Cyclotech Begins Testing Flying Car with Rotor ‘Barrels’ Instead of Propellers
German company CycloTech has begun field testing BlackBird, a prototype flying car. The vehicle is equipped with an unconventional propulsion system: instead of propellers, it uses rotary engines resembling barrels.
The upcoming two-seater flying car CruiseUp and its current smaller unmanned prototype Blackbird use six barrel-shaped rotors. Four of them are mounted like on quadcopters, and two are along the longitudinal axis of the craft. This is intended as insurance in case one of the main rotors fails, as well as to allow the craft to quickly turn around on the spot.
Cyclotech propellers are based on a marine winged propeller, also known as a Voith-Schneider propeller. Each rotor drum (cylinder) is fitted with blades similar to those of a helicopter. They change their angle of inclination, creating thrust in a given direction. Moreover, the thrust of each drum can be directed in any direction by simply changing the angle of the blades. This principle, by the way, is the same as that of a helicopter, which makes the design time-tested and reliable.
BlackBird is designed as an unmanned model to test technologies and engines. CycloTech will eventually use these technologies to build a two-seater flying car, CruiseUp, capable of flying 100 kilometers and accelerating to 150 kilometers per hour.
