Flying car company takes off

Citation

(2007), "Flying car company takes off", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 79 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2007.12779daf.001

Flying car company takes off

Flying car company takes off

After many years of pioneering with well-known parties as the Dutch Aerospace Laboratory (NLR) to create a flying and driving vehicle John Bakker has formed a management team and is recruiting employees to start personal air and land vehicle (PAL-V) Europe. A number of investors have been found to back the start-up and currently initiatives are taken towards more investors to speed up market launch.

John Bakker has invested six years of his time in developing a vehicle concept that can fly as well as drive: PAL-V. A dream Henry Ford already had when he built the first car. This could result in a revolution in door to door mobility in the near future. John Bakker believes that in countries with underdeveloped infrastructure it means safe and faster transportation but also in developed countries it will safe people lots of time.

The market response is huge. Already 2m hits have been recorded on the web site. Daily mails are received from people that want to buy one. People have professional applications like surveillance, mobility for aid organisations, aid in post war situations, but also for private use bringing faster transportation or just big fun. The PAL-V is a solution to increasing congestion in our cities, highways and skyways.

On the ground, the slim line, aerodynamic three-wheel vehicle is as comfortable as a luxury car. But has the agility of a motorbike, thanks to its patented cutting-edge “tilting” system. The single rotor and propeller are folded away until the PAL-V is ready to fly.

Airborne, the PAL-V flies under the 4,000ft (1,500m) floor of commercial air space. With land and air space reaching capacity, this is some of the last free space.

The PAL-V is highly fuel-efficient and powered by an environmentally certified car engine. It can run on petrol like a conventional car but can also run on biodiesel or bio-ethanol. It can reach speeds of up to 200km/h both on land and in the air.

Like a helicopter, it has a very short take off and vertical landing capability making it possible to land practically anywhere. It can be driven to the nearest airfield or helipad and, because it flies below 4,000ft, can take off without filing a flight plan. The autogyro technology means that it can be steered and landed safely even if the engine fails as it descends vertically rather than nose-diving. Lift is generated by the forward speed produced by the foldable push propeller on the back.

At less than 70DB it is more quiet than helicopters due to the slower rotating of the main rotor. A licence to fly the PAL-V is more accessible than one for a helicopter or plane because of the regulations controlling autogyro craft. In the USA and soon in Europe the infrastructure is in place for “digital freeways” that provide a safe corridor using GPS technology to aid regulation and avoid collisions for low flying vehicles.

Soon private flying will no longer be the exclusive domain of executives and celebrities. If infrastructure does not exist or congestion or obstacles block the destination – fly. If the weather is too bad to fly – drive. Driving and flying combined in one vehicle that could cost little more than an executive saloon car.

John Bakker co-operated six years with well-known partners to develop the PAL-V concept. It is a combination of proven technologies. It is said to fit within the new certification constraints and regulations that are in place since 2005 in the USA and Europe.

Next to John Bakker, the management team now consists of Robert Dingemanse who has championed several successful product launches and business start-ups at Philips Electronics and Jim Emanuels of Tacstone, specialised in starting up new businesses. This team has the right skills and experience to turn the concept into a business success.

PAL-V DVC tilting technology

The PAL-V will drive using the patented Dynamic Vehicle Control (DVC) tilting technology as invented for the Carver One.

Steer it like a car and it banks like a motorcycle. It sounds deceivingly simple. And it truly is. At the heart of the PAL-V lies the DVC system which automatically adjusts the tilt angle of the cockpit to the speed and acceleration of the vehicle enabling a plane-like “tilting before cornering”.

The driver's input or steering torque is distributed between the front wheel steering angle and the cockpit tilting angle. This distribution is automatically adjusted to varying speeds and road conditions to ensure an optimal balance at all times. At lower speeds the steering torque is directed to the front wheel angle and the passenger compartment remains upright. At higher speeds the steering torque is mainly directed to the tilt angle of the cockpit and rear wheel steering.

The genius of the DVC is in its simplicity: essentially a mechanical- hydraulic system, it relies on proven technology resulting in a reliable, predictable and above all extremely responsive system.

With the PAL-V ONE, tilting in corners becomes second nature, or rather, first nature regained.

PAL-V Gyrocopter technology

Juan de la Cierva, a Spanish engineer and aeronautical enthusiast, invented the first successful rotorcraft, which he named “autogiro” in 1923. His aim was to create an aircraft that was the safest in the world because it would not stall.

An autogyro is characterised by a free-spinning rotor that turns due to passage of air upwards through the rotor. The vertical component of the total aerodynamic reaction of the rotor gives lift for the vehicle, and sustains the autogyro in the air. Forward thrust is provided by a separate propeller, or alternately, jets, when flying in autogyro mode.

Whereas a helicopter works by forcing the rotor blades through the air, pushing air downwards, the gyrocopter rotor blade generates lift in the same way as a glider's wing by changing the angle of the air as it moves upwards and backwards relative to the rotor blade. The free-spinning blades turn by autorotation; the rotor blades are angled so that they give not only lift, but also so as to accelerate the blades' rotation rate, until the rotor turns at a stable speed with the drag and thrust forces in balance.

Pitch control of the autogyro is by tilting the rotor fore and after; roll control is by tilting the rotor laterally (side to side). Tilt of the rotor is effected by a tilting hub. Yaw control is controlled by the prerotator.

PAL-V combination technology

The PAL-V ONE combines the gyrocopter technology with the DVC tilting technology. The change-over from flying to driving and vice versa requires three basic technologies. These technologies make it possible to make the gyrocopter narrow and short enough to drive on the road (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Artist's impression of the PAL-V

A foldable rotor: the rotor will be folded and fixed above the roof of the vehicle. PAL-V Europe BV has patented the folding principle and has developed a unique folding technology. The outside of the rotor blades slide into the inner parts and are then folded above the car. While flying the safety of this principle is ensured by the centrifugal forces of the spinning of the rotor.

A foldable propeller: the propeller is folded to become narrow enough and to enable the tail to slide back.

A slidable tail. The tail is slid forwards covering the propeller.

By combining different building blocks weight as well as cost reductions are realised:

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  The motor that is used for driving the vehicle is the same as the motor powering the propeller.

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  The same controls are used in both modes but switched in functionality between the different modes.

Details available from: PAL-V Europe BV, Tel: +31-6-48313667, E-mail: info@pal-v.com