Airspeeder Mk3 – Ready To Fly And Race

F1 racing car has already tried a lot to make full utilization of innovations through the racing on the ground. But imagined about racing off the ground? Here comes the Airspeeder series.

Airspeeder Series

Airspeeder is a premium proposed all-electric motorsport series for octocopter manned flying vehicles. It was founded by Matthew Pearson in 2018, the Chief Executive of Alauda Aeronautics based in Adelaide, South California. Airspeeder Mk3 is a model of the Airspeeder Series. Other related models are Mk1, Mk2, and Mk4.

eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) advanced aviation technology will be taken ahead through this. The first unmanned air race is organized for 2021 by Airspeed.

Airspeed Mk3 will be featured here and recent RPAS (remotely piloted aircraft systems) will be used by the best pilots in aerial battles worldwide. A manned race is to be held in 2022.

Australian investors Saltwater Capital and Jelix Ventures led the first funding round for Airspeeder in April 2020 with an undefined amount. Partnerships have been provided by IWC Schaffhausen and the logistics company BHL. Pearson stated that capital would be provided from him too. However, taking a racing series into the air is not easy. Star drivers, sponsors, investors, facilities, and regulations have to be managed.

Let's come to the point.

Airspeeder Mk3

• Officially, It is said to be the world’s premier electric flying race car.

• The global racing series for the Airspeeder flying race cars are said to be conducted in the latter half of this year.

• The design of Airspeeder Mk3 is said to be motivated by the 1950s and 1960s formula race cars.

• New LiDAR and radar-based collision avoidance systems used here ensure safety for air racing.

• The way of carrying out the races will be the same as the way of Formula One Events.

• The battery changes, instead of tires, will take only 14 seconds due to the quick-release mechanisms. For that, the pit stops will be provided in the race and the batteries will be changed on the ground through the 'slide and lock' system. It has a 96 kW electric Drivetrain and can provide 429 BHP(Brake Horsepower) to its rotors.

• When it comes to the Thrust-to-weight ratio, it is better than the F-15 E-strike Eagle Fighter jet as its curb(or kerb) weight is just 130Kg. This special feature allows the Airspeeder Mk3 to increase its speed from 0 to 100 km/h only in 2.8 seconds. The highest speed that can be achieved is 120 km/h.

• Its multi-copter layout provides it rapid hair-pin turning maneuverability.

• Currently, the Mk3 has to meet certain standards as its experimental certification for flying is being done with Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority. However, this is not as burdensome as that for a passenger aircraft.

Airspeeder Mk3

Conclusion

These innovations will be beneficial for the faster arrival of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technologies. The pilots can also exploit the full potential of these innovations. This program mainly aims towards the constant development cycles by building a new aircraft every year instead of developing one aircraft and certifying it over a decade. Well, this is normally applicable for aviation and not passenger applications. The aerodynamic design is adaptable for an air race. Thus, Airspeeder Mk3 is faster than flying cars and flying taxis.