Galvani Fly Citycopter (concept design)

Fly Citycopter (concept design)
Eduardo Galvani
Florianópolis, Brazil
www.epiakstudio.com

Designed in 2014 in Brazil, visual artist/designer Eduardo Galvani inspired by his love for aviation, created an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) fantasy Steampunk concept design multicopter for advanced air mobility (AAM). While never intended to fly, with a few additional propellers (or ducted propellers) and other modifications, this aircraft could be flight worthy and be manufactured for the general public.

The Fly Citycopter is a two passenger eVTOL  concept design multicopter which is a fusion of art, Steampunk retrofuturistic styling and modern technological innovations. While Galvani calls his aircraft a helicopter (it would be more accurately called a transverse rotorblade helicopter), the aircraft is in fact a muticopter design. It is a multicopter design because the aircraft does not have large and complex helicopter rotorblades (rotorblades can have hundreds of components) but has simple small propellers powered by electric motors.

The aircraft holds one pilot, one passenger and luggage. The aircraft has a bubble window allowing excellent front, left, right, bottom and top views from the cockpit. Galvani expects that when the pilot enters the aircraft, the aircraft will be ready to fly within one minute. The maximum speed of the aircraft is estimated to be 193 km/h (120 mph), have a range of 482 km (300 miles), has an approximate flight time of two and half hours and has a maximum altitude of 3,657 meters (12,000 feet). The fuselage is envisioned to be manufactured with carbon fiber composite, aluminum and titanium materials, and will have an empty weight of 1,110 kg (2,447 lb). The aircraft has fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear.

The aircraft has been designed to fly in congested city environments and also be an eco-friendly form of transportation which makes it an ideal aircraft for the future of advanced air mobility (AAM). In fact, the aircraft has been designed with solar panels which charge the batteries when landed and while flying. Safety features have been designed into the aircraft such as redundant systems and has a whole aircraft emergency ballistic parachute.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: eVTOL passenger Steampunk concept design helicopter
• Piloting: 1 pilot or autopilot
• Capacity: 1 passenger
• Maximum speed: 193 km/h (120 mph)
• Range: 482 km (300 miles)
• Flight time: 2.5 hours
• Maximum altitude: 3,657 meters (12,000 feet)
• Empty weight: 1,110 kg (2,447 lb)
• Maximum baggage payload: 95 kg (210 lb)
• Maximum payload: Unknown
• Propellers: 3 propellers
• Electric motors: 3 electric motors
• Power source: Batteries (It takes 6 hours to recharge the batteries and batteries are swappable)
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite, aluminum and titanium materials
• Windows: Bubble window
• Landing gear: Fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear
• Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. DEP means having multiple propellers (or ducted fans) and motors on the aircraft so if one or more propellers (ducted fans) or motors fail, the other working propellers (or ducted fans) and motors can safely land the aircraft. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft. The aircraft also has a whole aircraft emergency ballistic parachute.

Resources:

• Epiak Studio Fly Citycopter web page
• Eduardo Galvani Behance web page
• Fly Citycopter Behance web page
• Yanko Design Future Urban Citycopter web page
• Epiak Studio Facebook
• Epiak Studio Instagram
• Eduardo Galvani Pinterest
• Eduardo Galvani LinkedIn
• Article: Straight out of the Jetsons! Solar-powered Citycopter could let commuters whizz from London to Paris in just two hours, Daily Mail, May 13, 2014
• Article: Futuristic "Fly Citycopter" Re-Imagines the Urban Commute, My Modern Met, May 5, 2014
• Article: Compact flying machine, Bangalore Mirror, May 15, 2023
• Article: Discover the solar-powered helicopter that flies itself, CNN, May 29, 2014
• Article: The Future Of Commuting: Fly To Work In A Mini Eco-friendly Citycopter, June 1, 2022
• https://coolwisdombooks.com/the-future-of-commuting-fly-to-work-in-a-mini-eco-friendly-citycopter/