Startup launches commercial electric plane business

[vanzandt]

Wow, that's a new one to me! As a former helicopter pilot and maintenance officer, that thing looks like a nightmare!

Its the Bell X-22. To make your nightmare worse which may not be apparent from the above picture, the ducted nacelles rotated for VTOL. Those test pilots must have had some serious cojones.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_X-22

 

[Sig]

Its the Bell X-22. To make your nightmare worse which may not be apparent from the above picture, the ducted nacelles rotated for VTOL. Those test pilots must have had some serious cojones.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_X-22

I figured as much. All 4 fans would have to be connected in a single transmission, otherwise an single engine failure would flip the thing upside down in 2 seconds in a hover. The transmission drag alone must have eaten 20% of the power, and it had to have had rube goldberg complexity. I see from the Wiki that 50% of them crashed (1/2, my not toward hyped statistics!), probably had something to do with why only 2 were built and it took 50 years before they fielded the V-22.
They did do a ton of cool stuff in aviation back in the 50s and 60s that would never happen today, kind of wish I'd been alive then for it.

 

[vanzandt]

Wow, that's a new one to me! As a former helicopter pilot and maintenance officer, that thing looks like a nightmare!

Off topic a bit here for Sig... your brother Coasties are doing an absolutely fantastic job, not only rescuing folks.... but more-so staying safe pushing the limits of themselves and their machines. No mishaps whatsoever. Impressive.

 

[Sig]

Off topic a bit here for Sig... your brother Coasties are doing an absolutely fantastic job, not only rescuing folks.... but more-so staying safe pushing the limits of themselves and their machines. No mishaps whatsoever. Impressive.

Thanks on their behalf. Makes me a bit sad to be retired watching it on TV instead of being there.

 

[vanzandt]

Thanks on their behalf. Makes me a bit sad to be retired watching it on TV instead of being there.

Yeah I figured as much.

 

[Cuddles]

Well, the startup is in Seattle. Impressive management pedigree, I'm sure they are all tied to BA somehow or the other.

My question is, looking at this picture (realizing its a rendering) is where does the combustion occur. Inside somewhere like an APU and then fixed to the fans via like a drone type axle?
There does appear to be an air intake between the V-tail
View attachment 172451

I'm only reading it's a hybrid but no details.....my guess it's not a conventional hybrid but more like the chevy volt where it uses an APU as a range extender to keep the batteries charged while in flight?

 

[dealmaker]

Plane startup and EasyJet partner to develop electric jets
European low-cost airline EasyJet said it is working with Wright Electric, a Los Angeles electric plane startup that plans to eventually produce all-electric commercial jets. It’s a sign of the aviation industry’s increasing interest in electric-powered planes. The collaboration doesn’t involve any financial investment or promises of future plane orders on EasyJet’s part. Rather, the airline is providing information to Wright Electric about what needs the startup should address. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

 

[Sig]

The collaboration doesn’t involve any financial investment or promises of future plane orders on EasyJet’s part. Rather, the airline is providing information to Wright Electric about what needs the startup should address.

I see EasyJet is as generous with the help they offer their partners as they are with the seat pitch and service they offer their customers!