Ray VTOL Aircraft

Ray VTOL Aircraft
Ray Research AG
Muttenz, Switzerland
www.RayAircraft.com

Ray Research AG is a Swiss-based engineering company, with an international team of engineers and scientists founded in 2009 and led by David Posva. It develops high tech solutions with a main focus on disruptive vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Apart from the VTOL aircraft, the company is also engaged in the development of the Dart Flyer.

Its flagship development is the Ray VTOL Aircraft, a 5-seat, long range VIP VTOL aircraft: four passengers plus a single pilot. The lift for vertical take-off and landing is generated by the four wing-fans plus two smaller, vectoring tail-mounted ducted fans. For cruise flight the wing fans are closed over with louvered doors on the top and bottom of the fan ducts, and the aircraft is propelled solely on the thrust of the two rear ducted fans.

According to the website: "Each wing encases 2 relatively big fans arranged behind each other, which leads to an exceptional deep wing and a low wing loading. When high enough the two tilt-ducts in the back are tilted to horizontal and accelerate the Ray aircraft. As soon as the wings fully support the aircraft we close them and fly almost as efficient like a conventional aircraft. The Ray has further improvements for control, security, economy and performance...."

In a 2012 interview for AeroRevue magazine Posva explained, "The two turbine engines with the generators provide the power for the six electric motors that drive the propellers. The entire drive system is redundant." He also stated that two Pratt & Whitney PW210 turboshaft engines of 600 kW (800 shp) each would provide sufficient power, obviating even the need for a hydraulic system.

The company estimates a cruising speed of 360 km/h (200 kt) and a range of 1,800 km (about 1000 nm).

(On June 4, 2018, the company revealed that it had also designed a compact single-person aircraft, the Dart Flyer, for the GoFly competition. GoFly is a Boeing-sponsored competition pushing the boundaries of innovation, engineering, and transportation to create a personal flying device for anyone, anywhere.)

Company Insights:

• Pitchbook
• Crunchbase
• MarketWatch

Resources:

• Ray Research AG website
• Ray Research AG Facebook
• Technical Paper: Design And Aerodynamic Considerations About The Civil VTOL Aircraft Ray, The Vertical Flight Society International
• Powered Lift Conference, Oct. 2010
• Presentation: Ray: Your Future Door to Door Aircraft, The Vertical Flight Society International Powered Lift Conference, Oct. 2010
• Article: On Fans and Wings - Switzerland's VTOL Ray, Aviation Week, Dec. 23, 2010
• Video: VTOL Aircraft Ray M3 & M4, dposva, Sep. 15, 2012
• Article: «Ray» - new life for Vertical Takeoff Aircraft, AeroRevue, Dec. 2012 – Jan. 2013 (English translation by Ray Research)