teTra Aviation Mk-5

Mk-5
teTra Aviation Co., Ltd.
Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
www.tetra-aviation.com

Founded in 2018, Tetra Aviation Co., Ltd. is a electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft start-up, headquartered in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, with the goal of designing, manufacturing and selling eVTOL aircraft for Urban Air Mobility (UAM).

teTra Aviation was one of the Phase 1 winners from the GoFly competition, sponsored by Boeing (USA), and won the $100,000 Disruptor Award offered by airplane engine manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney.

Some teTra Aviation Company history:

• January 2018: Launched a study for a single passenger eVTOL aircraft
• March 2018: Named the company teTra
• June 2018: teTra Aviation Corp. is established
• February 2020: The teTra won "Pratt and Whitney Disruptor Prize" in GoFly Prize competition (USA)
• July 2021: teTra Aviation Corp reveals the Mk-5, a one passenger eVTOL aircraft

The Mk-5 eVTOL aircraft holds one passenger, its cruise speed is 260 km/h (162 mph), has a range of 260 km (162 m) and a flight time of one hour. The aircraft has 33 propellers, 33 electric motors, tandem wings (the rear wing sports winglets), has one vertical tail stabilizer (no rear horizontal stabilizers) and tricycle fixed wheeled landing gear.

For vertical lift, the aircraft uses 32 fixed propellers and for forward flight, the aircraft has one rear pusher propeller. The advantages of this aircraft are reduced complexity because there are not tilt-propellers and has a longer range than pure multicopter aircraft due to have tandem wings and a pusher propeller.

In October 2021, teTra released a video of an experimental prototype of the Mk-5, referred to by the company as the SN2, performing an unpiloted test flight in an airfield in California. The configuration flown was first unveiled at AirVenture Oshkosh 2021, and the company announced that orders have been made for the uncrewed SN3 and crewed SN4 production models. teTra plans to have these models delivered by the end of 2022 and to provide on-demand Urban Air Mobility through smart phone apps in 2025.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: eVTOL passenger multicopter
• Capacity: 1 passenger
• Cruise speed: 260 km/h (162 mph)
• Range: 260 km (162 m)
• Flight Time: 1 hour
• Propellers: 33 propellers
• Electric Motors: 33 electric motors
• Power source: Batteries
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Windows: Canopy over cockpit for spectacular views
• Wings: Tandem wings, the rear wing has winglets
• Tail: 1 vertical tail stabilizer
• Landing gear: Fixed wheeled tricycle 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 or propellers fail, the other working motors and propellers can safely land the aircraft.

Company Insights:

• Pitchbook
• Crunchbase
• Tracxn

Resources:

• Tetra Aviation Co., Ltd. website
• Tetra Aviation Co., Ltd. Facebook
• Tetra Aviation Co., Ltd. Twitter
• Tetra Aviation Co., Ltd. YouTube Channel
• Tetra Aviation Co., Ltd. LinkedIn
• Article: $1 Million GoFly prize remains unclaimed, Japan's Tetra earns $100K disruptor award, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Magazine, Mar. 3, 2020
• Article: New model of flying car unveiled for the first time Robotes move-in "Tetra Aviation" in Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture, PR Times, July 7, 2021
• Article: Minamisoma City and Tetra Aviation collaborate on "flying car" demonstration, Fukushima News, July 8, 2021
• Article: Tetra Aviation unveils new model exhibited at Oshkosh in Minamisoma City, Drone (Japan), July 8, 2021
• Video: Open air eVTOL demonstration from teTra aviation / Flying car Mk-5 flight test Tetra Aviation, teTra Aviation, Oct 6, 2021
• Article: First test flight of teTra’s single-seat Mk-5 eVTOL aircraft, Inceptive Mind, Oct. 8, 2021
• Article: Japanese-Made Mk-5 eVTOL Nails Its Test Flight in California, Pre-Orders Are Now Open, Auto Evolution, Oct. 8, 2021