Lilium Jet

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Lilium Jet
Role eVTOL
National origin Germany
Manufacturer Lilium GmbH
Introduction Planned for 2024
Status Under development

The Lilium Jet is a prototype five-seat German electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) electrically powered airplane designed by Lilium GmbH.[1] A seven-seat production version is planned.

History[]

Initial design studies included forward-folding wings, so that the aircraft could be piloted as a VTOL and recharge in only few hours from a standard 240 V electrical outlet. A first half-scale demonstrator, Falcon, flew in 2015.

The unmanned first flight of the two-seat Eagle full size prototype was on 20 April 2017 at the Mindelheim-Mattsies airfield, Bavaria, Germany.[2]

The five-seat unmanned Lilium Jet was flight tested at Oberpfaffenhofen airfield near Munich. It first flew in May 2019.[3][4] By October 2019, after 100 flights, it could transition from vertical to horizontal flight, reaching over 100 km/h (54 kn), but not yet fully horizontal.It managed 25° banked turns, high ascent/descent rates like in operations, hover turns and sideward translations.Electrical, fan and flap failures were mitigated by the electrical and flight control systems.

Company[]

The company employs around 350 people in Munich. In July 2019, Lilium announced London, UK as its base to develop its software engineering team.[5] The engineering team is led by Carlos Morgado, former chief technology officer of Just Eat. Lilium announced the completion of its first manufacturing facility in October 2019.[6] The same month, the Lilium five-seater Jet received a Red Dot Award: Design Concept for “Best of the Best”.[7]

The first prototype was destroyed by fire during maintenance on 27 February 2020. A second partially-constructed prototype was undamaged.[8]

A second, unfinished prototype was abandoned and work begun on a seven-seat version, with projected first flight in 2022.[9] Fourteen dedicated vertiports spanning Florida are planned, with service introduction in 2024.[10]

Design[]

The production Lilium Jet is intended to accommodate six passengers and one pilot. It is powered by 36 electric motors, six on each of the two front wings and twelve on each rear wing. The engines are installed above twelve tiltable rear flaps. The drive-carrying flaps pivot downwards for vertical launch.[11] At the transition to the horizontal position, forward thrust is generated. This is claimed to be significantly more economical than a conventional rotorcraft.[citation needed]

The target range is 280 km (150 nmi). Its 36 electric ducted fans are powered by a 1 MW (1,300 hp) lithium-ion battery; less than 200 hp (150 kW) is required to cruise.[12]

Specifications for the Eagle 2-seat prototype[]

The predicted characteristics of the Eagle two-seat prototype (first flown in April 2017) are listed below.

Data from Lilium GmbH / Electric VTOL News by the Vertical Flight Society[13]

General characteristics

  • Capacity: 2 passengers (flown unmanned)
  • Empty weight: 970 lb (440 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 1,411 lb (640 kg)
  • Powerplant: 36 × Vertical Electric 320 kW total installed power

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 250 mph (400 km/h, 220 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 190 mph (300 km/h, 160 kn)
  • Range: 190 mi (300 km, 160 nmi)

Usage[]

The Lilium GmbH plans to found an air taxi service for urban air mobility with the Lilium Jet.[14] The company expects that pilots will be needed for around 10 years until autonomous flights can take over.[12]

See also[]

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References[]

  1. ^ Hodgetts, Rob (25 April 2017). "Successful test flight brings Lilium electric air taxis closer to reality". CNN.
  2. ^ Andrew J. Hawkins (6 April 2017). "Watch this all-electric 'flying car' take its first test flight in Germany". theverge. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  3. ^ "Lilium unveils five-seater air taxi prototype after a successful maiden flight for its latest jet". techcrunch. 16 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Five seater self-flying air taxi unveiled". BBC. 16 May 2019.
  5. ^ Field, Matthew (11 June 2019). "Boost for UK tech as German flying taxi startup creates 'hundreds' of new London software jobs". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235.
  6. ^ Rudgard, Olivia (22 October 2019). "The electric air taxi that could take you from London to Manchester in an hour starting in 2025". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235.
  7. ^ "Lilium jet awarded prestigious 'Best of the Best' Red Dot design award". Robotics & Automation News. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  8. ^ "Investigation launched as Lilium Jet prototype is destroyed by fire". FlightGlobal. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  9. ^ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremybogaisky/2021/02/10/lilium-evtol-spac-air-taxi/
  10. ^ [1][2]
  11. ^ Lilium (6 August 2018). "Simplicity was our Most Complicated Goal". lilium. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Graham Warwick, ed. (28 October 2019). "The Week In Technology, Oct. 28-Nov. 1, 2019". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  13. ^ "Lilium Jet". eVtol news. 15 April 2017.
  14. ^ Maija Palmer (19 February 2019). "Lilium's flying taxi service: clear for takeoff?". sifted.eu. Retrieved 18 October 2018.

External links[]

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