Cyclotech flies agile flying car with rotor ‘barrels’ instead of propellers for the first time

Austrian company Cyclotech has prepared a prototype of a flying car with unusual engines for flight tests. The aircraft’s rotors resemble rotating barrels. The technology was developed 100 years ago to propel sea vessels. Engineers have revived it to equip unusual engines in aircraft that are expected to become the most maneuverable among other flying cars.

Image source: Cyclotech

The upcoming two-seater flying car CruiseUp and its current smaller unmanned prototype Blackbird use six barrel-shaped rotors. Four of them are mounted like on quadcopters, and two are along the longitudinal axis of the craft. This is intended as insurance in case one of the main rotors fails, as well as to allow the craft to quickly turn around on the spot.

Cyclotech propellers are based on a marine winged propeller, also known as a Voith-Schneider propeller. Each rotor drum (cylinder) is fitted with blades similar to those of a helicopter. They change their angle of inclination, creating thrust in a given direction. Moreover, the thrust of each drum can be directed in any direction by simply changing the angle of the blades. This principle, by the way, is the same as that of a helicopter, which makes the design time-tested and reliable.

The Cyclotech aircraft promises to fly stably in any wind and movement dynamics. It should provide the most comfortable conditions for passengers, since the thrust is created without tilting the rotors and body in the direction of movement. The design of the device and the engines used in it look quite exotic compared to the usual propellers, but at the dawn of a new era of air mobility, this can be considered an experiment. Who knows what will eventually become the standard?

The new Blackbird prototype was created in just 11 months from the start of development. It weighs 340 kg and has no passenger seats or space for a pilot. Air tests of the Blackbird have already begun. The production model CruiseUp will be a two-seater, with a flight range of 100 km and a maximum speed of up to 150 km/h. Cyclotech plans to start production of these unusual flying cars after 2035. It is clearly in no hurry, but at least it does not make empty promises.