AMSL Aero Vertiia

Vertiia
AMSL Aero Pty Ltd
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
www.vertiia.com

AMSL Aero was founded in June 2017 by Andrew Moore and Siobhan Lyndon in Australia. Moore is an engineer and has more than 20 years experience in helicopter and aircraft design and has a passion for flying. Lyndon previously worked in senior positions for Google for the last 11 years and is in charge of the company’s business operations.

On July 8, 2020 the company announced they will be moving into the Narromine Aerodrome Industrial Park, northwest of Sydney and are planning to hire five to ten people. The company was able to expand to the industrial park to build essential testing facilities due to a $950,000.00 grant from the New South Wales Regional Investment Attraction program.

The name of the aircraft made for Urban Air Mobility is called the Vertiia. It is an an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft holding six people and flown autonomously. It's crusing speed will be 300 km/h (186 mph) with a range of 250 km (155 miles). The mission of the company is to change the way the world travels with safe, clean, fast and affordable UAM aircraft.

The aircraft was originally called the Verti-plane but its name has been changed to the Vertiia. The company has made a ⅕ subscale model and plans on making and flying a full scale model in late 2020. Their goal is to make a commercial aircraft available to the public by 2021, according to a news report. 

The company has developed patents which they hope will make their aircraft stand out from their competitors. Some key advantages for their aircraft is proprietary technology which extends battery life, a light weight and simplified airframe and easy passenger entry and exit. They plan on using 5G technology to their advantage to keep the aircraft secure, enhanced control features and allow for high reliable communication. 

The company plans to market their aircraft for UAM, personal air transportation, military use, disaster relief and emergency medical response.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: eVTOL
• Piloting: Autonomous
• Capacity: 2 or possibly 6 passengers
• Cruising speed: 300 km/h (186 mph)
• Range: 250 km (155 miles)
• Propellers: 8
• Electric motors: 8
• Wings: 4 tilting wings
• Landing gear: 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. Autonomous pilot allows for a safer flight. 

Resources:

• AMSL Aero website
• AMSL Aero Linkedin
• Article: Say hello to the Verti-plane: the future of human mobility, Telstra Exchange, April 10, 2018
• Article: Vertiia – is this the “flying car” we have been waiting for?, EFTM, April 10, 2018
• Article: This Aussie Startup’s VTOL Air Taxi Could Be Telstra’s Entry Into Pilotless Aircraft,
  Drone Below, April 13, 2018
• Article: Flying car technology to be tested in regional NSW to 'overcome tyranny of distance',
  ABC Net Australia, July 8, 2020
• Video: Narromine to be home of electric flying cars!, Dugald Saunders MP, July 8, 2020
• Article: ASML Aero's expansion will bring jobs to Narromine: mayor Craig Davies, Western
  Magazine, July 9, 2020
• Article: “Great Jetsons!”: NSW grants AUD950,000 for flying car testing facility, Urban Air
  Mobility News, July 9, 2020