You can lose any one engine and one entire wing section and not have any
serious problems, retaining the ability to get where you need to go
even with a fully loaded aircraft. Oliver says he has had the Hexplane
design validated by aerospace engineering consultancy DAR and Penn State
University, and is now negotiating with an investment house for the
funds to build a prototype. As a starting point, Oliver says he has
taken on the challenge set by DARPA for the now-cancelled Groen
Heliplane high-speed VTOL – to carry a 1,000lb payload 1,000nm at
400mph. “I want to build a 12,500lb gross-weight technology demonstrator
that has the capability to transition to saleable hardware,” he says.
Powered by six 800shp turboprops, this aircraft would have a maximum
speed of 447mph and a sea-level climb rate of more than 9,000ft/min.
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