Technology :-vo - lan - tor (vo-lan'ter) n. A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that is capable of flying in a quick, nimble, and agile manner. --intr. & tr.v. -tored, -toring, tors. To go or carry by volantor. [Lat. volare, to fly. Fr. volant, to move in a nimble and agile manner ]
The Skycar volantor developed by Moller International is capable of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) much as a helicopter and flies from point of departure to destination much like an 
airplane. However, the Skycar volantor is uniquely qualified to travel short distances on the ground as an automobile as well. All this and incredibly, its easy to fly! Actually a computer does the flying. The pilot need only move the controls in the direction he wants to go so that little skill is required. (Still for the time being, the operator will need to have a private pilot's license until the ease of operation and safety are thoroughly demonstrated.) The Moller Skycar is a volantor capable of these remarkable achievements through the use of an arrangement (array - collection - grouping) of proprietary technologies.
Cost Effective Performance
From its inception the M400 Skycar volantor has been designed to minimize both direct and indirect costs. The Skycar uses an engine that can burn almost any fuel from diesel to natural gas so that worldwide refueling can be accommodated by what is locally available. Using gasoline, the M400 can be expected to get over 20 mpg. With a range of 750 miles, the logistics associated with refueling the shorter-range helicopter can be eliminated.
The rotapower engines have only two major moving parts, weigh less than 80 pounds and occupy less than one cubic foot. The bulk of the remaining technology is electronic and replaceable in modules as the onboard redundant systems identify a failed or failing component.
Vehicle size greatly affects ground mobility and parking space required. The Skycar, with its compact size, can be stored in a space the size of a standard single car garage. The landing gear on the vehicle makes roadability possible for short distances.
Initially introduced as the M400, four-seat model, the Skycar technology has the ability to be both scaled up to a six passenger, M600, or scaled down to a one passenger, M100. This allows a cost efficient vehicle size to accommodate a variety of military, paramilitary, and commercial transport missions.
Time Critical Performance
The Skycar's combined VTOL and speed capability make extremely rapid response possible. Search and Rescue, Emergency Medical, Drug Interdiction, Surveillance, or Critical Personnel Transport are examples where minutes saved can literally mean the difference between success and failure, life and death, or thousands of dollars. Helicopters have traditionally offered the flexibility necessary in these applications allowing for ingress and egress into a limited space where fixed wing aircraft do not have access. The performance penalties for using helicopters as compared to fixed wing aircraft have been a low maximum cruise speed of approximately 125 mph, a limited range of around 300 miles, and a restricted operational ceiling of less than 15,000 ft.
A M400 Skycar, by utilizing its VTOL capability, has the flexible access of the helicopter. In addition, it has the 375 mph maximum speed, 750 mile range, and 36,000 foot ceiling of a high performance aircraft. The M400 can also climb at more than a vertical mile per minute.Safety :-
No matter how well an engine is designed it has the potential to malfunction at some point during its lifetime. The possibility also exists that something outside the pilot's control, like bird ingestion, could cause an engine or lift fan to fail. If the proposed VTOL aircraft is to be a practical size, it must use a propulsion system with fairly high fan or disc loading, which is also necessary for good cruise efficiency. A more highly loaded fan (>30 LB/ft.) is not capable of auto-rotation. Therefore, any aircraft using higher disc loading will need a back-up system or systems to ensure passenger survival in case of a critical component failure. Great care was taken developing a production model volantor which would provide safety and comfort as well.
The most important issue in aviation is safety. So, the following safety features were designed into our volantor to help provide a safe alternative to ground transportation:
| • Dual Engines |
-- In the unlikely event of an engine failure sufficient power remains to ensure a safe and comfortable landing. Since the M400 has eight engines, one or more can fail and the Skycar will still operate safely. Unlike any light helicopter or airplane, the M400 Skycar has four engine nacelles; each with two Rotapower engines. These computer-controlled engines operate independently and allow for a vertical controlled landing should one engine fail.
| • Redundant Computer Stabilization Systems |
-- The Skycar has redundant, independent computer systems for flight management, stability and control. Should a computer problem occur backup systems would take over seamlessly. M400 has multiple independent computers for flight management and the design prevents a single-point failure from adversely effecting the performance of the aircraft.
| • Redundant Fuel Monitoring |
-- Multiple systems check fuel for quality and quantity and provide appropriate warnings.
| • Aerodynamically Stable |
-- In the unlikely event that insufficient power is available to hover, the Skycar's aerodynamic stability and good glide slope allows the pilot to maneuver to a safe area before using the airframe parachutes.
| • Automated Stabilization |
-- Since computers control the Skycar flight during hover and transition, the only pilot input is speed and direction. Undesirable movement of the Skycar due to wind gusts is automatically prevented.
| • Inherent Simplicity of the Engines |
| • Enclosed Fans |
Dual Parachutes -- Even in the instance of complete power loss you and your passengers are protected. The two airframe parachutes, front and rear, will guide the volantor safely and comfortably to the ground without incidence and can be deployed in the event of a critical failure of the aircraft. With the parachutes, the pilot, passengers and the Skycar can be recovered safely. Parachutes developed for the ultra-light aircraft industry, that are ballistically ejected, have demonstrated reliable vehicle recovery above 150 feet. Recovery is possible at a much lower altitude if the aircraft has a modest forward velocity or if a spreader gun is used to spread the parachute canopy. The best primary system should use the minimum number of engines necessary together with sufficient power to hover after the failure of one engine. A multi-engine system also interfaces well with a back-up parachute system since the time between consecutive engine failures should allow sufficient opportunity for the parachute to be deployed. A single engine failure in a VTOL aircraft with eight independent ducts and one engine per duct would require 54% reserve power in order to continue to hover. The same number of engines arranged in four nacelles with two engines per nacelle requires 36% reserve power to accommodate an engine failure. The safe operation of a VTOL aircraft requires that during hover it operate as close to the ground as possible (<25>
| • Emergency options |
-- The Skycar can land almost anywhere, and therefore avoid dangerous situations created by a sudden weather change or equipment failure.
By emphasizing simplicity, durability and redundancy, Moller is making safety an inherent attribute of this revolutionary aircraft.
Perfomance :-
The Skycar performance exceeds that of any light helicopter, including a top speed that is three
times faster. When compared to a high-performance airplane, the Skycar has vertical takeoff and landing capability, is safer and potentially less expensive. The performance boundaries of the Skycar are much less restrictive than those of both helicopters and airplanes. These expanded operating limits are the natural consequence of combining VTOL and high-speed cruise in a single aircraft. The resulting flexibility allows many transportation applications to be addressed for the first time.Operations :-
Moller is currently working with the FAA to obtain certification of the M400 Skycar under the "powered lift normal" category. The airworthiness criteria manual, which governs the
certification tests, was drafted by a team of FAA personnel and industry representatives. Moller International is a member of this team. In addition, the FAA has established a "powered lift" pilot's license. This, together with a thorough familiarization, will be required to pilot a Skycar, primarily to ensure adequate flight management and navigational skills. A Skycar is not piloted like a traditional fixed wing airplane and has only two hand-operated controls, which the pilot uses to inform the redundant computer control system of his or her desired flight maneuvers. Shown at the right is a picture of the controls of an M150 prototype.
Advantages :-
Low noise is clearly necessary for a Skycar to operate near or within highly populated areas. The Skycar's multiple ducted fan arrangement is designed to generate low fan noise by using modest thrust loading and tip speeds. Hover tests in the earlier M200X demonstrated a noise level of 85 decibels at 50 feet, less than 30% of the noise level produced by a Cessna 150 during take-off. The company's on-going work in mutual noise cancellation is expected to reduce the M400 
Skycar noise level sufficiently to eventually allow urban usage.
The Rotapower engine produces little NOx, the most difficult pollutant to eliminate. In addition, using a stratified charge combustion process greatly reduces the unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide emitted.
The absence of unprotected rotating components such as propellers and rotors makes the Skycar friendlier to both users and by-standers.
The Skycar's fuel-efficient engines and ability to run on regular automotive gasoline result in low fuel costs. The Skycar is significantly more fuel efficient in passenger miles per gallon than the tilt-rotor V22 Osprey, helicopters or many commercial jet airplanes.
Vehicle purchase price is a dominant factor in determining overall cost of ownership. For example, the Skycar's purchase price per passenger seat is projected to be 10% of that for the 30 passenger V22 Osprey. Mechanically complex machines like the V22 Osprey and large helicopters are unlikely to undergo significant reduction in manufacturing costs since mass-production of such a large and expensive aircraft is unlikely.
In addition, the Skycar's operating profile is especially attractive given the user's ability to determine his or her own specific departure time and destination, a great advantage over other mass transportation systems.
Test :-
M400 Flight Test Plans
Presently all test flights of the M400 Skycar employ a safety tether from above to protect the vehicle from catastrophic failure. Certainly during these early tests there are a number of failure modes with an aircraft that has 24 microprocessors and 25,000 lines of machine language software code. Additional factors that make a tether mandatory include:
• We are test flying within the Davis City Limits
• We presently have only one M400 aircraft
• Our insurance will go up substantially when the tether is not used while flying over land
We plan to begin untethered flights when we have at least one additional M400 nearing completion. All flights will occur over a specially constructed lake. This lake is part of the Milk Farm development, a commercial 60-acre development underway near the city of Dixon in California on Interstate 80. The lake will have an area of 5 to 6 acres and will be approximately 10 feet deep with a silt, rock free bottom. Most flights will occur at less than 50 feet altitude and will incorporate flotation gear attached to the Skycar.
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