Thursday, April 20, 2017

Lilium reveals it has completed flight tests of electric jet that takes off VERTICALLY - and a larger version is on the way

The two-seater prototype Lilium Jet carried out a series of tests above Germany, the firm has revealed
Pod-like plane can achieve vertical take-off and landing and jet-powered flight for greater efficiency
The firm has also revealed it is working on a five-seater design for ride sharing, with on-demand app service

Air taxis you can summon with your smartphone have stepped closer to reality.

A radical zero-emission electric plane capable of vertical take-off and landing has successfully completed flight tests.

The two-seater Lilium Jet carried out a series of tests above Germany, including a mid-air maneuver in which it transitions from hover mode to forward flight, the firm has revealed.

And, Lilium also revealed that it is working on a larger, five-seater version that the firm says could soon be used for ride-sharing services.

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The two-seater Lilium Jet carried out a series of tests above Germany, including a mid-air maneuver in which it transitions from hover mode to wing-borne forward flight, the firm has revealed

HOW IT TAKES OFF

At take-off, the flaps are pointed downwards to provide vertical lift, according to Lilium.

Then, once airborne, these flaps tilt into a horizontal position.

This gives the craft forward thrust.

Once the wing flaps are horizontal, the lift comes from the air passing over the wings, as with a conventional plane.The pod-like plane can achieve both vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), like a helicopter, and jet-powered flight.

This allows it to fly for nearly 200 miles at a maximum cruising speed of over 180 miles per hour.

Lilium Jet's 100 percent electric design means it is far more efficient than typical aircraft.

‘We have solved some of the toughest engineering challenges in aviation to get to this point,’ said Lilium co-founder and CEO Daniel Wiegand.

‘The successful test flight program shows that our ground-breaking technical dsign works exactly as we envisioned.

‘We can now turn our focus to designing the five-seater production aircraft.’

The pod-like plane can achieve both vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and jet-powered flight, allowing it to fly for nearly 200 miles at a maximum cruising speed of over 180 miles per hour

A trip on such a plane would be five times faster than it would by car – going from Manhattan to JFK Airport, for example, would take just 5 minutes, while the same journey would be about 55 minutes by car.

Lilium Jet can take-off vertically, like a helicopter, and its 100 percent electric design means it is far more efficient than typical aircraft

And, Lilium has also revealed that it is working on a larger, five-seater version that the firm says could soon be used for ride-sharing services. Based on its efficiency and minimal infrastructure requirements, Lilium says this design could make for flights that are comparable in price to a typical car taxi

According to Lilium, this is the only electric aircraft capable of both VTOL and jet-powered flight. Lilium has yet to reveal how much the craft will cost, but last spring, it was revealed it would be ready to purchase by 2018

A pilot's licence stipulating at least 20 hours of training is needing to guide the two-seater plane, that fits into the Light Sports Aircraft category.

The aircraft is designed for flying in daylight, where the weather conditions are 'good.'

Lilium has yet to reveal how much the craft will cost, but last spring, it was revealed it would be ready to purchase by 2018.

At the time, the European Space Agency praised the energy-efficient design for its environmental and social benefits, stating that although the aircraft will primarily be using airfields for landing and take-off, 'the goal is for it to take off vertically from almost anywhere – even from back gardens.'