, in conjunction with Hyundai . Personal air vehicles (PAVs) are under development for urban air mobility. These include projects such as

9216-796: Was shut down in March 2020. In 2019, Uber began to offer Uber Copter in Lower Manhattan New York to John F. Kennedy International Airport. Some cities have encouraged the idea of inexpensive, point-to-point air travel as a way of reducing traffic congestion and moving goods. By the mid-2000s, aircraft designers were incorporating technologies pioneered in small drones into new aircraft designs for passengers. These technologies included distributed propulsion (the use of multiple rotors or fans), lithium ion batteries , inexpensive accelerometers , miniaturized navigation systems and carbon-fiber construction. In 2010, Kitty Hawk Corporation , funded by Google Co-founder Larry Page, began development of

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