Flexcraft VERA

VERA (VTOL Electric Reconfigurable Aircraft)
Flexcraft
Lisbon, Portugal
www.flexcraft.pt

Flexcraft (Flexible Aircraft) is a company which designs several types of VTOL aircraft with a variety of energy sources such as hybrid-electric to fuel cells. The company partners with mostly Portuguese based companies including Almadesign, the Technical University of Lisbon’s Instituto Superior Técnico, the Institute of Mechanic Engineering and Industrial Management at the University of Porto, Simultaneous Engineering Technology S.A., Embraer Compósitos and with Embraer S.A.

The Flexcraft VTOL Electric Reconfigurable Aircraft (VERA) is a concept aircraft designed in 2019, for urban air mobility and cargo transportation. It is a clean sheet design with flexibility built into the aircraft from the very beginning of the design process allowing the aircraft to provide multiple missions with the use of detachable pods for each type of mission. 

This aircraft has a higher technology readiness level (TRL) than the company's previous designs and Flexcraft has stated it will reveal more about VERA in January 2020. The company has now designed the Flexcraft RPV, the Flexcraft Utility Concept, the Flexcraft VERA and the Flexcraft VERA II.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Hybrid-electric V/STOL aircraft with detachable passenger and cargo pods
• Piloting: Piloted or remotely piloted
• Passenger capacity: Unknown
• Propellers: 4 propellers
• Motors: 4 motors
• Energy source: Hybrid-electric
• Pod types: Air taxi, cargo transport, search and rescue (SAR) and more
• Passenger pod windows: Has large windows for a spectacular views and a better flight experience
• Wing: High wing design
• Tail: Twin tail boom with inverted U tail
• Landing gear: The wing can land with or without a pod. Each pod has its own landing gear.

Resources:

• Flexcraft website
• Almadesign website
• Almadesign Facebook
• Almadesign YouTube
• Almadesign LinkedIn
• Video: NewFACE Project, Alma Design ID Projects, May 18, 2015
• Article: News from the 2017 Future of Transportation Conference, Electric VTOL News, July 19, 2017
• Article: The Wings on This New Flying Car Concept Can Separate and Fly Themselves Home, The Rob Report, May 4, 2021