A Bristol ‘flying taxi’ company has agreed a major deal with a US firm to advance its 30-seater electric aircraft.
Sora Aviation is developing an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle – known as S-1 – that will be able to travel short distances with zero emissions.
The company has partnered with New Jersey’s Continuum Dynamics Inc (CDI) to advance flight dynamics modelling, aeromechanics analysis and proprotor development of the aircraft, it announced on Thursday.
As part of the collaboration, CDI will develop flight models that will refine S-1’s transition performance, proprotor efficiency and controllability in failure scenarios, the business said.
The insights will directly inform the aircraft’s control system development and overall safety strategy, ensuring “a robust design from the outset”, according to Sora.
Furqan, chief executive of Sora Aviation, said: “CDI’s deep expertise in tilt-rotor dynamics ensures the S-1 is designed for real-world operational challenges, from smooth transition phases to safely handling rare but critical failure cases.”
Glen Whitehouse, chief executive of CDI, said: “We’re excited to support Sora Aviation in developing the S-1. Our knowledge of rotorcraft aeromechanics will help optimise the S-1’s performance and safety as Sora advances in the development of this unique aircraft.”
Sora is based at the University of the West of England’s Future Space in Filton and has scaled rapidly in the last year, creating 10 jobs and with plans for further growth.
The company’s latest collaboration is supported by Innovate UK and UK government funding. Tara Gillam, regional manager of Innovate UK Business Growth in the South West, said: “Supporting pioneering companies like Sora Aviation is key to positioning the UK as a global leader in Advanced Air Mobility. The S-1 represents a major step forward in sustainable aviation and we’re excited to see how this collaboration with CDI accelerates its development.”
Furqan added: “Innovate UK Business Growth has provided fantastic support to Sora across market insights, internationalisation, funding and finance, digital marketing and more.”
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