Puffin (aircraft)
| Puffin | |
|---|---|
| 300px | |
| Puffin | |
| Role | Personal electric aircraft |
| National origin | United States |
| Status | One-third scale model built, not flown |
| Number built | 0 |
The Puffin was a proposed hover-capable, electric-powered, low-noise, personal vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) technology-concept proprotor aircraft. It was to be capable of flying a single person at a speed of 150 miles per hour (241 km/h). Range was projected to be less than 50 miles (80 km) with 2010-vintage Lithium-iron-phosphate battery technology.
The design has a 13.5 foot (4.1 m) wingspan and stands 12 feet (3.65 m) tall on the ground in its take-off or landing configuration.[1]
A one-third scale prototype was built and flown in 2010.
History
NASA revealed the concept aircraft in early 2010.
As of January 2010[update], NASA expected to achieve the first flight of a one-third scale, hover-capable Puffin demonstrator by March 2010. By mid-summer 2010, they hoped to "begin investigating how well it transitions from cruise to hover flight".[2]
As of August 2010[update], the one-third scale model of the Puffin was on display at the NASA Langley campus for the filming of the Discovery network series Dean of Invention. The Puffin simulator was also demonstrated. The Puffin was slated to appear in the eighth and final episode of the show.[3][needs update]
Specifications (expected)
Data from NASA[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 12 ft (3.7 m)
- Wingspan: 13.5 ft (4.1 m)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 150 mph (241 km/h; 130 kn)
- Range: 50 mi (43 nmi; 80 km) expected range "no more" than this
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ NASA TV's This Week @NASA, August 13, 2010-08-13, accessed 2010-09-10.
External links
- NASA.gov: The Puffin: A Passion for Personal Flight, 2010-02-08.
- Electric Icarus: NASA Designs a One-Man Stealth Plane: Could the Puffin, an electric-powered flying suit, change the way we use the sky in war and peace?, Charles Q. Choi, Scientific American, 2010-01-19
- Meet the “Puffin,” NASA’s One-Man Electric Plane, Discover Magazine, 2010-01-20.
- NASA’s Puffin Is Way Cooler Than a Jetpack, Jason Paur, Wired, 2010-01-21.
- NASA Puffin Fan Site
- NASA Low Noise, Electric VTOL Personal Air Vehicle, computer graphic video.
