Neo Aeronautics Crimson S8 (prototype)

Crimson S8 (prototype)
NEO Aeronautics PTE. LTD.
Singapore, Singapore
(no website)

In 2018, NEO Aeronautics was founded by Neo Kok Beng in Singapore. The company is an innovation-driven technology company with a vision to empower individuals and communities for personal urban air travel. The company invested just over $145,000.00 USD into the development of the Crimson S8 hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) passenger multicopter aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM). The company is looking for investors.

Current indoor unmanned flight testing have been taking place inside a warehouse in Loyang, Singapore in 2019. They plan to start flight tests in the USA by March 2020 with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval by September 2020. A launch time frame late in 2020 is also their goal. The company plans to launch the aircraft in the United States because the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore does not allow personal aerial vehicles flying in their air space.

Crimson S8 hybrid-electric VTOL passenger prototype multicopter
The Crimson S8 was unveiled of their one passenger VTOL prototype multicopter on April 25, 2019 in Singapore but no flight demonstrations took place. The "S" in S8 stands for Sunbird. The aircraft is designed for low-level flight. The aircraft has eight propellers and eight electric motors to provide all directions of flight such as lift and forward flight.

The Crimson S8 can fit in a standard US parking space and can fly at a height of 15 m (49 ft) with a payload of up to 100 kg (220 lb) and at a maximum speed of 100 km/h (62 mph). The current prototype can stay airborne for about 20 minutes but NEO Aeronautic's goal is to increase the flight time to up to 100 minutes with a hybrid-electric engine. The team is also installing Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) sensors to detect obstacles and help users avoid collisions.

Since the aircraft is expensive to build, the company plans to have a membership fee to use the aircraft so that multiple people can share the aircraft each day, similar to how scooters and bicycles are being rented by multiple people in cities around the world currently. You'll be able to find the location of their aircraft by using an app and NEO Aeronautics will take care of the maintenance and upkeep of each aircraft. They predict the fee to rent their aircraft will be about $50 USD for 30 km (18.6 m).

Crimson S8 was designed as an ultralight to make it easier for people to fly in USA FAA airspace. This means a person will not require a pilot's license to fly the VTOL aircraft. Neo Aeronautics claims it takes about two hours of training to learn how to fly the Crimson S8 and plans on only training those who are 16 years of age and older. The company says it will be as easy to fly as flying a small drone. They plan to have an auto-pilot but the vehicle is not completely autonomous at this time. An updated model, the Crimson S8-SR, has also been announced.

At the time of this writing, they hope to bring the aircraft to about 25 U.S. cities around 2026.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Hybrid-electric VTOL passenger prototype multicopter
• Capacity: 1 pilot
• Maximum airspeed: 100 km/h (60 mph)
• Flight time: 30 minutes (60 minutes with extended range)
• Cruise altitude: 15 m (50 ft)
• Maximum altitude: 300 m (1,000 ft)
• Empty Weight: 115 kg (254 lb)
• Maximum payload: 100 kg (220 lb)
• Maximum takeoff weight: 215 kg (474 lb)
• Propellers: 8 propellers
• Electric motors: 8 electric motors
• Power source: Hybrid-electric power source
• Fuselage: Unknown
• Dimensions 2.8 m X 2.75 m X 1.6 m (9.2 ft X 9 ft X 5.25 ft)
• Landing gear: 2 fixed strut landing gear
• Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. DEP means having multiple propellers and motors on the aircraft so if one or more motors/propellers fail, the other working motors/propellers can safely land the aircraft. Dual flight control. Collision & proximity detection and avoidance system. There is an emergency landing system and security systems.

Related Aircraft:

• Neo Aeronautics Crimson S8-SR (prototype)
• Neo Aeronautics Crimson S8-V3 (prototype)

Company Insights:

• Airframer
• The Grid

Resources:

• NEO Aeronautics PTE. LTD. (no website)
• NEO Aeronautics PTE. LTD. Facebook
• NEO Aeronautics PTE. LTD. LinkedIn
• NEO Aeronautics PTE. LTD. YouTube Channel
• Video: Crimson Sunbird 8 | Episode 1 | Pilot: Singapore First Personal Aerial Vehicle (PAV), Neo Aeronautics, Apr. 24, 2019
• Video: Neo Aeronautics founder and chief executive Neo Kok Beng on the Crimson S8, The Straits Times, Apr. 25, 2019
• Article: Singapore start-up aims to take homegrown ‘flying car’ to US skies in 2020, Today, Apr. 25, 2019
• Article: Asia Minute: Flying Cars in Singapore?, Hawaii Public Radio, Apr. 26, 2019
• Article: S'pore firm unveils flying vehicle with an eye on US market, The Straits Times, Apr. 26, 2019
• Video: Singaporean flying car can't launch in its home country, CNET, May 6, 2019
• Article: State of Utah, US Collaborates with NEO Aeronautics in the Flight Trial of Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) and Deployment of Urban Air Mobility UAM Communities in Year 2020, PR Newswire, Oct. 16, 2019
• Video: Episode 1 - Dr. Neo Kok Beng (1/6/2023), NEO Aeronautics, June 1, 2023
• Video: Select USA Investment Summit 2023, Neo Aeronautics, May 2, 2023