Leo Flight Corporation Lynx

Lynx
Leo Flight Corporation
Anderson, Indiana, USA
www.leoflight.com

Based in the USA, Pete Bitar and Carlos Salaff partnered together in the spring of 2020 and founded the company Leo Flight Corporation (former Urban eVTOL). The joint-venture is from Bitar's company Electric Jet Aircraft and Salaff's company SALAFF Automotive to design and manufacture electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) flying cars. The company is looking for investors.

Bitar is an avid VTOL and eVTOL inventor with over 14 patents to his name, has won multiple aerospace awards and has owned five companies throughout his career. His last two companies were AirBuoyant, LLC and Electric Jet Aircraft. Salaff is an automotive designer working with futuristic concept and production cars when at Mazda, including the Nagare, Furai, Mazda 3 and MX-5. He has won multiple design awards, has always had an interest in aerospace and outer space, and recently designed a Space Age inspired mobile office and lounge called the Pod Van.

The Lynx is a heavy-lift cargo drone with 16 ducted fans for VTOL flight and 6 ducted fans for forward flight, a minimal canard flying wing design (extending the range of the drone) with fixed skid type landing gear. The Lynx is 18 ft x 20 ft (5.5 m X 6.1 m) which are the nearly the same height as a standard Humvee and about twice as wide. The design of the aircraft is made to reduce the complexity of the aircraft which reduces manufacturing costs, sales costs and reduces maintenance costs.

The front of the drone has an air shield to protect the cargo containers and for better aerodynamics of the aircraft in flight. The drone accepts cargo from the rear of the aircraft and due to the height of the drone, it allows comfortable cargo loading for the ground crew. The cargo is loaded on a rail system and is stored in the center the aircraft.

The aircraft is very futuristic yet has very practical design features such as having ultra safe ducted fans protecting ground crew, ease of loading and unloading cargo, canard wings extending the range of the aircraft, compact dimensions of 18 ft x 20 ft (5.5 m X 6.1 m) and fixed skid type landing gear reducing complexity and the weight of the aircraft.

Safety features of the aircraft include multiple redundant systems, distributed electric propulsion (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 and has a whole aircraft ballistic parachute for emergency situations.

Leo Flight forsees its Lynx ideal for urban air cargo delivery and military air cargo use.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: eVTOL cargo aircraft
• Piloting: Remote; future autonomous
• Capacity: Cargo only
• Cruise speed: Unknown
• Range: Unknown
• Propellers: 16 VTOL ducted fans and 6 ducted fans for forward flight
• Electric Motors: 22 electric motors
• Power source: Batteries
• Dimensions: 18 ft x 20 ft (5.5 m X 6.1 m)
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Wings: Minimal canard flying wing design
• Tail: Boom-type mounted tail
• Landing gear: Fixed skid type 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. Has a whole aircraft ballistic parachute for emergency situations. A whole aircraft ballistic parachute for emergency situations.

Resources:

• Leo Flight Corporation website
• Leo Flight Corporation Instagram
• Article: LEO Coupe's propulsion system receives DARPA contract for R&D, Urban eVTOL, July 20, 2021
• Article: Our vision for aerial mobility wins NASA HeroX award, Urban eVTOL, July 28, 2021
• Article: Urban eVTOL announces Leo, a 250-mph hypercar for the skies, New Atlas, Aug. 5, 2021