Cars are so last week. In the future we’ll all be flying. At least that’s what Alaka’i Technologies thinks. Enter ‘Skai’ – the company’s hydrogen-powered “electric vertical take-off and landing” vehicle designed together with BMW Designworks.

Company boss Brain Morrison says Skai “offers practical, real-life solutions to everything from relieving traffic congestion to delivering supplies during natural disasters”. The aircraft (is it an aircraft?) can seat five passengers and is capable of fully autonomous flight, though we’re told FAA regulations mean a piloted version will be launched first.

Three hydrogen fuel cells power six electric motors, each powering a rotor. If one fails it can carry on to its destination, and if two fail Skai can still land safely. All the systems are triple redundant, but as a last resort there’s a parachute that means the carbon-composite airframe will float gently back to earth.


Linky dinky

That would be a helluva lot better than self driving cars.

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Pretty sweet looking. But for practical flight in the future, wouldn't they need to operate in traffic patterns like you'd see from a helicopter? Where else can one of these land?

And something tells me people who have seen too many science fiction/alien movies will be trying to shoot them down, either for kicks or to hold off the alien invasion.

(06-01-2019 08:43 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Pretty sweet looking. But for practical flight in the future, wouldn't they need to operate in traffic patterns like you'd see from a helicopter? Where else can one of these land?

And something tells me people who have seen too many science fiction/alien movies will be trying to shoot them down, either for kicks or to hold off the alien invasion.

Well they're supposed to eventually be autonomous so I'd think that would be exactly how they'd operate at some point.

I'm in as long as they make the Jetson's sounds.

(06-01-2019 08:00 PM)king king Wrote:  Cars are so last week. In the future we’ll all be flying. At least that’s what Alaka’i Technologies thinks. Enter ‘Skai’ – the company’s hydrogen-powered “electric vertical take-off and landing” vehicle designed together with BMW Designworks.

Company boss Brain Morrison says Skai “offers practical, real-life solutions to everything from relieving traffic congestion to delivering supplies during natural disasters”. The aircraft (is it an aircraft?) can seat five passengers and is capable of fully autonomous flight, though we’re told FAA regulations mean a piloted version will be launched first.

Three hydrogen fuel cells power six electric motors, each powering a rotor. If one fails it can carry on to its destination, and if two fail Skai can still land safely. All the systems are triple redundant, but as a last resort there’s a parachute that means the carbon-composite airframe will float gently back to earth.


Linky dinky

You can keep the flying car. I'll take Rosie to cook and clean, and Jane or Judy or both. You take George, Elroy and the Car and we're square!

BMW has a long history in flight
https://youtu.be/feMC18447Ec

(06-01-2019 11:21 PM)shere khan Wrote:  BMW has a long history in flight
https://youtu.be/feMC18447Ec

FW190's were commonly called the Yellow Nosed Sons of Goering. 426mph vs the B17's 287 mph. Hence the losses until the P51's could fly all the way with the Bomb Group to their targets and home. It put the Red Tails into the history books.

(06-01-2019 11:32 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(06-01-2019 11:21 PM)shere khan Wrote:  BMW has a long history in flight
https://youtu.be/feMC18447Ec

FW190's were commonly called the Yellow Nosed Sons of Goering. 426mph vs the B17's 287 mph. Hence the losses until the P51's could fly all the way with the Bomb Group to their targets and home. It put the Red Tails into the history books.

all things being equal I would go with the 190 over the mustang. the 190D, of course.

(06-01-2019 11:49 PM)shere khan Wrote:  

(06-01-2019 11:32 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(06-01-2019 11:21 PM)shere khan Wrote:  BMW has a long history in flight
https://youtu.be/feMC18447Ec

FW190's were commonly called the Yellow Nosed Sons of Goering. 426mph vs the B17's 287 mph. Hence the losses until the P51's could fly all the way with the Bomb Group to their targets and home. It put the Red Tails into the history books.

all things being equal I would go with the 190 over the mustang. the 190D, of course.

P51D for me please. It was slightly faster and had a trimmer profile. But you do know the plane the Nazi Fighter Pilots feared most? The P38 Lightening (Der Zwei Schwanz Teufel or Gabel Schwanz Teufel). At 440 mph plus and with what at the time seemed to be strange maneuverability they had a hard time adjusting their tactics.

(06-02-2019 01:06 AM)JRsec Wrote:  

(06-01-2019 11:49 PM)shere khan Wrote:  

(06-01-2019 11:32 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(06-01-2019 11:21 PM)shere khan Wrote:  BMW has a long history in flight
https://youtu.be/feMC18447Ec

FW190's were commonly called the Yellow Nosed Sons of Goering. 426mph vs the B17's 287 mph. Hence the losses until the P51's could fly all the way with the Bomb Group to their targets and home. It put the Red Tails into the history books.

all things being equal I would go with the 190 over the mustang. the 190D, of course.

P51D for me please. It was slightly faster and had a trimmer profile. But you do know the plane the Nazi Fighter Pilots feared most? The P38 Lightening (Der Zwei Schwanz Teufel or Gabel Schwanz Teufel). At 440 mph plus and with what at the time seemed to be strange maneuverability they had a hard time adjusting their tactics.

read my mind. p38 was a beast. late in thr war. it was a,real beatdown in the air. my favorite plane is still the Hawker Hurricane. not sure why other than its a tweener that rose to the challenge.

Looks like a mini helicopter designed for Amazon deliveries.

Well, Amazon's new delivery vans are Mercedes Benz Sprinters, so they seem to like those German vehicles.