Air taxi start-up completes ‘transition’ flight over China

Electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) start-up AutoFlight has completed a proof-of-concept, transition test flight for its air taxi Prosperity I over China.

During the test flight, the aircraft – capable of carrying three passengers – switches from a vertical take-off motion to the more energy-efficient, horizontal flight and back to vertical flight, before landing.

The unmanned flight took place at AutoFlight flight test area in JiangSu province with Prosperity I rising to an altitude of 150 metres at speeds of up to 123mph.

Short city transfers

Prosperity I was designed for short transfers between parts of a city, airport commutes, connecting two nearby cities or enabling trips to the countryside while avoiding traffic on the ground. When ready for commercial flight in 2025, it is expected that a trip that takes hours by car will be reduced to about 10 minutes with Prosperity I, without being any more expensive than a car taxi ride.

Vertical flight for the proof-of-concept for Prosperity I required eight rotors to lift the electric aircraft into the air. Once the aircraft reached an altitude of 150 metres and an airspeed of 100-110mph, the fixed wing part of the eVTOL generated lift. 

“The simplicity of design lies in our patented ‘lift and cruise’ configuration...making it affordable to manufacture, maintain and operate as an air taxi”

At this point, AutoFlight reports that Prosperity I entered the complex transition phase: the rotors on the top stopped spinning and locked in a streamlined position, while the propellers on the rear pushed the aircraft forward like a traditional fixed wing plane.

“The team and I are thrilled to have cracked the smooth transition phase of eVTOL flight, unlocking the skies for Prosperity I and our commercial products,” said AutoFlight CEO Tian Yu, who has over two decades of experience designing and building electric aircraft, and 300 electric aviation-related patents. “We are confident we have a good design underpinned by sound engineering, and delighted to see that the transition was smooth, safe and seamless.”