Nothing makes you yearn for personal flying vehicles more than New York traffic — just imagine being able to yeet out of your automobile as soon as things start to go sour on the highway. Now, wouldn't that be the dream?
A team of Washington State University (WSU) researchers is working with ZEVA Aero, a Tacoma-based start-up, and testing components to create a single-passenger, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, taking us one step closer to turning that dream into reality.In fact, ZEVA Aero has completed a functional prototype of an incredibly futuristic-looking eVTOL vehicle, with the goal of first responders and emergency services using it first.
The prototype is capable of flying at 160 mph (257 km/h) for up to 50 miles (80 km), and when it's taking off, the unique vehicle hovers like a hovering helicopter, and then, it tilts horizontally to fly more efficiently like a plane. This enables it to take advantage of the reduced drag.
The WSU researchers are assisting in the modeling and testing of the aircraft's propulsion system, as well as studying aerodynamic configurations to optimize the vehicle's thrust and controls. This is especially important since the biggest challenge of building personal flying machines has been generating enough thrust to get a person off the ground, but the advances in motors, control systems, and lighter materials are helping the researchers catch up with the dream of personal flying vehicles. Interesting Engineering - link - Derya Ozdemir - link - more like this - link
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