A beginners guide to the world of VTOL

Have you ever been in a rush and unfortunately stuck in traffic at the same time? In moments like that, have you ever wished or imagined your vehicle flying past the throng of cars in that congestion? If you are living in the 21st century, especially in cities, you most likely would have ruminated on this thought. Well, today we bring you great news.

What is VTOL? The future of mobility is at the cusp of a revolution. One void of traffic, waste of time, heightened emergencies and what not. We are almost at the summit of convenience like never before, speed, availability, punctuality and other adjectives that qualifies ease. The VTOL is an acronym for vertical take-off and landing. As it is plainly called, this term is used to refer to aircraft that can take off vertically, hover, and land in the same way – vertically.

The VTOL is designed in semblance with the drone but one that is big enough to convey humans or goods from one place to another unhinged, with traffic reduced to nothing. Just like our cab-hailing services, the VTOL can be hired for the same purpose.

Types of VTOL This novel innovation is in two types:

1. Powered-lift vehicles: This type of VTOL has a more traditional plane wing design. As a VTOL, they take flight and descend vertically but is different from other variants by it’s conventional fixed wing plane to lift off in flight. Example of this is the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, vectored thrust planes, and new F-35B are planes that are vertical and or short take off and landing vehicles. This type of VTOL is very useful for military planes loaded with ammunition. This is because they have a rolling take off that requires less thrust. Other examples are called convertiplanes, tiltrotor, tailsitter, etc.

2. Rotorcraft: This type of VTOL is also called rotary wing aircraft. They are majorly designed to use lift generated by rotor blades that move around a central mast. Just like gyrocopters, helicopters, and quadcopters.

It is important to note that apart from operating in vertical short take off or landing, some VTOL planes are programmed to switch to traditional takeoff and landing, (conventional take off and landing - CTL) or slow take off and landing (STOL). Nonetheless, you will find a good number of aircraft that can only function in VTOL. This is due to the lack of landing gear that can take movements that are horizontal.

Benefits of the VTOL

1. Flexibility: Thanks to the VTOL, we can have aircraft land anywhere, at any time, without much protocol. This flexibility makes it a more convenient means of commuting both people and goods respectively.

2. Energy Efficient: VTOL planes that utilize jet engines are more energy consuming than those in use of electric motors. Examples of aircraft in use of electric motors are drones.

Lastly, unlike conventional planes, VTOL aircrafts are designed to maneuver in ways that aren’t limited. This is also an added advantage for military crafts especially in battle.