European consortium Neva Aerospace (
www.neva-aero.com), which is emerging as the realistic front runner for heavy-duty electric and hybrid aviation, has released details of its Neva AirQuadOne commercial concept for personal manned aircraft.
AirQuadOne benefits from the power and VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) capabilities of Neva’s static-thrust electric turbofan technologies, developed and now proven by Neva consortium members in the UK and Germany.
The AirQuadOne is expected to weigh around 530kg, including 150kg of batteries for the full electrical version and 100kg for the pilot.
Journey times will be to 30min, depending on the mission and load, but including VTOL. Linear flight is expected to be at speeds of up to 80kph, at altitudes up to 3,000ft.
Neva is now starting to work with regulators and pilots to seek light-aircraft certification within the USA and the EU. AirQuadOne will have 24/7 traffic management support when flying, with an emergency satellite communication connection.
Applications are set to include search and rescue, recreational flying, aerobatics, patrols and defence, and personal air taxis. Neva expects the battery pack to be similar to —and/or compatible with — those of cars, with recharging at standard electrical stations.