Personal mobility vehicles have made comprehensive inroads into one-man aviation, and promoting a new take on aviation is the Trek Aerospace- developed Springtail Exoskeleton Flying Vehicle 4B. Using duct propellers (instead of jet propulsion) to lift the aviator, the Springtail EFV takes off vertically from the ground with a single pilot operating it in a standing position.
The Flying Vehicle consists of a pair of duct propellers mounted on the airframe right above the aviator. Each duct is about a meter in diameter and consists of fans with five blades counter-rotating to create enough thrust for the Springtail to take off vertically. Propelling the pilot in the air to about 11,400 feet, the vehicle flies at maximum speeds of 113mph to a distance of over 184 miles, and is operated by an advanced fly-by-wire computer control system.
The aviator requires no special training to fly the Springtail Exoskeleton Flying Vehicle. And given the flying vehicle’s efficiency in operations in short and mid range aviation, the vehicle is apt for various applications ranging from surveillance to other emergency services, and how can I forget the sheer enjoyment of cruising through the air an individual would have.
