Tianmushan Laboratory Vortex-F1 (production model)

(Photo credit: Tianmushan Laboratory)

Vortex-F1 (production model)
Tianmushan Laboratory
Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China
www.tmslab.cn

The information provided here is as accurate as possible; however, eVTOL information from China is sometimes sparse, incomplete or conflicting. China is promoting what they call the "low-altitude economy" — a new push for general aviation — which includes both crewed and uncrewed passenger and air cargo eVTOL aircraft.

The Tianmushan Laboratory is a research and development company for green aviation aircraft, technology and supersonic aircraft. The company has made several different designs for passenger and air cargo electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for China's low-altitude economy (also called advanced air mobility, AAM).

Vortex-F1 passenger eVTOL multicopter production aircraft
The Vortex F1 is a one passenger eVTOL multicopter production ultralight aircraft. The company revealed the aircraft to the public in May 2025. The multicopter aircraft has an open cockpit and has been designed with stacked propellers. The company will be offering a standard civilian version and a high performance aircraft model.

While the standard version's cruise speed has not been revealed, the company has stated the high performance model has a cruise speed of 150 km/h (93 mph). The aircraft has eight stacked propellers, eight electric motors and is powered by battery packs. The empty weight of the aircraft is 115 kg (254 lb). The multicopter has an open cockpit with a roll bar and has fixed quadricycle strut landing gear (in the shape of a cross). The fuselage is made from carbon fiber composite to give the aircraft a high strength to low weight ratio.

The company affirms there is a redundant power system, centimeter level automatic obstacle avoidance system, intelligent path planning and has a two-minute rapid battery swap system. Aerodynamic performance is enhanced by a vortex ring generator that increases lift efficiency by 40% while maintaining noise levels below 65 dB. The company has also revealed the multicopter aircraft only requires around three minutes of user training.

Future:
The company anticipates the multicopter aircraft to be available for purchase by October 2025.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Passenger eVTOL multicopter production model aircraft
• Piloting: 1 pilot
• Cruise speed (high performance model): 150 km/h (93 mph)
• Empty weight: 115 kg (254 lb)
• Propellers: 8 stacked propellers
• Electric motors: 8 electric batteries
• Power source: Battery packs
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Window: Open cockpit with a roll bar
• Landing gear: Fixed quadricycle strut landing gear (in the shape of a cross)
• Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) uses multiple propellers or electric ducted fans, each powered by electric motors, to increase safety through redundancy. If one or more components fail, the remaining ones can still ensure a safe landing. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure. The aircraft has no moving surfaces or tilting parts when transitioning from vertical to forward flight and the reverse which increases safety by reducing complexity.

Resources:

• Tianmushan Laboratory website
• Article: High-end aerospace laboratory unveiled in Hangzhou, Hangzhou China, June 8, 2022
• Article: Tianmushan Labs Releases Various Low Altitude Vehicles to Help Zhejiang Build “China's Flying Valley”, Drone World Congress, May 13, 2025
• Article: Chinese eVTOL Aircraft Directory, Part 2, Vertiflite, July/August 2025