Winged Tiger Aviation Tianyi-Ti (prototype)

(Photo credit: Winged Tiger Aviation)

Tianyi-Ti (prototype)
Winged Tiger Aviation
China
(website unknown)

Please remember, it is known that information originating from China is sometimes sparse, incomplete or inaccurate. The information we provide here is either from company news reports or online articles. We do know that China is promoting what they call the "low-altitude economy" (in the US, it's known as advanced air mobility or AAM). China's low-altitude economy includes both crewed and uncrewed passenger and air cargo electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) and hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft.

Founded in 2016, the Winged Tiger Aviation is in the business of designing and manufacturing eVTOL aircraft and helicopters. The company might also be known as the Tianyi Aviation and the Jingdezhen Tianyi Aviation Technology Co., Ltd. The company has stated their aircraft will be used for air taxi service to make travel faster for people who live in dense urban areas. The company's eVTOL aircraft can also be configured for air cargo transportation.

Tianyi-T1 autonomous air-ground passenger or air cargo eVTOL multicopter module prototype vehicle
The Tianyi-T1 is an autonomous air-ground two passenger or air cargo eVTOL multicopter module prototype vehicle. There are three modules to the vehicle. The flight module (with the propellers), the cabin and the ground module. The flying module can fly with a cabin attached or with no cabin. The cabin can either be flown by the flight module or driven on the ground by the ground vehicle.

The cruise speed, ground speed and most of the other flight and ground specifications are unknown. The known specifications for the flight module is the empty weight of the flight module and cabin is 220 kg (485 lb), the maximum payload weight is 80 kg (176 lb) and the maximum takeoff weight is 300 kg (661 lb). The flight module has eight propellers, eight electric motors and is powered by batteries. The cabin can be configured for two passengers or for air cargo transportation. The self-driving ground vehicle holds the cabin securely and autonomously transports passengers or air cargo to and from their destinations. The ground vehicle has not been shown by the company.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Air-ground passenger eVTOL multicopter module prototype vehicle
• Piloting: Autonomous driving and flying
• Capacity: 2 people and their luggage
• Cruise speed (flight or ground): Unknown
• Empty weight: 220 kg (485 lb)
• Maximum payload weight: 80 kg (176 lb)
• Maximum takeoff weight: 300 kg (661 lb)
• Propellers: 8 propellers
• Electric motors: 8 electric motors
• Power source: Battery packs
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Windows: Panoramic wrap around windows allowing forward, left and right visibility for spectacular views with a solid roof above the passenger compartment
• Landing gear: Fixed skid landing gear
• Ground module: No information is available for the ground module
• 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.

Resources:

• Article: A review of 100 Chinese low-altitude economy companies and 35 domestic eVTOL companies!, ChatPlas, Feb. 20, 2025