Not a jet of course, and I am sure the range is not very good. But it's still kinda cool.

https://vimeo.com/366202210

I wonder what kind of rating one would need to fly one. Rotorcraft or fixed wing?

Powered lift?

I wonder if the wings do anything besides a spot to put the engines?

Are those just ducted electric fans?

It's really cool....but those small ducted fans are extremely inefficient at creating lift compared to a bigger prop. I mean, it's not even a case of like 20-30% difference, we're talking 200-300% difference. They look really cool tho, and I suspect thats the reason they're there.

Check out drones. The bigger the disc area (the bigger they are, basically), the longer they can fly on a charge. And what would fly even longer, is a single rotor RC electric helicopter. They saying in Detroit used to be "there is no substitute for cubic inches". Well, in aviation it should be "there is no substitute for disc area" when it comes to payload, endurance and efficiency.

This will all become painfully obvious over the next decades as we move into electric flight. And I fear all these cool-looking ducted fan projects are unfortunately the wrong path.

FIFY

FIFY

I’m pretty sure that’s a computer generated video, the aircraft movement is too precise.

I'm calling fake, or at least deceptive.

No pilot on board. No room for a pilot nor passengers on board. It's a big drone, full of batteries.

don't think so, review the grass below the blades. Looked real enough to me.

I agree that a "thing" flew.

But if you look closely at the video, there's no one, not even a pilot on board.

How is this any different than flying an RC drone? It's all battery inside.

Well, it’s a pretty big drone. Big enough for 5 people apparently.

The interesting part is that, according to their web site, they attracted $100 million in funding and have 300+ people working on the project. For that kind of dough, you can make anything fly.

Including dreams!

It's all fun and games until these things start having failures with people on board. They all have the aerodynamic properties of bricks.

We should start a pool:

a. first death in an Uber-like air drone carrying people

b. first multi-death accident of an Uber-like air carrier service

c. first innocent death on the ground from a drone.

d. first drone/manned aircraft collision with fatalities. Will the manned aircraft be a helicopter or airplane or ?

e. EDIT - I was reading the "Big Electric Aircraft Thread -- first spontaneous battery fire in flight that results in fatalities.

Bah Humbug...

--paul

All of these things are happening quite frequently right now with conventional airplanes. What's the difference?

I could argue all the ways that airplanes or helicopters are aerodynamically different than powered lift vehicles, but I think it comes down to the, "gee-whiz, these things are going to revolutionize urban transit" factor. No one mentions the dangers inherent with these types of vehicles and we're proceeding with all haste to have people flying in them commercially.

I could mention that there hasn't been a death in part 121 aviation in the United States since the unfortunate uncontained engine failure. There hasn't been a part 121 crash in the USA in ten years (Colgan). The safety record is phenomenally good. You are literally safer in a US commercial carrier than you are on your own couch.

I think the FAA needs to establish some guidelines for design. Make them at least as safe as helicopters. How are you going to protect the passengers from an electrical failure at a height of 50ft? A parachute isn't going to do it.

I know I'm coming off as a troll, but the most fascinating aspect of these electric urban vehicles is how the designers are going to make them safe. I've heard of parachutes, dual electrical systems, and redundant flight controls. I haven't seen a design I would fly in yet. Not even close.


--paul