Quaternion Group Compact Personal Aircraft

Compact Personal Aircraft
Quaternion Group LLC
Miami, Florida, USA
www.sites.google.com/view/quaterniong

Founded in December 2018 by Brendan Graham, Quaternion Group LLC, based in Miami, Florida, USA, is in the business of producing hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (HeVTOL) and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) passenger aircraft for advanced aerial mobility (AAM). On November 18, 2022, the Quaternion Group LLC announced the commencement of a capital investment and funding solicitations campaign targeting product development of its innovative, patented US10336450B2 hybrid-electric VTOL Compact Personal Aircraft passenger aircraft.

The Compact Personal Aircraft is a hybrid-electric VTOL or eVTOL passenger aircraft that holds one pilot and four passengers, to be used for on-demand air taxi service. The cruise speed is 110 mph (177 km/h), has a range 120 miles (193 km/h) all-electric, 300+ miles (483+ km) hybrid-electric, a flight time of 2 hours all-electric and 5+ hours with a hybrid-electric powertrain. The cruise altitude of the aircraft is 5,000 ft (1,524 meters). The empty weight of the aircraft is 1,047 lb (475 kg), the maximum payload is 992 lb (450 kg) and the maximum takeoff weight is 2,039 lb (925 kg).

The fuselage is oval shaped with a continuous front to rear window and the sides of the fuselage has floor to ceiling windows. The fuselage sits in the middle of the wing assembly. The wing assembly consists of nine wings with cross braces, six stationary propellers and six electric motors. The wing assembly is attached to a track, one track is located on each side of the fuselage. The wings can be adjusted up and down, during flight or when on the ground by sliding up and down on the track.

During takeoff, the wing assembly is in the horizontal position and as the aircraft gains altitude, the wing assembly starts to slide down the track and tilts forward until the wings are vertical and flies to its destination. When landing, the wing assembly begins to tilt to a horizontal position while at the same time sliding upward to the top of the track. Then the aircraft lands on its fuselage. When landed, the wing assembly is always at the top of the wing assembly track, so passengers and crew can enter and exit the aircraft. The aircraft also has an emergency whole aircraft ballistic parachute.

The company has performed initial computer calculations for optimized lift, drag and efficiency for its aircraft. The company foresees their aircraft to be used for on-demand air taxi service and personal air travel. The company expects to sell the aircraft for under $40,000.00 USD.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Hybrid-electric VTOL or all-electric VTOL (eVTOL) passenger aircraft
• Piloting: 1 pilot
• Capacity: 4 passengers
• Cruise speed: 110 mph (177 km/h)
• Range: 120 miles (193 km/h) all-electric, 300+ miles (483+ km) hybrid-electric
• Flight time: 2 hours all-electric, 5+ hours hybrid-electric
• Cruise altitude: 5,000 ft (1,524 meters)
• Empty weight: 1,047 lb (475 kg)
• Maximum payload: 992 lb (450 kg)
• Maximum takeoff weight: 2,039 lb (925 kg)
• Propellers: 6 propellers
• Electric motors: 6 electric motors
• Power source: Hybrid-electric (internal combustion engine and battery packs)
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Fuselage length: 8 ft
• Fuselage height: 5 ft
• Wingspan: 20 ft
• Overall landed length: 20 ft  
• Windows: Panoramic windows allowing forward, left, right and top visibility, for spectacular views
• Wings: 9 wings (configured in a tilt-multi-wing assembly)
• Landing gear: The aircraft lands on the bottom of its fuselage
• 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. There are also redundancies in the sub-systems of the aircraft. In case of an emergency, there is a whole aircraft ballistic parachute.

Resources:

• Quaternion Group LLC website
• Quaternion Group LLC Twitter