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Overair Initiates Propulsion Tests, Partnership
  • 28 Feb 2022 03:30 PM
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Overair Initiates Propulsion Tests, Partnership

On Jan. 20, Overair announced that it had commenced its ground test program to evaluate the full-scale propulsion system for the Butterfly eVTOL quad tiltrotor aircraft in the desert northeast of Los Angeles. The Santa Ana, California-based eVTOL developer said that the tests marked a milestone in its efforts to conduct the maiden flight of the Butterfly by 2023. According to Overair, the Butterfly’s large rotors — which span 20 ft (6.1 m) in diameter — will have a much lower tip speed than the smaller-diameter propellers of other eVTOL aircraft, making the Butterfly quieter and less power-intensive than competitors. For the tests, the motor and rotor are mounted on top of a large truck. “Next stop, full-scale prototype, with long-lead-time parts currently underway,” said Jim Orbon, Butterfly program manager, in a statement. The news follows an announcement in a VFS eVTOL Writers Group on Aug. 11, 2021, in which Overair revealed a new design of the Butterfly featuring equal-diameter front and rear rotors; the original design, which was first unveiled in 2018, had smaller rear rotors.

In addition to making strides in aircraft development, Overair has taken steps toward the eventual commercialization and certification of the Butterfly eVTOL. In December, Overair announced that it had partnered with Bristow Group, the Houston, Texas-based civil helicopter operator. In a press release on Dec. 16, Overair said that Bristow has pre-ordered 20 to 50 Butterfly eVTOL aircraft. The partnership extends to include the development of an operations framework that will focus on vehicle design, flight planning and certification, among a range of other issues. “Bristow’s decades of vertical lift experience will greatly enhance Butterfly’s path to commercialization,” said Overair CEO Ben Tigner in a statement. 

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