teTra Aviation Mk-5 (production model)

Mk-5 (production model)
teTra Aviation Co., Ltd.
Haramachi-ku Minamisoma City, Fukushima, 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

Mk-5 passenger eVTOL production model
The Mk-5 is a one passenger eVTOL kit production aircraft. When sold in the United States, it is sold as an experimental aircraft model. There is a canopy over the allowing forward, left, right and top visibility for spectacular views for the pilot. The aircraft looks like a typical general aviation aircraft but has tandem wings with 16 short booms where the VTOL-only propellers are located. The advantage of this aircraft are reduced complexity because there are no tilt-propellers and has a longer range than pure multicopter aircraft due to its tandem wings and a pusher propeller.

According to their website as of November 2024, the cruise speed is 160 km/h (100 mph), a range of 160 km (100 m) and a flight time of one hour. The aircraft has 32 VTOL-only propellers on 16 booms, one pusher propeller, 33 electric motors and is powered by batteries. The fuselage is made from carbon fiber composite and aluminum for a high strength and low weight ratio. The aircraft has one vertical stabilizer and has fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear.

The safety features of the aircraft as distributed electric propulsion (DEP) which 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. In case the VTOL propellers fail to work, the aircraft can land like a conventional aircraft on a runway or road. There is also a whole aircraft emergency ballistic parachute in case of an unexpected inflight emergency.

In October 2021, teTra Aviation released a video of an experimental prototype of the Mk-5, referred to by the company as the SN2, performing an uncrewed 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: Passenger eVTOL kit production model (In the USA, experimental aircraft.)
• Capacity: 1 pilot
• Cruise speed: 160 km/h (100 mph)
• Range: 160 km (100 m)
• Flight Time: 1 hour
• Empty weight: 488 kg (1,076 lb)
• Propellers: 33 propellers (32 VTOL-only propellers, 1 rear pusher propellers)
• Electric Motors: 33 electric motors
• Power source: Batteries
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite and aluminum
• Windows: Canopy over cockpit allowing forward, left, right and top visibility for spectacular views
• Wings: Tandem wings, the rear wing has winglets
• Tail: 1 vertical tail stabilizer
• Landing gear: Fixed tricycle wheeled 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. There is also a whole aircraft emergency ballistic parachute in case of an unexpected inflight emergency.

Related aircraft:

• teTra Aviation Mk-3 (prototype)
• teTra Aviation Mk-7 (prototype)

Company Insights:

• Pitchbook
• Crunchbase
• MarketWatch
• 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