The bird-shaped flying taxi model takes off and lands almost vertically

Start-up company Phractyl develops a flying taxi with crow's feet, a cabin and tilting wings, with a top speed of 180km/h.

Phractyl engineers abandoned the standard wide flat wing design in the aviation industry to adopt a unique bird-like wing pattern for the Macrobat flying taxi. The extended tail and landing gear also contribute to giving the vehicle the appearance of a bird spreading its wings.

The Phractyl engineering team is preparing to produce a flying prototype of Macrobat. Their goal is to build a good, green and clean machine that uses electric propulsion. However, they emphasize that battery technology still has a long way to go before it can provide electricity for today's flights.

During takeoff, Macrobat used the landing gear to lift the passenger compartment and then tilted back to create the right angle for the wingsuit. The propulsion system kicks in and generates the lift needed for the vehicle to take off. Customers with many models of flying taxis on the market, Macrobat will take off and land near vertical (NVTOL).

The Macrobat flying taxi model simulates the shape of a bird.

In the air, the landing gear retracts to reduce drag and the Macrobat will fly like a regular plane. The design team said that with a weight of 150 kg, Macrobat has a range of 150 km with a maximum speed of 180 km / h. According to Phractyl, the unique landing gear with good grip allows Macrobat to land on rough terrain. However, this also means that the landing process needs to take place at a very low speed. Otherwise, the plane could tip over due to momentum.

Phractyl is looking to layout and apply propulsion systems such as using one propeller per wing or using a series. The Macrobat is designed to be controlled by the pilot in the cabin or remotely on the ground. Phractyl also built a flying taxi from sustainable materials in a modular form for easy component replacement.