Volocopter Update

K-16B General Arrangement

I was going through basement “stuff” and I found a report approved by my father dated September 1961. Dad was the project engineer for the K-16B. The report is titled THE MODEL K-16B V/STOL AIRPLANE RESEARCH PROGRAM, Report B-27.

The introduction to Dad’s report states:

“At the request of the Bureau of Naval Weapons this report has been prepared … to summarize the research program that is being carried out under Bureau of Naval Weapons Contract NOa (s) 56-549c.”

K-16B Scale Model

According to the New England Air Museum, the U.S. Navy contacted Kaman to design and build a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The project was cancelled in 1962. My father said the K-16B program was cancelled because helicopters were approaching the air speeds desired by the Navy.

However, I don’t think the research done in the development of the K-16B was in vain; the same concept was employed in the development of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey.

K-16B Tie-Down

Finding the K-16B report reminded me of my blog Flying High, July, 2012. The blog discusses the Volocopter, an 18-rotor personal helicopter developed by E-volo. In July, 2012, the company did not have a date when the ‘copter would be available to the public.

In 2012, E-volo won the Lindbergh Prize for Innovation. The Lindbergh Prize for Innovation is awarded by the Lindbergh Foundation and is intended to award people who strive to achieve a balance between technological advancement and the preservation of human and natural environments.

The Volocopter has evolved since my July blog. E-volo has developed the VC200, the first Volocopter to carry two people. On November 17, 2013, E-volo conducted a successful radio controlled test flight of the VC200. According to E-volo, the vision for the VC200 is:

“a cruising speed of at least 100 km/h
a flight altitude of up to 6500 ft
a maximum take-off weight of 450 kg
more than one hour flight time”

Unfortunately, the Volocopter is still a ways off. The Camera Forum reports that it will probably be between 10 and 20 years before the Volocopter is available to the public.

Technology evolves and one advancement builds on the one before. I’d like to think that the work my father’s team did on the K-16B played some small part in the development of the VTOL technology and subsequently the Volocopter.

So, what do you think, would you use a Volocopter for your work commute?