Although air taxis are still a dream, there are many ways to improve the air travel industry. Craft Aerospace is launching a completely new vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft to make city-to–city travel easier, quicker, more affordable, and greener.It is still a prototype aircraft. The new VTOL technique redirects airflow from the engines using flaps instead of turning them (like Osprey, which was notoriously unstable). This makes the experience much more stable and manageable.James Dorris, co-founder, believes that the stable, fast VTOL craft will unlock a new type of local air travel. This means that major airports can be replaced by smaller ones or even heliports. Anyone who has ever taken a flight lasting less than an hour will know that three times as much time is spent at security lines and gate walks. And of course, getting to and from these distant major airports.TechCrunch was not concerned with flying wealthy people to the mall. There are significant inefficiencies in major corridors. Dorris explained that this is not about flying them. To reduce that delay, you can pick people up in cities and drop them off there. For these short hops, we can combine the benefits of fixed-wing aircraft with VTOL.They came up with a technique called a deflected slipstream or blown wings.Although the basic concept of a blown wings has been studied before, it was never attempted on a commercial aircraft. Simply place a pair of (clearly very robust) flaps behind the thrust. They can be tilted down into the exhaust stream and direct the airflow downwards. The craft will rise up and forwards as it gains enough altitude. Once it reaches sufficient height, it can retract the flaps. This allows the engines to operate normally and the craft to generate normal lift.There are many rotors to redundancy so that the thrust can easily be adjusted on each of four half-wiings. However, it has never been proven to be an alternative to a traditional, swept wing. Dorris Craft and Craft believe that it offers powerful advantages. It allows for more stable and adjustable takeoff and landings than the Osprey's two-engine Osprey. Or indeed, many other proposed or prototype tilt-rotor planes out there.He said that our tech is a mixture of existing and new tech. Both the box wing and high flap aircraft have been built and flown. They have never been produced in a VTOL plane.To be clear, while the company has shown a limited-scale model to prove the principle, they aren't claiming that a fully-scale craft is ready for them to use. They will continue to work with willing partners, even though it may be years away.The prototype of the fifth generation hovers using the blown wings principle. The sixth prototype, which will fly in a few months time, will use the transitioning flaps. I was shown a video showing the prototype indoor hovering tethered, but the company has not released this footage.Although the design of the final craft remains in flux, it is not yet known how many rotors they will have. However, the basic dimensions, shapes, and capabilities of the craft are well-known.The aircraft can carry nine passengers and a pilot and will fly at around 35,000 feet at 300 knots (345 mph). Although it is slower than a regular passenger jet, the time lost in the air should be more than the time gained by flying to the airport. The hybrid gas-electric engine should have a range of around 1,000 miles. This gives you a lot of flexibility and safety margins. It covers 45 of the 50 most popular routes worldwide, including LA to SF and Seoul to Jeju Island.Dorris, however, wants to emphasize that the goal is not to fly from LAX to SFO, but Hollywood to North Beach. However, regulations allow them to land in a smaller area. The details of what type of micro-airport and landing pad are still being worked out.This team, which just completed Y Combinators summer 2021 cohort has extensive experience in building complex transport systems. Dorris was a primary engineer on Virgin Hyperloops' propulsion system and Axel Radermacher, his co-founder, helped to build Karma Automotives drivetrain. You may not have noticed that neither company makes aircraft. But Dorris sees that as a feature and not a problem.He said that you have seen the evolution of traditional aerospace in the past 10-20 years. The obvious conclusion is that Airbus and Boeing aren't reinventing the wheel. Companies that have partnered with auto giants are often at a disadvantage because the scales of a few hundred aircraft are very different than half a million Chevy sedans.Craft relies on partners who are looking to disrupt the aerospace industry. Its advisors include Bryan Berthy, Nikhil Goel (one-time Director of Engineering at Lockheed Martin), Brogan BamBrogan (early SpaceX employee who is a dedicated Hyperloop fan), and Bryan Berthy.The company just announced a letter from JSX, a small airline that operates low-friction local flights, to purchase 200 aircraft. There is also the possibility of 400 additional aircraft if needed. Dorris believes they would make an excellent early partner due to their growth curve and position. Flights will begin in 2026.Craft believes that it is a risky and unusual play with huge potential payoff. Craft also thinks their approach, however bizarre, is simply a better way of flying a few hundred miles. This feeling seems to be supported by positive noises from both the industry and investors. Giant Ventures and Countdown Capital have invested in the company's early stages (an unspecified amount) along with Nikhil Goel, its advisor.It's been demonstrated and we are getting a lot of interest from aerospace professionals who have seen hundreds upon hundreds of concepts. Our team consisted of seven people, and was soon to grow to nine. We were very pleased with the level at which interest we were receiving.
