Flyt Aerospace is offering its Red Hummingbird pilot-optional, fully-electric hoverbike for the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) Agility Prime electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) procurement effort.
The eight-motor, multi-rotor Red Hummingbird is designed for speeds of 0–97 km/h in 5.1 seconds, payload capacity of up to 113 kg, a cost of USD2.40 worth of electricity per flight, and the ability to operate for 20–30 minutes per charge. The aircraft is also designed to create only 65 db of noise at 50 ft altitude. Flyt is offering the Red Hummingbird for the Agility Prime 1-2 person capacity area of interest (AOI) 2, according to company founder and CEO Ansel Misfeldt.
Flyt Aerospace's Red Hummingbird hoverbike being offered for the US Air Force’s Agility Prime eVTOL procurement is pilot-optional, making it capable of performing military missions including medivac and cargo delivery. (Flyt Aerospace)
Misfeldt told Jane’s on 1 May that the Red Hummingbird has a fully-built prototype currently in flight testing, but that the aircraft has yet to fly with a human. Flyt has so far been flying the aircraft with weights in the pilot seat to ensure system checkout before flying with a pilot.
The Red Hummingbird was scheduled to have its first human flight in mid-March, but this was postponed due to coronavirus (Covid-19) shelter-in-place orders. Flyt will test-fly the Red Hummingbird with a human as soon as these shelter-in-place orders are lifted.
The Red Hummingbird has flown in flight tests without a human to 10 ft altitude and the aircraft is designed to fly to up to 4,000 ft. Misfeldt said Flyt has governed the aircraft to 10 ft altitude until the company builds a couple of hundred flight hours on the platform and adds a rocket-deployed ballistic parachute.
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