The future of flight? Helicopter-plane hybrid is battery-powered and doesn't need a runway because it takes off VERTICALLY
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Powering down a runway in an aeroplane could be a thing of the past - for the rich and famous at least - if this concept for a personal aircraft takes off.
A team of engineers who specialise in the design of wind-energy turbines have designed a small electric aeroplane that can take off vertically.
Its lift off would be similar to a helicopter's, but once airborne, the S2 aircraft's 12 rotor blade motors fold up so it can glide along like a conventional plane.
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Up, up and away! A team of engineers usually intent upon designing wind energy turbines have come up with a small electric airplane that can take off vertically (illustrated)
TECHNOLOGY ON THE S2
Electric motors: Light, powerful and reliable motors will provide the propulsion for the aircraft.
Blades: 12 helicopter-style rotor blades will provide vertical lift and then swivel and fold up so the aircraft can fly as a plane.
Batteries: The next generation of lithium polymer batteries will supply the power for the vehicle and are said to be more efficient than using conventional fuel.
Sensors: Technologies developed for consumer electronics like smartphones provide sensing capabilities once reserved for rockets all on a circuit board the size of a postage stamp.
Entrepreneur JoeBen Bevirt has not yet built a full scale prototype of the S2, but around 24 10lb (4.5kg) models exist to prove the design works.
The models have piqued the interest of Nasa, which is now funding the development of a 55lb (25kg) version.
Joby Aviation, the firm behind the design, which is based in Santa Cruz, California, has produced supercomputer simulations of a 1,700lb (770kg) full-scale S2 aircraft and claim it should be able to fly two people between New York City and Boston – a 200mile (322km) journey – in just one hour.
Soaring through the skies: It's take off might be similar to a helicopter's, but once airborne, the S2 aircraft's 12 propellers fold up so it can glide like an aeroplane (illustrated in this computer simulation)
Distinctive: The S2's most striking feature is its retractable arms that reposition the motors from a horizontal position like a helicopter (pictured) to take off vertically, to folding up for aerodynamic flight
Such a trip would require 50kilowatt-hours of electricity, which would make it around five times more efficient that a personal aeroplane burning approximately one-and-a-half gallons of fuel.
Mr Bevirt told Popsci that the plane would not have been possible a decade ago, but compact and efficient motors, increasingly power dense batteries, smart control systems and ever tinier sensors mean that the S2 could soon take to the skies.
Its most noticeable feature is retractable arms that reposition the motors from a horizontal position - like a helicopter to take off vertically - to folding up for aerodynamic flight.
Computers can adjust the speed of the motors 4,000 times per second to optimise efficiency, reduce noise and improve flight control, according to the firm.
The models demonstrate that 12 compact electric motors work three times as efficiently as combustion engines on personal airplanes, which could make the S2 a safer way for the rich and famous to travel in the future, the company said.
Efficient: Joby Aviation, which is based in Santa Cruz, California, has produced supercomputer simulations of a 1,700lb full-scale S2 aircraft (pictured) and claim it should be able to fly two people between New York City and Boston - a 200 mile journey - in just one hour
Safer? Models of the aircraft have demonstrated that its 12 compact electric motors work three times as efficiently as combustion engines on personal airplanes, which could make the S2 a safer way for the rich and famous to travel in the future
ROLLS-ROYCE'S SHORT TAKE-OFF SYSTEM
While the S2 is currently a number of models, Rolls-Royce has developed the world's first short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) system capable of powering a supersonic aircraft - the Joint Strike Fighter.
It is the successor of the famous Harrier jet and its LiftSystem is so powerful it could lift 17 Mini cars. They system claims to make operations safer for pilots, enabling the plane to hover like a helicopter and take off vertically.
The fighter jet is the third STOVL aircraft to go into production, but unlike the proposed S2, it needs a very short run-up on a runway to take off before it can hover.
The LiftSystem is a dramatic improvement on the previous one as it has twice the capability of a Harrier jet, while being able to travel faster and further.
Replacing the ageing fleet of Tornados and the now-retired Harrier fleet, the Joint Strike Fighter will give the Royal Air Force an all weather aircraft with day and night capability, which is able to operate from air bases or the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers.
The innovation has been shortlisted for the Royal Academy of Engineering's MacRobert Award - the UK's longest running national prize for engineering.
The first Joint Strike Fighter equipped with the Rolls-Royce LiftSystem was delivered in January 2012 and the fleet has now grown to 42.
High flier: Rolls-Royce has developed the world's first short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) system capable of powering a supersonic aircraft - the Joint Strike Fighter (pictured)
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