Photo: Overair
This Orange County-based air taxi manufacturer has made an important addition to its leadership team, which will most likely boost its journey to the commercial launch of its flagship eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) called Butterfly.
As of yesterday, September 1, 2022, Valerie Manning is the new chief commercial officer at Overair, eVTOL.com reports. Prior to this, she was the senior vice president of training and flight operation services at Airbus. A certified jet-rated commercial pilot and flight instructor, Manning is also a retired U.S. Air Force officer with a doctoral degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University.
Sounds like the perfect expert for the development of an eVTOL that claims to be one of the most efficient ones out there, powered by a unique propulsion system. The Butterfly’s original design belongs to Abe Karem, who is known as one of the drone pioneers of the ‘80s.
Boasting a very robust airframe that’s also lightweight, this eVTOL is equipped with four big propellers that spin slowly. The advantage of this is that less power is required for hover flight and that noise levels are significantly lower.
This design sets it apart from the Butterfly air taxi, compared to most eVTOLs that are fitted with smaller propellers distributed on the wings and tail. However, in terms of performance, they are quite similar, with the Butterfly promising a top speed of 200 mph (322 kph) and a medium 100-mile (161 km) range.
Manning said that Overair’s “state-of-the-art technology” was one of the things that determined her to go for this Californian company. On the other hand, her experience and expertise in both military and commercial aviation will undoubtedly help advance the development of this unique electric aircraft.
Overair successfully tested the full-scale Butterfly prototype earlier this year and is aiming for the commercial launch by the end of next year.
Sounds like the perfect expert for the development of an eVTOL that claims to be one of the most efficient ones out there, powered by a unique propulsion system. The Butterfly’s original design belongs to Abe Karem, who is known as one of the drone pioneers of the ‘80s.
Boasting a very robust airframe that’s also lightweight, this eVTOL is equipped with four big propellers that spin slowly. The advantage of this is that less power is required for hover flight and that noise levels are significantly lower.
This design sets it apart from the Butterfly air taxi, compared to most eVTOLs that are fitted with smaller propellers distributed on the wings and tail. However, in terms of performance, they are quite similar, with the Butterfly promising a top speed of 200 mph (322 kph) and a medium 100-mile (161 km) range.
Manning said that Overair’s “state-of-the-art technology” was one of the things that determined her to go for this Californian company. On the other hand, her experience and expertise in both military and commercial aviation will undoubtedly help advance the development of this unique electric aircraft.
Overair successfully tested the full-scale Butterfly prototype earlier this year and is aiming for the commercial launch by the end of next year.
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