China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (AVIC) General Aviation eVTOL (mockup)

General Aviation eVTOL (mockup)
China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., LTD. (Subsidiary of AVIC)
Zhuhai, China
www.avicgeneral.com

The information provided here is as accurate as possible; however, eVTOL information from China is sometimes sparse, incomplete or conflicting. China is promoting what they call the "low-altitude economy" — a new push for general aviation — which includes both crewed and uncrewed passenger and air cargo eVTOL aircraft.

China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. (CAIGA), a subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned aviation conglomerate Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), showcased a mockup of an eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) cabin design at the September 2021 Zhuhai airshow in China. After formation in 2009, the company went on to purchase Epic Aircraft in 2010 and Cirrus Aircraft in 2011. Between three branches of operation, the company has developed three aircraft to the design stage, two to flight testing, and six to production. Little is known about the design details of the aircraft at the time of this article's creation.

General Aviation eVTOL mockup aircraft
The General Aviation eVTOL is a passenger mockup aircraft. Based on the size of the doors of the mockup, the proposed aircraft could possibly hold one pilot, five passengers and their luggage. If the aircraft had autonomous piloting, the aircraft would most likely hold between six people and their luggage. It is unknown if this aircraft has been made into a prototype aircraft.

While most specifications of the aircraft are unknown, based on the tandem wings, it is a long-range aircraft made for China's low-altitude economy allowing long-range urban or rural eVTOL air travel.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Passenger eVTOL mockup aircraft
• Piloting: 1 pilot (or autonomous)
• Capacity: 4-6 passengers and their luggage
• Cruise speed: Unknown
• Propellers: Unknown number of propellers
• Electric motors: Unknown number of electric motors
• Power source: Batteries or hybrid-electric
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Windows: Panoramic wrap around windows allowing forward, left and right visibility for spectacular views with a solid roof above the passenger compartment
• Wings: Tandem wings
• Landing gear: Fixed skid landing gear
• Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) uses multiple propellers or electric ducted fans, each powered by electric motors, to increase safety through redundancy. If one or more components fail, the remaining ones can still ensure a safe landing. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure.

Related Aircraft:

• Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) AG-EX (technology demonstrator)
• Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) AR-E300 (prototype)
• Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) AR-E3000 (prototype)
• AVIC China Helicopter Research and Development Institute (CHRDI) Electric Helicopter (technology demonstrator)
• AVIC China Helicopter Research and Development Institute (CHRDI) Sylan (mockup)

Resources:

• China Aviation Industry General Aircraft website
• China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Wikipedia
• Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) website 
• Article: China's Rising eVTOL Industry, Vertiflite, Nov/Dec 2021