eVTOL is a fully electric transport system that combines the vertical take-off of helicopters with the horizontal flight of airplanes.
As climate change is increasingly becoming a concern, energy efficiency in transport is a top priority for nations around the world. eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-off and Landing) is a growing fully electric transport system that combines the vertical take-off of helicopters with the horizontal flight of airplanes.
Having the potential to disrupt the transportation industry, eVTOLs may provide short intracity and intercity trips for the price of a luxury taxi service. It can reduce highway congestion as well as the greenhouse gas emissions.
Vertiports are the infrastructure hub for eVTOL providing maintenance, passenger loading and charging. Various agencies are considering flight-related issues such as safety, take-off and landing, operations, and flight routes as well as quality-of-life issues like noise and energy supplies.
Around the world, over 50 companies are developing several prototypes that can carry up to 20 passengers. Dragon is one among them, developed jointly by Advanced Tactics Inc, a defence aircraft contractor in southern California, and the Rotor X Aircraft Manufacturing Company in Arizona.
Dragon eVTOL PAV project took-off as an unmanned military aircraft technology development programme
It is the first aircraft factory-built Ultralight eVTOL Personal Air Vehicle (PAV), according to the manufacturers. Twelve years back, the Dragon eVTOL PAV project took-off as an unmanned military aircraft technology development programme.
Based on multi-rotor technology, the Dragon eVTOL is light enough to meet the FAA qualifications for an ultralight aircraft (empty weight under 254 pounds), but it can carry a pilot that is over 6’6” (198cm) weighing up to 250 pounds (113 kg), and can fly for up to 20 minutes depending on the weight of the pilot and the air density. It can fly even after a motor fails and has a ballistic parachute and helicopter safety landing gear.
The kit version of the DRAGON ultralight eVTOL PAV is expected to roll off the assembly line of a new facility in Chandler, Arizona by the fall of 2023. The kit can be assembled in a week, or 2 weekends, and the training takes only a few hours that includes following FAA Part 103 flight regulations for ultralight aircraft.
There will be a 2-seat version of the Dragon eVTOL for pilot training. Builder assistance and pilot training facilities will be available in several locations in the USA including California, Arizona, Texas, and Georgia.
First Dragon kits are estimated to start delivery by September 2023
Advanced Tactics Inc. is a pioneer in multi-rotor VTOL aircraft technology. By 2014 they had developed and demonstrated the world’s first VTOL Air/Ground Mobile Vehicle called the Black Knight Transformer for the US Army. The Rotor X Aircraft Manufacturing Company, with a 50+ year heritage of producing over 2,500 two-seat kit helicopters.
After the Rotor Way International Helicopter Manufacturing Company went out of business in 2020, the Rotor X Aircraft Manufacturing Company took over the Rotor Way factory and began making new helicopter kits.
The Dragon ultralight eVTOL PAV is leveraging some of the vintage Rotor Way Scorpion kit helicopter heritage from 1967. The Scorpion 1 seat kit helicopter was the first of homebuilt helicopter kits in the world.
The development and testing of this commercial aircraft was internally funded by Advanced Tactics and is licensed by Rotor X Aircraft to sell and produce the Dragon eVTOL PAV kits for the general public. You can pre-order now with the introductory price of $85,000 for the first 100 Dragon kits.
The regular Dragon kit price is expected to be $99,000.00 after the first 100 pre-order kit sales are completed. The first Dragon kits are estimated to start delivery by September 2023.
