• 24 Aug 2019 02:43 PM
• 0

Ascendance at Paris

At the Paris Air Show, Paris, France-based startup Ascendance Flight Technologies unveiled its Atea hybrid-electric VTOL concept. Atea uses three lift fans powered by electric motors — one in each wing and a fan in the nose of the aircraft — plus a conventional turboprop in the nose. When the aircraft is cruising, the turbine engine charges the batteries for vertical take-offs and landings. The Atea is sized for a pilot and three passengers, with an expected cruise speed of 108 kt (200 km/h) and a range of 90 nm (150 km). Ascendance was co-founded in January 2018 by four former members of the Airbus E-Fan team (see “The Potential of eCTOL,” pg. 63). The company has been testing a one-sixth scale model and is now developing the full-scale Atea prototype.