Stoprotor, Hybrid Rotorwing VTOL

Australian start up Stoprotor have an interesting concept that has moved from X Plane simulation to real world testing. Good for them!

The Hybrid RotorWing is the first VTOL aircraft to employ the use of high alpha flight controls to achieve a profile that is suitable for stopping and starting the rotor system in flight.

Aircraft designed for high alpha flight are capable of high performance maneuvers unavailable to conventional aircraft. These maneuvers are routinely flown by advanced jet fighters.

With the application of sufficient power or entry velocity, the Hybrid RotorWing can achieve high alpha flight and the required angle of attack for transition at ANY attitude. Depending on the UAV design and available power it could achieve a near level transition as demonstrated in the video below.

Previous VTOL designs have attempted to blend the often conflicting vertical flight and high performance requirements in a single aircraft with complex engineering solutions. The design of the Hybrid RotorWing has focused on simplicity of design and use of unexplored aerodynamic solutions to meet the transition requirements without the use of advanced fly by wire, vectored thrust or high power to weight configurations.

The result is a simple trade off in altitude allowing for a more efficient design and  sustained, controlled flight in the transition envelope.

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