Known for its explorer yacht designs, The Goliath Series has unveiled a new concept for an electric aircraft. Called Pegasus, the aircraft is unique in that it can take off and land both vertically and on a runway.
Designed by Steve Kozloff, the way Pegasus was envisioned allows it to cover a wider range of destinations. Vertical take-off and landing (VTOLs) vehicles require minimal horizontal space to operate. Therefore, they can be used in congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing aircraft would usually not be able to take off or land.
However, it would be impractical to land or take off vertically in several settings, such as dirt fields, powdered snow-covered fields, or near light aircraft. This is why Kozloff came up with a design that can do them both.
Pegasus is a four-seater that, its conventional take-off and landing mode, has a "very short field capability." The two 11 ft (3.3 m) propellers produce 7,500 lbs (3,402 kg) of thrust, which provides 1 g+ acceleration. This allows the aircraft to reach flight speed in less than 5 seconds while only utilizing a 400-foot (122-meter) runway. Due to the full reversing propellers, landing rollout would also be relatively brief.
Pegasus is equipped with a turbine electric power system. It uses a Pratt and Whitney PT6A-67R turboprop engine that powers a generator, which, in turn, powers its two electric motors on the wings.
The Goliath Series says that the aircraft would be capable of cruising at a 345 mph (556 km/h) speed. As for its top speed, the designer didn't provide much information apart from the fact that it's "impractically fast." If we’re talking about Pegasus’ range, well, it promises to fly for up to 1,380 miles (2,222 km), which is a massive range.
While Pegasus is just a concept for now, it's unlikely to see it leave the renders and turn into an actual mass-produced VTOL. The design is undeniably impressive, but it doesn't seem to have a high degree of redundancy. If you lose one of the two propellers, chances are this thing is going down.
Startups such as Archer are already working on more redundant designs. Its prototype has 12 electric motors powered by six individual battery packs. Therefore, if it encounters an engine failure, chances are, its aircraft will still be up. Lilium, a German startup, is actually one step ahead, and it's using 36 electric motors for its five-seater prototype called Lilium Jet.
However, it would be impractical to land or take off vertically in several settings, such as dirt fields, powdered snow-covered fields, or near light aircraft. This is why Kozloff came up with a design that can do them both.
Pegasus is a four-seater that, its conventional take-off and landing mode, has a "very short field capability." The two 11 ft (3.3 m) propellers produce 7,500 lbs (3,402 kg) of thrust, which provides 1 g+ acceleration. This allows the aircraft to reach flight speed in less than 5 seconds while only utilizing a 400-foot (122-meter) runway. Due to the full reversing propellers, landing rollout would also be relatively brief.
Pegasus is equipped with a turbine electric power system. It uses a Pratt and Whitney PT6A-67R turboprop engine that powers a generator, which, in turn, powers its two electric motors on the wings.
The Goliath Series says that the aircraft would be capable of cruising at a 345 mph (556 km/h) speed. As for its top speed, the designer didn't provide much information apart from the fact that it's "impractically fast." If we’re talking about Pegasus’ range, well, it promises to fly for up to 1,380 miles (2,222 km), which is a massive range.
While Pegasus is just a concept for now, it's unlikely to see it leave the renders and turn into an actual mass-produced VTOL. The design is undeniably impressive, but it doesn't seem to have a high degree of redundancy. If you lose one of the two propellers, chances are this thing is going down.
Startups such as Archer are already working on more redundant designs. Its prototype has 12 electric motors powered by six individual battery packs. Therefore, if it encounters an engine failure, chances are, its aircraft will still be up. Lilium, a German startup, is actually one step ahead, and it's using 36 electric motors for its five-seater prototype called Lilium Jet.