The Transcend Air Corporation has announced the development of a six-seater VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft designed for inter-city transportation. That means it does not need runways and airports and can use helipads atop major city centres.
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By virtue of its tilt-wing design, the aircraft named Vy-400 is a capable of cruising at 650 kmph. It has two overhead rotors instead of one like in helicopters. Moreover, thanks to its lightweight, the aircraft can employ whole-aircraft parachute.
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The company promises to cover the distance between New York City and Boston in mere 36 minutes costing $283 and the flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco in under an hour which will cost $315.
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It is already working on its 15th prototype. The airline will be functional from January 2024 and fly between more than 46 city centre pairs in the US.
However, Transcend is not the only company developing VTOL aircraft. Uber along with NASA, a Berlin-based startup Lilium which is supported by European Space Agency, Volocopter—all are developing VTOL aircrafts for commercial purposes. They expect to be operating in a few years.
