You can lose any one engine and one entire wing section and not have any serious problems, retaining the ability to get where you need to go even with a fully loaded aircraft. Oliver says he has had the Hexplane design validated by aerospace engineering consultancy DAR and Penn State University, and is now negotiating with an investment house for the funds to build a prototype. As a starting point, Oliver says he has taken on the challenge set by DARPA for the now-cancelled Groen Heliplane high-speed VTOL – to carry a 1,000lb payload 1,000nm at 400mph. “I want to build a 12,500lb gross-weight technology demonstrator that has the capability to transition to saleable hardware,” he says. Powered by six 800shp turboprops, this aircraft would have a maximum speed of 447mph and a sea-level climb rate of more than 9,000ft/min.
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