A one-year project to study the performance of a two-man ultralight version of the Fanwing aircraft could begin at London’s Imperial College in October.
The Fanwing uses a bladed rotor turning on a horizontal axis, which acts as a thick wing. The blades suck in air and push it up and over the wing, providing lift.
An unmanned remote-controlled aircraft and experimental micro-vehicle versions have so far flown (Flight International, 5-11 July).
Further design work for the manned ultralight version would be undertaken before simulations take place using a non-type-specific six-degree-of-freedom full-motion simulator.
Imperial College’s aeronautics department professor of unsteady aerodynamics, Michael Graham, will oversee the ultralight performance and piloting research.
Patrick Peebles, the Fanwing’s inventor, says: “The ultralight…project is funded by a new £10,000 [$17,500] award from the Department of Trade and Industry and the London Development Agency specifically to aid in the new Fanwing partnership search.”
The partnership search aims to gain investors for the production of an ultralight prototype.
ROB COPPINGER/LONDON
Source: Flight International