AWARD YEAR
2017
CATEGORY
Community
GOALS
Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
KEYWORDS
air traffic
COUNTRY
Germany
DESIGNED BY
Lilium
WEBSITE
http://lilium-aviation.com/index.html
Lilium Aviation
There will be a world in which everyone can fly anywhere, anytime.
The aggressive rise of rent in city centers will be halted. Federal states will become metropolises. Concrete-covered landscapes will become green again; the costly maintenance of our current infrastructure will become obsolete. Commuters will use VTOL aircrafts to land directly on landing pads extending from their balconies, on rooftops and assigned landing areas. No need to wait for the bus. To achieve the goal of simple electric vertical take-off and landing, coupled with long range flight and low noise, we’ve invented an entirely new VTOL aircraft concept. The 600kg two-seater will be lifted vertically by 36 electric ducted fan engines. With the fan engines directed downwards, the jet hovers and climbs until the fans are turned backwards slowly, which transitions the plane into forward flight. Once the engines are oriented horizontally the aircraft flies like a normal plane with the wings and fuselage creating aerodynamic lift, while the flaps with engines act as steering surfaces.