The project
of development of cargo-passenger multirotor aircraft
with a wing in oblique flux
“Pepelats”
Goal of the project
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The goal is to create an apparatus with vertical take-off and landing for
transportation of passengers and cargo with the mass of at least 230 kg (500 lb) in automatic, semi-automatic and manual modes with
cruising speed of 200-250 km/h (125-155 mph) with range of 600 km (370
miles). We call it Pepelats. Apart from unique aerodynamic scheme we are implementing unique software
in order to increase the safety of the flights and make the piloting process
of the vehicle easier. Combining all of these characteristics, we get a fundamentally new
aircraft with unique capabilities and technical characteristics that are
inaccessible to existing aircraft. |
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To date, a model of the promising Pepelats aircraft has been built and tested. The flight
characteristics and effectiveness of the proposed technical solutions have been
experimentally confirmed. |
Work is underway on a model with a
flight weight of 140 kg. Additional investments are required to create a
prototype. We are looking for an investor interested in the project or a
business angel.
The possibility of implementation and the relevance of
the project at the present time
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The novelty of the developed cargo-passenger
aircraft with vertical take-off and landing consists in the creation of a
promising model containing a set of technical solutions that were not
previously used together (a new utility model), but the main components of
which already exist and are mass-produced. These include: 1)
Brushless electric motors of high power up to 100 kW and more.
The progress in the development of electric
brushless motors on magnets using rare earth elements in recent years has
made it possible to obtain samples with unique parameters previously
unavailable. They are expected to fall in price as they master their
production in China 2)
Lightweight LiPo
rechargeable batteries of large capacity, currently
have one of the highest values of capacity per unit weight, with minimal
dimensions. Available values are 1.5-2 kWh with a mass
of 5-7 kg. 3)
Autonomous flight controllers have become much cheaper and become
available, critical software errors have been eliminated. 4)
Other necessary avionics, gyroscopes, flight sensors, laser and
ultrasonic rangefinders, GPS + RTK systems, etc. also fell in price. 5)
There is no doubt the possibility of automating
the process of laying a route and coordinating the movement of many unmanned
aircraft |
From a technical point of view, the creation of an
unmanned aircraft is easier than an unmanned car, and flights are safer, since
all routes are agreed and coordinated in advance. The deployment of large-scale
work in this direction is mainly hampered by the position of the state civil
aviation authorities, but some work in this direction is already underway https://bastechnology.ru/dispetcherskaja-sistema-dlja-bpla-v-kitae-evrope-rossii/
It is worth noting that the PPL pilot training program includes 270
hours of theoretical lessons or 45 training days, then about 10 hours on a
simulator and 40 hours of flight with an instructor. Passing
3 theoretical exams and at least 2 practical exams. Thus, the minimum
period for obtaining a pilot's license is theoretically 3.5 months with a break
from production and a cost of $ 10,000 or more. But for almost the majority it
takes 5-6 months or more.
Such financial time expenditures sharply
limit the availability of small aircraft. Although the
operation of the aircraft is comparable to the cost of maintaining a car of the
same cost.
Therefore, the creation of an aircraft that
will not require such serious costs for pilot training is one of the most
important economic task of humanity.
It should be recalled that the era of unmanned flights
was opened by the Soviet "Buran" in November 1988 (that is, more than
30 years ago) with a processor on discrete elements with a clock frequency of 4
MHz, inferior in performance to a modern processor installed in your washing
machine, about 10 once.
Justification of
the choice of technical solutions that provide advantages over analogues or
alternative solutions:
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The use
of an oblique wing is an innovative technical solution in this application context.
Although the oblique flow effect has long been known and well-studied and is
used in aviation, as a rule, for horizontal tail: The
advantages of the proposed aerodynamic design: 1)
Allows avoiding the disadvantages of convertiplanes, and provides high
stability during the transition from vertical flight to horizontal flight and
vice versa. 2)
Simple structure, fixed pitch propellers, cheap production and operation. No additional push screw. 3) High level
of security. Ability to continue flight and landing in airplane mode in case
of failure of 2 engines out of 4 or 5 out of 8. Time-limited continuation of
the flight and regular landing on batteries in case of generator failure.
Automatic search for a suitable landing site, proprietary software. Mandatory
installation of a rescue parachute. Possibility of equipping with car-type
airbags. 4)
Placing the wing in an oblique flow, we do not fight with turbulence, but use
them. This provides a higher aerodynamic stability compared to a pusher
propeller design. Since vertical propellers, hangers and other external
elements in horizontal flight mode create parasitic turbulences that have to
be reckoned with, and the greater the higher the speed. And in any case, they
reduce the efficiency (aerodynamic quality) of the aircraft, and are also an
additional element affecting the stable behavior of the aircraft in flight
and, ultimately, on flight safety. 5)
Extremely simple control with one joystick. 6)
Duplicated, fully electronic control of all flight modes, including emergency
ones. 90%
of all aviation accidents are human factors. 7)
Equipped with Airborne Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and S-mode
transponder as well as LIDAR-type laser surround scanner The
project is aimed not at lengthy scientific research, but at the use of a set
of proven engineering solutions, structures and materials that have proven
their effectiveness, are mass-produced and used in light aircraft. That will allow launching production as soon as possible. |
Сontacts: info@pepelats.su
the program for calculating the route bypassing
the no-fly zones