It's not the first time a Lilium Jet — the company's all-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) device — has taken to the sky but it is the first time the new five seater has taken off and landed, following extensive ground testing. Lilium published a video of a two-seater version's inaugural flight just over two years ago.
The new five-seater is a full-scale, full-weight prototype that is powered by 36 all-electric jet engines to allow it to take-off and land vertically, while achieving "remarkably efficient horizontal or cruise flight," says Lilium
Will the back seat of the air taxi be cleaner than the normal kind?
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Lilium Unveils Five-Seater Air Taxi Prototype
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(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday May 17 2019, @02:18AM (13 children)
I question the use of the term "jet" here. All I see is a turbine, or fan, blowing air through a tunnel. Basically a hovercraft, with fans that can be rotated for forward thrust.
On Lilium's site, I notice that they seem to take care to describe the vehicle as a "jet", but not to refer to the blowers as "jet engines". https://lilium.com/ [lilium.com]
(Score: 1) by Chocolate on Friday May 17 2019, @02:25AM (1 child)
Maybe version 2 will have actual jet engines? :)
Bit-choco-coin anyone?
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 17 2019, @03:18AM
I got a "video not available" screen from one of the links, found this one instead that worked:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qotuu8JjQM [youtube.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 17 2019, @02:34AM (6 children)
Jet refers to the stream of material coming out of an aperture. While you could call those things electric fans in tunnels, the exhaust qualifies as a jet.
I'd be more worried about the open intakes on the front of them. They start landing everywhere like true air-taxis and they are going to be sucking in all sorts of shit. I suppose that's why they have 36 of the buggers. Lose a few and keep flying.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday May 17 2019, @02:43AM (3 children)
I just re-read several articles on jets. I think we need an authority figure to decide whether this counts as a jet. Hero - can we resurrect him? His version of a jet definitely used combustion. We need his opinion.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday May 17 2019, @02:45AM (1 child)
Missed my chance to link to a pertinent song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI0mSEzttx8 [youtube.com]
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 17 2019, @03:53PM
I would have thought this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5rQHoaQpTw [youtube.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 17 2019, @04:07AM
Not what the industry would call a jet engine. The stream of air coming out the back of each one is technically a jet of air.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/jet [dictionary.com]
(Score: 5, Informative) by janrinok on Friday May 17 2019, @02:45AM
I would suggest that is only true in the most basic analysis of moving air, it is certainly not what anybody in the business would describe as a jet. Ok, perhaps a marketing droid might.... but he should be calling it a ducted fan.
From wikipedia [wikipedia.org]:
(Score: 3, Informative) by Arik on Friday May 17 2019, @03:02AM
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Friday May 17 2019, @02:38AM (1 child)
I agree - they are most certainly not jet engines, in fact TFA actually says that they are 'all-electric'. I be;lieve the correct term is 'ducted fan'.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Chocolate on Friday May 17 2019, @05:18AM
I heard that this thing is really popular.
It has lots of fans.
Bit-choco-coin anyone?
(Score: 2) by Arik on Friday May 17 2019, @03:00AM (1 child)
It's powered by EDF (electric ducted fans.) No doubt marketing thought it would be sexier if they just lied and called it a jet.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 17 2019, @03:10PM
It's powered by EDF (electric ducted fans.) No doubt marketing thought it would be sexier if they just lied and called it a jet.
That's eJet to you, bub.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 17 2019, @03:28AM
https://transcend.aero/story [transcend.aero]
Looks like a mini-Osprey V-22 for short range executive transport. This one uses an actual jet (combustion) engine to turn the props -- this engine, https://www.pwc.ca/en/products-and-services/products/general-aviation-engines/pt6a [www.pwc.ca] with versions from 500 to 1,900 shaft horsepower...
Their pages note that they looked at a full battery electric, but the 50:1 advantage in energy density between jet fuel and lithium batteries tipped the scales toward a jet turbine, to get a useful city-to-city range. Battery version might be useful for city center to suburban airport, and not much further.
The plane is small enough that they also plan to include a whole-aircraft parachute system. Originally developed for tiny ultralight planes, these are now available on some slightly larger planes and make a novel, relatively untested aircraft design a lot safer.
(Score: 2) by progo on Friday May 17 2019, @04:45AM
I watched the marketing / investment video embedded in the article. It sounds exactly like all the Kickstarter scams Thunderf00t has debunked in the last few years. Is this electric aircraft a scam?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by PiMuNu on Friday May 17 2019, @11:42AM (1 child)
... if they can achieve VTOL and all-electric, they only need a few mile range to make a big market for urban taxis. The cost drivers in short hop urban taxi is staff cost, vehicle maintenance and fuel probably in that order. The main value added from this tech is the short time to destination (no rush-hour traffic). This means higher volume per staff costs and better value for the customer as well. The downside is even VTOL cannot take off from many places. So customer still has to walk to a heliport. Maintenance costs may be a problem too.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 17 2019, @11:58AM
Commercial certificated aircraft have some range requirements like enough fuel (or stored energy if electric) to get to an alternate landing place plus some reserve like a half hour (don't quote me on the details, they may vary depending on the plane). That alone might be enough to keep this plane in the "homebuilt" or "experimental" category indefinitely, at least in USA under FAA rules.
Here's some background reading on the FAA process, https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aviation-international-news/2006-12-18/aircraft-certification-process [ainonline.com]
And that's just the introduction to the article.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Friday May 17 2019, @02:40PM (1 child)
That thing looks like it would be really cramped with 5 people in it. I've been in a puddle jumper or two, and it wasn't a pleasant flying experience. Then again, this thing doesn't act like typical airplanes, so perhaps the flying experience is smoother.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 17 2019, @10:07PM
My small plane experience (twin prop, seats 5-6 people) has been very good in the morning before solar heating makes thermals and turbulence. Not so good on the return flight in the afternoon, pretty bumpy. At least once, a co-worker on the same small plane lost his lunch (he was very discrete about it...)
So I think the ride you get depends more on weather conditions and less on the plane.