• 28 Aug 2020 06:05 PM
• 0

Airflow eSTOL Unveiled

Calling itself “The first electric Short Take Off and Landing (eSTOL) aircraft for middle-mile logistics,” Airflow came out of stealth on June 10. The company, headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, was founded in 2019 by a team who worked together on the now-defunct Airbus Vahana program. Artwork (shown) indicates an aircraft with 10 small propellers for distributed electric propulsion on the leading edge of a long straight wing, supplemented by a large pusher propeller. The aircraft is designed for a single pilot, 150-ft (45-m) takeoff and landing distance, a 250- mile (400 km) range with reserves, a cargo hold of 90 ft³ (2.5 m³) and a payload of 500 lb (230 kg). Airflow said it is building an aerial logistics network to move short-haul cargo quickly and cost effectively over traffic by utilizing the unused airspace around cities.