Work Being Done In Md. To Get Aircraft Of The Future Off The Ground
CALVERT CO., Md. (WJZ) — A small group of engineers have been working away in a hanger at a rural airport in Calvert County in order to get an aircraft that looks like a ribbon in the wind off the ground.
A start-up company called HopFlyt is working on an aircraft it calls the Venturi.
It has 16 electric motors and propellers powered by batteries and tilt-wing technology, allowing it to take off and land like a helicopter and fly like a plane.
It is specifically designed to fly over heavy traffic congestion in cities.
Pointing to a set of wings that are not straight across, but instead dip into a pair of u-shaped dips, HopFlyt CEO Robert Winston says, "These channels are actually airfoils, and they're creating lift."
"You'll be able to fly about 150 miles per hour above the traffic," Winston added. "From a rooftop or a garage top, to where you're going and get there on time, safely and quietly, and five times faster than driving."
The goal is to have multiple Venturi aircrafts in multiple locations, because flights will only cover about 30 miles before the batteries give out. But once landed, dead batteries will be removed for recharching, and fresh batteries installed for another flight.
And don't worry, they have a back-up plan if power should be lost.
"We're going to equip it with a ballistic parachute," said company VP Lucille Winston. "Which means if you have engine failure, you'll be able to descend gently to earth, without plummeting into the ground."
HopFlyt has been working on the aircraft for four years and plans to have a flying prototype within the next two years.
The final version will carry three passengers and a pilot, until self-flying technology frees up that fourth seat.
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