Flight International – 11 June 2019

BUSINESS AVIATION

24 | Flight International | 11-17 June 2019 flightglobal.com

Plans envision fully autonomous vehicle featuring five-seat capacity

Alaka’i Technologies

UK firm flew its unmanned technology demonstrator in June 2018

Vertical Aerospace

M

assachusetts aerospace

company Alaka’i Technolo-

gies has joined the rapidly grow-

ing urban air mobility sector, an-

nouncing development of an

electric vertical take-off and land-

ing (eVTOL) aircraft powered by

hydrogen fuel cells.

The power system differenti-

ates the company’s conceptual

five-passenger aircraft, called

Skai, from other announced

eVTOL designs, which are either

fully or partially powered by lithi-

um-ion batteries – a proven but

imperfect battery chemistry.

Designed by Alaka’i in partner-

ship with BMW Group’s Design-

works division, Skai will be

targeted at markets including pas-

senger transport, disaster recovery

and medical evacuation, says

Alaka’i, which is the Hawaiian

word for “leader”.

“We are moving swiftly and

H

oneywell has joined forces

with UK electric vertical take-

off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft

developer Vertical Aerospace to

address what it calls “the techni-

cal, regulatory and business chal-

lenges of the emerging urban air

mobility [UAM] segment”.

have developed applications for

immediate testing and use this

year. Our best estimate is that

Skai will be in practical use in

2021,” says Alaka’i co-founder

and chief technology officer

Brian Morrison.

It is likely to first perform non-

passenger missions, with full cer-

tification from the US Federal

Aviation Administration follow-

ing later, he says.

Skai will initially carry one

pilot and four passengers, but the

company envisions the design

evolving to a fully autonomous,

five-passenger design.

The aircraft is projected to

have a range of 400nm (740km), a

flight duration of 4h, and a top

speed of 100kt (185km/h). Skai

will carry a payload of about

450kg (1,000lb). The conceptual

aircraft’s three fuel cells will

generate electricity needed to

power six motors, each of which

will drive a four-bladed rotor.

The company calls the hydrogen

fuel system “safe and environ-

mentally friendly”.

Morrison declines to specify

the state of Alaka’i’s fuel cell

technology. Skai will carry 200

litres (53USgal) or 400 litres of

liquid hydrogen in onboard tanks,

and refuelling will take less than

10min, it says. The fuel cells will

have lifespans of 15,000-20,000

flight hours, says Alaka’i. ■

development Jon Hemmerdinger BOSTON

Alaka’i seeks leadership of eVToL space

Technology company proposes first urban air mobility design powered by hydrogen fuel cells rather than batteries

The pair have signed a memo-

randum of understanding, to be

formalised early in the third quar-

ter, under which Bristol-based

Vertical Aerospace will integrate

Honeywell systems and technol-

ogy into its future aircraft.

This will include avionics,

navigation equipment and a com-

pact fly-by-wire system, launched

by Honeywell in early June.

Contained in a box the size of a

paperback book, the in-develop-

ment computer “packs the brains”

of an airliner’s flight controls into

one system, says Honeywell.

The feature “adds stability” to

small eVTOL-type aircraft by driv-

ing electric actuators and dynami-

cally adjusting control surfaces

and motors for a smooth flight.

It reduces turbulence and al-

lows designers to “push the lim-

its of aerodynamics”, says Hon-

eywell, eliminating the need for

heavy hydraulics, control cables

or pushrods. The fly-by-wire sys-

tem also features a triplex flight-

control computer architecture,

providing multiple back-up op-

tions in the event of a failure.

“Honeywell’s technology truly

enables these innovative aircraft

to fly more safely, accelerating a

whole new era in what is quickly

emerging as a new transportation

economy,” says Carl Esposito,

president, electronic solutions for

the Phoenix, Arizona-based firm.

Vertical Aerospace co-founder

and chief executive Stephen

Fitzpatrick calls UAM “a key fea-

ture of cities of the future”.

The company is planning to

bring the first of a family of “car-

bon-free” eVTOL aircraft to market

within four years. It flew a full-

scale, unmanned technology dem-

onstrator in June 2018, and is now

building a five-seat piloted version

that it hopes to unveil in 2020.

“Combining Honeywell’s tech-

nology and experience in next-

generation avionics with Vertical

Aerospace’s aircraft will allow

us to make carbon-free, on-

demand air mobility a reality,”

says Fitzpatrick. ■

pARtneRSHIp KATe SArSFieLd LONDON

Vertical aims higher via Honeywell integration