WatFly Atlas (concept design)

(Image credit: WatFly)

Atlas (concept design)
WatFly
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
www.watfly.ca

WatFly is a student design team at the University of Waterloo (Canada) and is making a one (1) passenger autonomous long-duration electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft called the Atlas, which is designed for personal urban air transit.

The team's goal is to advance transportation to the point where it allows people to have very safe, personal urban flight. They propose that by making an eVTOL aircraft with the latest technology, the advantages will be as follows:

• Smaller aircraft will be easier to certify and manufacture.
• A company doesn't need large amounts of cash to make working aircraft due to newer existing and proven aviation drone technologies.
• Using reliable electric motors will lower the weight of aircraft and it reduces complexity which lowers maintenance costs, reduces the costs to fly, reduces the cost of fuel, reduces pollution, reduces climate change, increases the reliability of the aircraft, which ultimately increases the safety factor greatly and keeps the cost down of flying for the passenger.
• Fuel example. Reducing the cost of fuel. Electricity is approximately about half the cost of gasoline, and Avgas (aviation gas), can be $1 to $2 or $3 USD or more, per gallon (U.S.), than gasoline. In addition, powering a vehicle by electricity is very convenient. Whether you are in a remote area or urban area, electricity is usually available. There are less places to purchase Avgas or gasoline versus electrical outlets. This also reduces time finding the fuel for the aircraft.
• Autonomous example: Reducing flight costs. Because the eVTOL aircraft will be an autonomous vehicle, this reduces the costs of hiring a pilot and hence keeps the cost per kilometer/mile to a minimum.
• New navigation and stabilization technology makes the aircraft safer to fly, able avoid obstacles and even capable of autonomous flight.
• Using little to no additional infrastructure allows travel to and from places where current infrastructure does not exist, is too congested or travel time is too long due to too many roads needed to make a one-way trip.
• Cut your commute time by a factor of 10.
• The goal of making the aircraft as affordable to operate as a car.

The team says the single seat aircraft will be made to be very easy to fly, it will have full sensors to avoid all objects, and will have an emergency ballistic parachute. They want to show to people around the world, that their eVTOL aircraft is a new way to fly.

The WatFly student design team is competing in the Go Fly Prize competition sponsored by Boeing. Watfly submitted a proposal for the Phase II GoFly Prize competition, but was not selected for an award.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: High performance passenger eVTOL concept design aircraft
• Piloting and capacity: 1 pilot
• Maximum speed (estimated): 102 km/h (63 mph)
• Flight time (estimated): 1 hour
• Service Ceiling (estimated): 3,000 m (10,000 ft)
• Empty weight: 130 kg (285 lb)
• Maximum payload: 90 kg (200 lb)
• Maximum takeoff weight: 220 kg (485 lb)
• Propellers: 2 ducted propellers. Proprietary Electric ducted fan units produce up to 350 kgf (760 lbf) of combined thrust.
• Electric motors: 2 electric brushless direct current motors (BLDC) output up to 150 kW (200 hp) of power
• Power source: Battery packs. Wing-integrated 12 kWh lithium ion battery pack ensures up to 1 hour flight time. Full charge in under 2 hours.
• Noise output: As quiet as 87 dBA from 15.2 m (50 ft) away
• Aircraft certification type: Is legal under Ultralight Part 103 or Certifiable as an experimental aircraft as per the USA's FAA Part 103
• Wings: 2 canard wings which rotate
• Cabin: Unpressurized cabin
• Window: Canopy over the cockpit
• Aircraft height: 2.5 m (8.2 ft)
• Aircraft width: 1.3 m (4.1 ft)
• Wingspan: 3.8 m (12.5 ft)
• Landing gear: Unknown

Company Insights:

• Crunchbase
• MarketWatch
• Tracxn

Resources:

• WatFly website
• WatFly Facebook
• WatFly Twitter
• WatFly Instagram
• Blog Article: WatFly, Tracy Chen blog, undated
• Article: GoFly Enters Phase II, Vertiflite, July/August 2018
• Article: GoFly Hits 40, Electric VTOL News, Feb. 6, 2019
• Article: Announcing the Spring 2019 Velocity Fund $5K Finalists, Start Up Here Toronto, Start Up Here Toronto, Jul. 7, 2019
• Article: Four Startups Win $50,000 Investments At Velocity Fund Pitch Competition, Betakit, Sept. 20, 2019  
• Video: Watfly - First BAD (Big A$$ Drone) Hover, Gonzalo, Nov. 15, 2019
• Video: Watfly - Flight Demo, Gonzalo, Jan. 26, 2020
• Article: Waterloo startup Watfly wins Velocity funding to design the future of personal transportation, Unversity of Waterloo, University Waterloo, Jan. 28, 2020
• Article: Forget Hovercrafts. This New One-Person Electric VTOL Will Let You Live Out Your ‘Star Wars’ Dreams, Robb Report, Apr. 23, 2020
• Article: Watfly Is A Single-Seater, All-Electric Personal Air Transport That Requires No License To Fly, Mike Shouts, May 6, 2020