• 03 Nov 2023 11:36 PM
• 0

Rotor X Invites Orders

Rotor X Aircraft Manufacturing Company is inviting preorders for its Dragon eVTOL ultralight personal air vehicle (shown) after announcing on Aug. 24 that it had completed “hundreds” of uncrewed flight tests. US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 103 rules restrict ultralights like the Dragon to a maximum takeoff weight of 254 lb (115 kg) and a maximum speed of 63 mph (101 km/h); the aircraft has a 20-minute endurance. Rotor X also plans to produce a two-seat version of the Dragon in the FAA Experimental Category for a passenger and pilot training. The company unveiled a preproduction version of the aircraft at the Oshkosh AirVenture exhibition in July 2023 (see “A VTOL AirVenture,” Vertiflite, Sept/Oct 2023). Rotor X is a Chandler, Arizona-based company specializing in personal helicopters. Beginning in 1967, the company’s predecessor, RotorWay International, produced a personal helicopter known as the Scorpion, which serves as the inspiration for the cabin styling of the Dragon X. The first crewed tests of the Dragon were planned to begin in September and the first deliveries in spring 2024.