Jetcopter VTOL Technologies Sky Hopper

Sky Hopper
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 European military.

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 Hopper aircraft is six passenger VTOL aircraft made for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) as air taxi service, a personal aircraft or for corporate aircraft. The aircraft 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. These flight specifications will change as new hybrid-electric and battery energy sources increase their ability to provide power to aircraft.

The aircraft has a very unique design with its novel propulsion system attached to the top of the fuselage and its lightly larger than normal windows, than found on convention airplanes. The aircraft has fixed single-wheel quadricycle landing gear allowing the aircraft to land on any landing pad or airport tarmac. The wheels also allow the aircraft to be moved while under its own power or when the aircraft is turned off. A safety feature includes a ballistic parachute for emergency situations.

There are two unique features of this aircraft when discussing how the aircraft flies through the air. The aircraft has two ducted fans on top of the aircraft which push air into duct work which is then diverted to four tilting end points that vector the air for any direction of flight. The end points exhaust the air creating the thrust for VTOL flight, forward flight, reverse flight and transitioning from forward/reverse flight to VTOL flight. The aircraft has stub wings and might be outfitted with longer wings in the future. This remains to be seen.

The aircraft is also being designed to accommodate multiple power sources such as a hybrid-electric power source (a piston or turbine petroleum powered engine, or fuel cells) or powered by batteries. The power source outfitted to the aircraft when purchased is determined by customer requirements.

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: 6 passengers
• Cruise speed: 300 mph (483 km/h)
• Range: 600 miles (965 km)
• Flight Time: 1 hour
• Propellers: 2 ducted propellers
• Vector thruster ducts: 4 vectored thrust ducts
• Electric Motors: 2 electric motors, 4 electric motors for the vectored thrust ducts
• Power source: Batteries, hybrid-electric or fuel cells
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Windows: Slightly larger than normal airplane windows for better views for the passengers
• Landing gear: Fixed single-wheel quadricycle 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