AutoFlight at this time introduced the profitable completion of the proof-of-concept, transition check flight for its air taxi Prosperity I, wherein the plane switches from a vertical take-off movement to the extra energy-efficient, horizontal flight and again to vertical flight, earlier than touchdown. The profitable transition check flight was achieved in January 2022. The unmanned flight happened at Autoflight flight check space in JiangSu province, China with CEO Tian Yu, the R&D crew and 40 AutoFlight employees current, and Prosperity I rose to an altitude of 150 meters at speeds of as much as 123 mph.
Prosperity I used to be designed for brief transfers between elements of a metropolis, airport commutes, connecting two close by cities or enabling journeys to the countryside whereas avoiding visitors on the bottom. When prepared for business flight in 2025, it’s anticipated {that a} journey that takes hours by automobile will likely be diminished to about 10 minutes with Prosperity I, with out being any much less protected or costlier than a automobile taxi experience.
A ‘transition’ is when an plane strikes from a vertical to horizontal movement and is likely one of the most difficult elements of an eVTOL flight. Vertical flight for the proof of idea for Prosperity I required eight rotors to carry the three,307 kilos, together with four-person, state-of-the-art electrical plane into the air. As soon as the plane reached an altitude of 150 meters and the airspeed of 100-110mph the fastened wing a part of the eVTOL generated carry.
At this level, Prosperity I entered the advanced transition section – the rotors on the highest stopped spinning and locked in a streamlined place, whereas the propellers on the rear pushed the plane ahead like a conventional fastened wing aircraft. As proven within the video, the transitions for the Prosperity I are seamless, protected and easy because of the standard of the engineering and the rigorous consideration to element within the advanced aerodynamics.
AutoFlight CEO Tian Yu, who has over 20 years of expertise designing and constructing electrical plane, and 300 electrical aviation-related patents, mentioned:
“The crew and I are thrilled to have cracked the graceful transition section of eVTOL flight, unlocking the skies for Prosperity I and our business merchandise. We’re assured we’ve design underpinned by sound engineering, and delighted to see that the transition was easy, protected and seamless.”
Mark Henning, Managing Director of AutoFlight Europe mentioned: “Reaching a easy transition section in report time, from prototype to flight, underlines the caliber of the engineering crew we’ve at AutoFlight and provides nice confidence as we progress into the event section and structure plans for our first manned plane, the Prosperity I. The simplicity of AutoFlight’s design lies in our patented ‘Elevate and Cruise’ configuration, which mixes superior vary and security with low technical complexity, making it reasonably priced to fabricate, keep and function as an air taxi.”
