Jetcopter VTOL Technologies Sky Force
Sky Force
Jetcopter VTOL Technologies
Wyoming, USA
www.jet-copter.com
Founded in January 2019 by Don Skulski, who has been self-employed since 1994, Jetcopter's purpose is to provide a better aircraft for all types of missions from civilian to military. Skulski's reason for Jetcopter's multiple new concept designs is to create and manufacture a better, safer, faster, more efficient and more affordable aircraft for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and for Rural Air Mobility. The inventor has said that his aircraft are part airplane and part helicopter and are all of his designs are modular in design. Skulski is a prolific aircraft designer where we have counted at least 19 different aircraft models listed on his website as of October 2021. The company has already requested funding from investors and is continuing looking for investors.
Skulski's designs include hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft and conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL). Each of his aircraft have a flexible power source and can be outfitted with petroleum engines, fuel cells or all batteries. In 2021, the company has stated they have been developing VTOL aircraft for the military in Europe.
The Skulski suggests due to using electric motors with propellers, drone-type technology and modern/novel manufacturing materials and techniques, that the production cost for his aircraft will be twice as low as conventional aircraft made today. In addition, the inventor foresees their manufacturing production times will be two to three times shorter than today's conventional aircraft manufacturer's production times.
Several of Jetcopter VTOL Technologies's concept designs are modular. The modules include the propulsion system, the engine compartment and then the fuselage. This way, any module can be manufactured either in the same production facility or in separate production facilities and assembled each aircraft at a designated factory. When the aircraft is designed like this, this allows the customer to not only make maintenance easier but allows the customer to reconfigure the aircraft from a passenger aircraft to a cargo aircraft.
The Sky Force is multiple power source VTOL military aircraft designed for the U.S. Air Force AFWERX competition and has been designed to accommodate a hybrid-electric power source (such as a piston or turbine petroleum powered engine, or fuel cells) or powered by batteries. The power source is determined by customer requirements. The aircraft can hold 12 passengers, has an approximate cruise speed of 300 mph (483 km/h), has an estimated range of 600 miles (965 km) and has a flight time around one hour. However, the actual speed, range and flight time might change over time due to hybrid-electric and battery power sources become better.
However, since this is made specifically for military use, one can surmise that the military will be ordering turbine jet engines to produce the electricity needed for the ducted fans and all the avionics on the aircraft. This aircraft made for special forces or regular troops who need fast transportation to and from the battle field and for other important military missions.
The U.S. Air Forces AFWERX High Speed Vertical Take-off and Landing (HSVTOL) Concept Challenge (open until June 22, 2021) chose Jaunt Air Mobility from 218 competitors. Now there are only 35 companies in the Air Force challenge. The 24th Secretary of the United States Air Force from 2017 through 2019, Heather Wilson at the time stated the program is to "increase lethality at a lower cost".
Started in 2017, AFWERX is a U.S. Air Force (USA) and US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) technology program to work with commercial businesses, mainly technology startups, to bring autonomous technologies that can support a wide range of military applications to the military using only small amounts of government money to fund these companies. The acronym AFWERX stands alone and does not represent an abbreviation for any names or phrases.
The name AFWERX might stand for US Air Force Works, is similar to Lockheed Martin's top secret military department named the Skunk Works. If this is correct, the E in the project name might stand for electric with the final project name changing the word Works to Werks or its final version: AFWERX. Due to the history of Lockheed's Skunk Works, the designation "skunk works" is now widely used in the commercial world to describe any group of employees within an organization given the task of working on advanced or secret projects with a high degree of autonomy and are typically unhampered by bureaucracy.
The company has not set a timeline for when subscale models or full scale models will be made. The company foresees their aircraft used for personal air transportation, for Urban Air Mobility, for Rural Air Mobility, for air cargo, police, fire, medevac services, for homeland security and in every branch in any military.
Specifications:
- Aircraft type: Hybrid-electric VTOL or eVTOL passenger aircraft
- Piloting: Unknown
- Capacity: 5-9 passengers
- Cruise speed: 300 mph (483 km/h)
- Range: 600 miles (965 km)
- Flight Time: 1 hour
- Propellers: Two main ducted fans
- Power source: Batteries, hybrid-electric or fuel cells
- Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
- Windows: Large windows for better views
- Wings: Delta wing
- Tail: No tail
- Landing gear: Unknown, possibly retractable 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. The aircraft will also have ballistic parachutes for an added level of safety.
Resources:
- Jetcopter VTOL Technologies website
- Jetcopter VTOL Technologies YouTube Channel
- Jetcopter VTOL Technologies Don Skulski LinkedIn
- Article: JETcopter is a VTOL That Could Land in a Parking Lot, Robb Report, Sept. 19, 2018
- Article: Jetcopter VTOL Aircraft, Aerospace Technology, Date unknown (possibly spring 2019)
- Article: Jetcopter VTOL to be Revealed at Aero 2019, Aviation Today, Mar. 26, 2019
- Video: Here's How Jetcopter Works, Jetcopter, Mar. 19, 2019
- Article: Jetcopter targets funding for innovative VTOL design, Flight Global, Sept. 10, 2019
- Video: Jetcopter production, Jetcopter, Jan. 30, 2020
- Video: Jetcopter - flying taxi, Jetcopter, Apr. 3, 2020
- Video: SkyEpress - safe, fast, affordable airplane, that won't need a runway, Jetcopter, Feb. 25, 2021
- Video: SkyExpress take off, Jetcopter, Mar. 14, 2021
Recent Pages
- Aerial Rider Tilt-Rotor eVTOL (concept design)
- Aerial Rider Six-Seater eVTOL (concept design)
- Aerial Rider 7A Series (production model)
- Aerial Rider 5A09-R (production model)
- Aerial Rider 5A07 (concept design)
- Aerial Rider 5A Series (production models)
- Aerial Rider 1A Series (production model)
- XPeng AeroHT X5 (concept design)
- XTI Aircraft TriFan 600
- XTI Aircraft TriFan 600 VLCA (concept design)
