11–20 of 63 posts
1. Helicopters (multi or single rotor) are significantly less fuel efficient than planes per distance and per time 2. Electric planes are just barely approaching the flying time that is anything beyond being a joke 3. These guys do not state their flying time My guess? It is so bad that it is not worth mentioning.
"Safety first" ... if safety was the primary concern one wouldn't ever step into a helicopter. Speed and convenience come first.
I would enjoy reading the market studies for these micro helicopters. Weight is a huge issue. Exactly how fat can the passengers be?
There is probably a combination of a tendency of people to dream about flying, and how much fun it would be, combined with the ignorance of all possible hurdles, not just physical and engineering ones, but also legal and regulatory.
1. Helicopters (multi or single rotor) are significantly less fuel efficient than planes per distance and per time 2. Electric planes are just barely approaching the flying time that is anything beyond being a joke 3. These guys do not state their flying time My guess? It is so bad that it is not worth mentioning.
Assuming this thing could fly at 60km/h then a flight time of 30 minutes would be required.
I'm not aware of any electric VTOL vehicle with this capability at the moment. But we live in hope.
Controls of this aircraft seem to be different enough from conventional helicopter (that at least license hours were flown in) to be a serious disadvantage for potential buyers. Another consideration could be how this thing reacts to wind gusts and how different that handles compared to conventional heli. These things could be important factors for potential customers.
Height control seems to be directly on the cyclic, without the combined height/throttle handle. I do not see yaw pedals, either. Controls of this aircraft seem to be different enough from conventional helicopter (that at least license hours were flown in) to be a serious disadvantage for potential buyers. Another consideration could be how this thing reacts to wind gusts and how different that handles compared to con…
I recommend fixing this.
I've been following e-volo for several years. I think they have a winning design here, unless there is an obvious design flaw I am not seeing.
Obvious design flaws: 1. it's really ugly 2. can't glide if the power fails
I really like these. There is something to these kind of inventions that always puts them "just around the corner" category. This has been going on since https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moller_M400_Skycar in the 90's. There is probably a combination of a tendency of people to dream about flying, and how much fun it would be, combined with the ignorance of all possible hurdles, not just physical and engineering ones, bu…
> The Ehang is electric-powered and can travel for about 31 miles with a person and bag that weigh up to 100kg. It can go at speeds of up to 63 miles an hour and takes two hours to charge fully.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/02/14/self-flying...