Oliver Aircraft Hexplane VTOL concept

Video animation produced for Atlanta, Ga-based Oliver Aircraft showing its Hexplane concept for a six-engined vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Check out the blog at Aviation Week - http://tinyurl.com/636wy9m. The design can lose any one of its engines at any time and still complete its mission, even at maximum weight. Because it uses propellers and not rotors like a helicopter, or proprrotors like a tiltrotor, Oliver says the Hexplane is almost as fast and efficient as a turboprop aircraft. Oliver is working to raise funding to build a demonstrator that would use the fuselage of a Piaggio P.180 Avanti business aircraft.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• aerospace
• aviation
• VTOL
• tiltrotor
• tiltprop
• Hexplane

[Oakley2010Add]

This WILL change the world. It's faster, SAFER, holds more weight. then ANY helicopter available on the market today. If this was used at a Hospital it would save HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF LIVES. I support this 100% best idea to come up on the market in a while that pushes us to a better safer future.

[kinebo]

terrible!

[prawnmikus]

Solves so many problems inherent in VTOL aircraft, including that pile of tax-dollar-wasting junk, the v-22.  Smaller engines that are easier to swap out, no cross-shafting, redundancy, simple blades: simply put, it's cheaper and better than anything else trying to do what it can.

I am especially excited about the drone version, as it has the lift and landing/takeoff capability to run rescue missions without risking extra lives.

[vinceAV8R]

Where does all the fuel go? The P180 has its tanks in the main wings and it makes it a decent range plane with 2 engines to run... now with 6 engines and all that added weight... Please stop now before you lose all your money...

[octopusmagnificens]

Looks horrible to me.

[stratosjoebar]

looks a LOT with the piagio p 160 aircraft

[rivengle]

Unless they can figure out a way to make the engines much more efficient and more reliable than current aircraft engines, I don't see this becoming a real aircraft.

[CodeWarriorx0539]

I can't believe he made his DARPA rejection letter sound like it was something positive... Not only is the idea not new.... 6 engines 6 times the fuel usage.... It doesn't make sense

[Naijarianman]

@A1R5N1P3R but does that extra speed warrant the cost of 4 extra engines? Surely there must be better solutions than this. I'm normally not negative on things like this, but I just fail to see where the great innovation is.

[A1R5N1P3R]

@Naijarianman because it's faster