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Overair Butterfly (prototype)

Overair Butterfly remotely piloted eVTOL prototype aircraft

 

Butterfly (prototype)
Overair, Inc.
Santa Ana, California, USA
www.overair.com

Overair, Inc. is a spin-off from Karem Aircraft and is located in Santa Ana, California, USA. Overair became its own independent company in 2019 and is in the business of making passenger electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM). Some of the major goals for the company is to have has fewer moving parts than traditional tilt-rotor aircraft and  to have no single points of failure with multiple redundancies in the aircraft's systems. In addition, to create a spacious, technically advanced and pleasing cabin, to make a safer aircraft, have very efficient aerodynamics, have a quieter aircraft and a more reliable eVTOL aircraft. The company has named their aircraft the Butterfly.

Some history
Karem Aircraft was founded by Abe Karem in 2004 in California, USA. Ben Tigner was the President and CEO of Karem Aircraft and as of January 2020, is now the President and CEO of Overair. Uber Elevate announced on May 8, 2018 that it was adding Karem Aircraft (now Overair) as one of its aircraft partners to design an eVTOL aircraft for Uber's Elevate ecosystem. In December 2020, Uber sold Uber Elevate to Joby Aviation.

In July 2019, it was reported that Korean industrial conglomerate Hanwha Systems, pending regulatory approval, will invest $25M in a subsidiary of Karem Aircraft to develop the Butterfly eVTOL aircraft for Uber Elevate's mission. On Jan. 15, 2020, it was announced that Hanwha Systems was approved for the $25M dollar investment for Karem's spin-off company, Overair. Hanwha Systems now owns 30% of Overair, Inc. Uber Air was purchased by Joby Aviation in December 2020.

Butterfly remote piloted eVTOL prototype aircraft
It was revealed on December 19, 2023, that it completed its first Butterfly remotely piloted eVTOL prototype aircraft. The aircraft carries no passengers or cargo and will be used for ground testing and vertical flight testing only. The company's plan is to start testing the aircraft in early 2024. The testing will validate the propulsion systems, flight control mechanics, safety features, operational efficiency, adverse weather conditions and to evaluate the 55-decibel noise target.

The aircraft has four propellers and four electric motors located on tandem wings. The propellers are permanently in the up position and the aircraft can test vertical takeoff and landing flights. The tilt-propellers do not tilt down for forward flight. The aircraft is powered by battery packs. The fuselage is made from carbon fiber composite material. There is one rear vertical stabilizer and the aircraft has fixed skid landing gear.

Two technologies that Overair has made is optimum speed tilt rotor (OSTR) and individual blade control (IBC). The optimum speed tilt rotor system is a power saver. This means that throughout vertical, transition and forward flight, the OSTR system will vary propeller revolutions per minute and the company states this will boost efficiency. The company anticipates this system will reduce power demand in hover by as much as 60 percent. The individual blade control technology will reduce vibration and propeller loads. This will improve safety, will provide a smoother flight, lower operating costs and will lower maintenance costs.

In 2022, the company performed ground testing of its propulsion system on a truck. More prototype aircraft are planned to be made in 2025 with tilt-rotors that will allow the aircraft to takeoff vertically and transition to forward flight. The company intends to have their aircraft in service by 2028.

Overair Butterfly remotely piloted eVTOL prototype aircraft with employees

Overair Butterfly remotely piloted eVTOL prototype aircraft with employees

Specifications:

  • Aircraft type: eVTOL prototype aircraft for vertical-only and ground testing
  • Piloting: Remote control
  • Capacity: No passengers or cargo
  • Cruise speed: Unknown
  • Propellers: 4 propellers (in the VTOL position and don't tilt)
  • Electric motors: 4 electric motors
  • Power source: Battery packs
  • Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
  • Wings: Tandem wings
  • Tail: 1 vertical stabilizer
  • Landing gear: Fixed skid landing gear
  • Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) means having multiple propellers (or electric ducted fans) and multiple electric motors on an aircraft so if one or more propellers (or electric ducted fans) or some electric motors fail, the other working propellers (or electric ducted fans) and electric motors can safely land the aircraft. DEP provides safety through redundancy for its passengers or cargo. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy for its passengers or cargo. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure. There is also a whole aircraft emergency ballistic parachute in case of an unexpected inflight emergency.

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