Trek Aerospace DuoTrek 2.0

DuoTrek 2.0
Trek Aerospace, Inc.
Folsom, California, USA
www.trekaero.com

Founded in 1999, Trek Aerospace, Inc. is a small engineering company based in Folsom, California, USA. The company has designed and made multiple vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft including its exoskeleton jetpacks using shrouded propellers in the airframe design. The company has also designed and made watercraft. Trek Aerospace also assists companies in the design, fabrication, and licensing of projects involving shrouded propellers and/or autonomous control systems.

The company states their core technology has the highest thrust to hp/kw in the industry. This allows their aircraft to carry a lot of weight in a smaller footprint. Trek’s shrouded props require less power, use fewer batteries than other battery powered aircraft, have a greater payload and have a farther range. The company has stated all their VTOL aircraft designs can be powered with a hybrid-electric power source or using batteries as their main power source (electric vertical takeoff and landing - eVTOL).

The DuoTrek 2.0 is a hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft concept design which holds two passengers with tandem seating with a canopy over the cockpit. The aircraft was originally designed as a Tactical Reconnaissance Vehicle for the military. This aircraft could easily be used for person air transportation, as an air taxi for Urban Air Mobility, to emergency medical service and more.

The aircraft has two ducted propellers, two electric motors, front stub wings, a rear tailplane mounted tail with fixed skid type landing gear. The aircraft is small enough to fit in a standard parking space, vertiports, front lawns, driveways and hangars. The small size of the aircraft makes it easily transported in a truck, trailer or airplane.

An important point about this aircraft design is that it was way ahead of its time. The New Atlas article that discusses the DuoTrek and calls it an Air Car (the link is listed below), is dated June 20, 2011. However, the aircraft was most likely designed in the early 2000s. The Vertical Flight Society started supporting electric and hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in 2013. It is unknown whether this aircraft was ever made or will be made into a sub-scale or full scale prototype.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Hybrid-electric VTOL passenger aircraft
• Piloting: 1 pilot
• Capacity: 1 passenger
• Cruise speed: 115 mph (185 km/h)
• Range: 345 miles (555 km), or more
• Flight Time: Unknown
• Cruise altitude: Unknown
• Empty weight: 800 lb (363 kg), or less
• Maximum payload: 400 lb (181 kg), or more
• Propellers: 2 propellers
• Electric Motors: 2 electric motors
• Power source: Hybrid-electric
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Windows: Canopy over cockpit
• Wings: Front stub wings
• Tail: Tailplane mounted tail
• Landing gear: Fixed skid type landing gear
• Safety features: The aircraft has a whole aircraft ballistic parachute

Resources:

• Trek Aerospace website
• Trek Aerospace Twitter
• Trek Aerospace LinkedIn
• Trek Aerospace Wikipedia
• Article: SoloTrek developers planning two seat electric hybrid Air Car, New Atlas, June 20, 2011