Lilium Jet

LockH

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Joined
Jul 9, 2013
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Ummm.. Started out in Victoria BC Canada, then sta
"This electric jet can take off vertically but drives like a car"
http://www.techinsider.io/this-electric-jet-can-take-off-vertically-but-drives-like-a-car-2016-5
images


With zero emissions and zero runway, the Lilium Jet will be the world’s first entirely electric jet capable of a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL). Able to fly up to an altitude of about 9,800 feet, the two-person airplane will have a cruising speed of 180 mph, a maximum speed of about 250 mph, and a range of 300 miles. At the forefront of functionality, the environmentally conscious conveyance will also be able to fold back its wings and be driven as a car.

Morning rush hours may nEVer be the same...
 
I think the ehang is going to be the future. Who needs huge wings or the ability to drive when you have easy vertical take off and decent speeds flying? Will it fit in my garage?
 
Well it looks real cool and it also greatly captures the imagination of most folks who don't think a single thing about this being possible or not unless its forcibly shoved into their face.

Looking at the massive amount of views this has got for only been up for a day is proof enough that this is something folks see as completely new and outside the box of what they thought they would ever see.
I was going to post this in my 1MWh battery pack but wont now.
 
The video would be more impressive if they had a payload. Lot's of aircraft fly well when empty I suppose.

Fixed wing is still, and likely to continue, to still be the most cost effective way to fly from an energy efficiency POV. The most promising designs I've seen using electric flight is the concept of many small motors mounted along the leading edge of the wing, adding up to the required total horsepower needed to get the job done. BUT by subjecting the entire length of the wing to the prop thrust, they get added lift, induced lift, that's the idea anyway. Not vertical take off but real short, and a lot more practical then the huge energy demands off taking off straight up. Any aircraft needing just 2 or 3 hundred feet is way better then one needing a couple thousand, obviously I guess, but getting it down to vert takeoffs and landing sure adds a lot of complexity and power requirements, which means reduced payload and range as there is no free lunch in aviation.
 
I feel like this video is not being entirely truthful.

The shots of it taking off show it lifting off of a small platform. The rest of the overhead shots it is missing.

I'm guessing it is capable of hovering but the rest looks a bit to tidy for an actual test flight.
 
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