AVCEN Jetpod
Jetpod is a design proposal for a very quiet aircraft that can take off and land in short distances (STOL), developed by Avcen Limited, a company formed in 1998 to promote development of the Jetpod. A number of applications have been proposed, including as a military transport, an executive transport, and as a short to medium-range air taxi. Avcen Limited is the British-based headquarters while Avcen Limited Malaysia is based at Patimas Technology Centre, Technology Park, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.[1]
According to Avcen's publicity materials, the Jetpod's maximum speed is 550 km/h (350 mph, 300 knots). It would need only 125 meters (135 yards) to take-off or land, allowing runways to be constructed close to the center of major cities, and would be sufficiently quiet to not be noticeable above city traffic. The trip from Heathrow Airport to central London would take about 4 minutes and cost about $100.
On the 16 of August 2009 the prototype Jetpod crashed in its fourth flight, killing the founder of Avcen, Michael Robert Dacre, who was at the controls.[2][3] According to Taiping deputy police chief Supt Syed A. Wahab Syed A. Majid, the company had not obtained permission from the Royal Malaysian Air Force to conduct the flight tests.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Inventor killed in Jetpod crash, The Star, August 17, 2009. Retrieved: October 18, 2009
- ^ British aviation pioneer dies after prototype crashes in Malaysia, The Times, August 17, 2009. Retrieved: October 18, 2009
- ^ Flying taxi crashes on test flight, killing its UK inventor (Update 2), The Star, August 16, 2009. Retrieved: October 18, 2009
- ^ Pesawat terhempas, juruterbang maut, Utusan Malaysia (In Malay), August 17, 2009. Retrieved: October 18, 2009
[edit] External links
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