Gyrodyne A Gyrodyne is a proven category of VTOL aircraft with a long qualification history under FAA Part 29 rotorcraft requirements. In operation, a single top-mount rotor is employed for both takeoff and landing. Forward thrust during flight is provided by conventional propeller or jet engines. As mentioned, Part 29 regulations are well understood, both by aviation engineers and by the regulators themselves, making this an attractive design concept—especially given the high cost of certification efforts for new, innovative designs.
While there are several viable eVTOL Gyrodynes now in development, we have selected Jaunt Air Mobility’s “Journey” for our featured example in this category. The Jaunt Journey features a single, large main rotor and four forward-positioned rotors. The battery powered electric main rotor should be both efficient and quiet during take off and landing given its relatively slow spin rate and large form factor. The helicopter-like aircraft is not equipped with a tail rotor to offset the main rotor’s torque. Rather, the four large electric props mounted on the wing prevent the aircraft from tailspining during hover-mode, and as mentioned, provide the necessary forward thrust to accelerate the aircraft to its cruising speed of 175 MPH. Interestingly, the large central rotor offers a significant safety premium compared to multirotor systems. This is due to the patented Jaunt Air Mobility technology called SRC (Slowed Rotor Compound) which modulates the main rotor in accordance with aircraft speed, and provides the abiloity for the aircraft to autorotate down in the event of power system failure. Jaunt Air Mobility is privately held and self-funded. The Dallas, Texas based company has plans to achieve FAA certification by 2023 and commence commercial services by 2025. Schematic drawing of a prototype Fairey Gyrodyne rotorcraft from 1946
The Jaunt Air Mobility Journey Image courtesy Jaunt Air Mobility
QwikConnect • July 2021
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