Fri, Jun 08, 2018
New Certification Standards Will Have To Be Developed To Fit The Aircraft
The FAA has accepted an application for a type certificate from Workhorse Group for the SureFly eVTOL aircraft. The June 1st application is an important step forward, as the SureFly design appears to be the first hybrid-electric eVTOL multi-copter to reach this important milestone with the FAA.
SureFly has been designed to create a new type of aircraft that is intended to be easy to operate, safe to fly and expected to be moderately priced relative to a conventional helicopter. SureFly has eight electrically driven props that are powered via a piston or turbine based generator. The craft also has a small lithium battery that is designed to power the motors for a safe descent and landing in the rare event that the generator should fail while in flight. In addition to these redundancies, the SureFly design has a ballistic parachute that works above 100 feet of altitude.
The SureFly system features a state of the art fly-by-wire control system that enables single joystick control of the craft. The lightweight carbon fiber fuselage and large front windshield also lend a level of comfort and safety for the pilot and passenger. The SureFly can accommodate a pilot and passenger or a pilot and cargo for a wide variety of applications.
"The FAA has yet to certify an aircraft like SureFly," said Steve Burns, CEO of Workhorse Group. "We have been working closely with the FAA while we have been under our Experiment Certification status, and we feel that their acceptance of our Type Certification application represents a vote of confidence in our team, our product and the future of electric vertical take and landing aircraft here in the United States."
Because the FAA has not certificated an aircraft like SureFly before, and because this is truly a first-of-its-kind design, much of the FAA's regulatory certification framework does not apply to SureFly, so Workhorse is working closely with top experts in the field to develop new certification requirements that fit a hybrid-electric eVTOL like SureFly.
(Source: Workhorse Group news release. Image from Workhorse Group YouTube video)
More News
Runway Lead-in Light System Runway Lead-in Light System Consists of one or more series of flashing lights installed at or near ground level that provides positive visual guidance a>[...]
Aero Linx: Aviation Without Borders Aviation Without Borders uses its aviation expertise, contacts and partnerships to enable support for children and their families – at hom>[...]
Dave Juwel's Aviation Marketing Stories ITBOA BNITBOB ... what does that mean? It's not gibberish, it's a lengthy acronym for "In The Business Of Aviation ... But Not In The Busine>[...]
From 2010 (YouTube Version): Yeah.... This IS A Really Cool Job When ANN's Nathan Cremisino took over the lead of our Aero-TV teams, he knew he was in for some extra work and a lot>[...]
Also: Junkers A50 Heritage, Montaer Grows, Dynon-Advance Flight Systems, Vans' Latest Officially, the Carbon Cub UL and Rotax 916 iS is now in its 'market survey development phase'>[...]
ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.24.24): Runway Lead-in Light System
See All