HopLite Aviation

HopLite Aviation
Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
www.hopliteflight.com

Joel Getty, the founder of HopLite Aviation has designed an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) concept aircraft in 2017. Based in the USA, the company has a website and Facebook page; however, little is known about the concept or whether the company will make the aircraft.

The aircraft is designed to be an autonomous in combination of using artificial intelligence (AI) to pilot the eVTOL vehicle. It appears to hold possibly two (2) or four (4) passengers but the designer has stated very little of the specifications for the aircraft. The aircraft uses three (3) propellers powered by most likely three (3) electric motors.

The aircraft has a modern design with a good configuration of two (2) tiltrotors at the ends of a high wing and a horizontally placed propeller in the middle of the rear tail boom and centered in the middle or the rear horizontal stabilizer. The aircraft appears to have extra height inside the cabin for a better passenger experience, the passengers will not feel cramped.

While twin tail booms are noted for their increased drag and can be less stiff than a tradition airplane tail, it has been reported that if designed well, a twin-boom aircraft can increase the efficiency of the aircraft and stiffen their overall structure of the aircraft. A twin-boom aircraft would also allow for rear entry of the aircraft, a rear door for the baggage compartment or possibly an door for flight mechanics for easy access to flight components such as batteries and other flight systems.

The aircraft can take off vertically like a helicopter and fly like a plane but because the aircraft has fixed-wheeled landing gear, the aircraft can take off and land on a runway just like a plane, which would increase the range of the aircraft.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: eVTOL tiltrotor
• Piloting: Autonomous
• Passengers capacity: Unknown
• Propellers: 3 propellers. 2 tiltrotors on the tips of the main wing, 1 horizontal propeller centered at the end of the tail boom.
• Motors: Possibly 3 or more
• Power source: Batteries
• Wing: High wing design
• Windows: Large windows for spectacular views for the enjoyment of the passengers
• Tail assembly: Twin-boom configuration with 2 vertical rudders with a propeller in the center of the horizontal stabilizer portion of the rear wing
• Landing gear: Wheeled tricycle fixed landing gear
• Safety features: The aircraft can tilt the propellers vertically so passengers and crew don’t hit their heads on the propellers. The rear propeller is safely located in the horizontal stabilizer.

Resources:

• HopLite Aviation website
• HopLite Aviation Facebook