Featured Image Credit: Horizon Aircraft
The insane world’s first ‘heli-plane’ has been unveiled, and people are shocked to discover that it takes off vertically and can reach speeds of up to 280mph.
The aircraft in question is the Cavorite X7 from Horizon Aircraft, whose wing system ‘reverts to the configuration of a conventional airplane’.
On the company website, it says: “That means it will be able to go faster and farther - while carrying more people or cargo - than other vertical takeoff and landing aircraft born of more traditional helicopter designs.”
So, how does it work? The mini-jet has 14 powerful lift fans embedded within its wings that ‘provide the required thrust for vertical takeoff’.
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The firm continues: “The Cavorite X7’s unique fan-in-wing design combines the agility and versatility of a helicopter with the speed and strength of a conventional aircraft.”
But that’s not all because once it reaches a safe speed and altitude, the aircraft’s ‘sliding panels hide the fans, and the X7 flies like a normal plane’ with a gas-powered turbine engine.
When landing, the heli-plane can use a normal runway or it can use the fans to touchdown on a helipad.
This means the aircraft could land anywhere from a hospital to a ski resort.
Brian Robinson, who is the chief engineer and co-founder of Horizon, said: “This incredible achievement validates our unique and robust approach to the transition phase of flight.
“In our aircraft, the transition phase was designed from the beginning to be a non-event, as there are no complicated multi-copter rotating nacelles or heavy tilt-wing mechanisms, and we have multiple layers of redundancy.”
"The result is an extremely safe and stable transition, a vital part of eVTOL operations, and an area in which many of our competitors have faced serious challenges."
It’s thought that these aircraft will be popular for short distances in urban areas and could even be sold as ‘air taxis’, with people possibly taking to the skies in an Uber in the near future.
The plane can also be used to transport cargo, with up to 1,500 lbs of cargo space available onboard.
The aircraft has a maximum range of 500 miles with reserve fuel to load mid-flight and can travel up to 280 miles an hour.
It’s hoped by the company that Cavorite X7 could offer ‘as much as 30% lower direct operating costs than a helicopter conducting a similar regional transport mission’.
Could this be the future of air travel, and the question remains, how long until Elon Musk tries to create one of his own with the Teslacopter?
