VTOL

The Wisk 6th generation aircraft continues from the 5th generation “Cora” design but expands the cabin and replaces wheels with skies, meaning any takeoff needs to be done VTOL-style.Photo: WiskThe famed Kittyhawk air taxi company is no more, but one of the initiatives spawned from its failed attempts to create quiet, fast, and cheap air taxis has a new design that a new company says may be thebest chance yet to see big yellow school buses buzzing overhead.On Monday, air taxi company Wisk showed off the first details for…

Blainjett's fascinating hemispheric rotor concept is a totally unique and left-field approach to VTOL flight. The company (no relation to me, for the record!) came up with the bones of the idea while working on the Horizon eVTOL hoverbike, which we covered back in January, and trying to solve the problem of how to generate lots of efficient vertical thrust without taking up large amounts of space or exposing bystanders to fast-spinning propellers.You could use a bunch of small ducted fans, something like what Lilium is…

If the prospect of flying electric taxis zooming to and from major airports via an app sounds like a pie in the sky, try not to tell United Airlines.On Thursday the airliner announced a $15 million investment into electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle startup Eve Air Mobility along with a conditional purchase agreement for 200 of the firm’s so-called flying taxis. United’s betting big on these helicopter-like, supposedly zero-emission electric aircraft to revolutionize mid-length urban air travel. Whether or not…

VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft are a popular choice for passenger-carrying "air taxis," but it's easy to forget that they also make for quite versatile consumer drones. One such beast, the Swan Voyageur, could be yours for US$1,299.Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the Swan Voyageur is made by Hong Kong startup HEQ.It's a tail-sitter VTOL, meaning that it sits in a vertical orientation – with its nose pointing straight up – when taking off, landing and hovering. In that orientation, its four…