Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aviation startup JETcopter announced that it has finished the primary air turbine tests of the JETcopter flying car, which confirmed the concept feasibility. The design team also released the latest JETcopter design.
With the latest design, the JETcopter has become more compact and now has a flatter bottom. JETcopter will be able to drive on roads as well as to fly. The JETcopter interior looks similar to existing medium-sized helicopters, with the pilots’ seat in front and six seats for passengers behind.
In the rear of the cabin, the JETcopter offers space for luggage. JETcopter will have a rear ramp for easy access and to load and unload bulky goods or embark and disembark passengers faster. This ramp will also be of a comparable configuration as some existing large types of helicopters.
The JETcopter engine compartment, with two 400 horsepower automotive motors powering two counter-rotating fans, will be situated on top of the fuselage. Airflow from these two fans will be diverted to four vectoring nozzles.
Like other VTOLs, the amount of power given to each output point can be manipulated to control vertical hovering and maneuvering. Once the JETcopter is in the air, its fixed nozzles tilt for horizontal flight, and from there it operates much like a jet.
The JETcopter team plans to build a cargo version of the JETcopter VTOL aircraft at first. This cargo version of the JETcopter will be followed by a passenger version in a later stage.
A full-scale mock-up of the JETcopter will be presented at the AERO 2019 aviation exhibition, the largest general aviation trade show in Europe, in Friedrichshafen, Germany, in April 2019.
Um, where’s the wing?