The Skyfly Axe is vertically capable, a new phrase (to your editor) for an aircraft capable of ascending vertically from its starting point and flying about on its own. We first reported on this machine when it was still under development three years ago and it has kept the outward appearance it had then. The price, as with all such things, has gone up and now sits around $295.000 ($400,700 US). 40 are on order, and you can reserve a delivery slot for ten percent of the final price. (Skyfly’s website explains that those in the United Kingdom can reserve an Axe for £1000 ($1,358 US). That applies only to those living in the UK, who also have to pay the dreaded Value Added Tax (VAT) on such transactions. Those in other countries escape the tax and reserve a production slot for their 10-percent deposit.
Speed and Safety
The Axe offers reasonable speed for a craft able to take off from one’s backyard. Its paired 35-kilowatt (47-horsepower) motors give 70 kilowatts or 94 horsepower at each corner. This enables a rate of climb of 2,300 feet per minute at 70 moh, according to Skyfly. Its 9:1 lift-to-drag ratio is equivalent to that of a Cessna 172, adding to operational safety. That, and redundant motors on sech outboard stalk make for enhanced peace of mind.
The Axe can be operated as a VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) machine requiring no horizontal runway for takeoff. It can also take off and land in 50 meters (164 feet) as an STOL (short take-off and landing), or in 300 meters (984 feet) in a gliding, power-off landing. This versatilty should allow users to choose several modes of operation. It does this with fixed motors set at an angle to enable these modes.
Safety features and integral elements of desiign contriburate simplpicity and safety
Yachting Ties
The two-seat, tandem-wing aircraft is a bit pricey (although certainly not out of line with pricing for other two-seat machines – even those not vertically capable), and its marketing does not avoid that, with a recent association with Archipelago Yachts. A customer recently ordered his Explorer 80-foot (24 meter) catamaran with an Axe as a companion vehicle. As explained by the boat company, “The A-80 is an energy-efficient hybrid diesel-electric catamaran from UK-based manufacturer Archipelago Expedition Yachts with a dedicated landing pad on the top deck. The Axe can be used for private, comfortable and fast ship-to-shore VIP passenger transfers, for taking deliveries and for scenic pleasure flights.” This combination of boating and flying should add to the luxury of the experience.
Vertically capable, Skyfly Axe can operate from small spaces
The boat and aircraft are based on sustainable principles, with Archipelago noting that similarity between both. “The Axe, with its highly efficient four-wing design and eight electric motors with fixed-angle rotors, uses just 30kW (40.2 horsepower) in the cruise – half that of a typical electric car.
“Similarly, the hybrid-electric Archipelago A80 is also designed with efficiency at its core; its dual hulls mean that it has lower water displacement than a traditional monohull yacht, requiruiring an estimated 40-50% less power and fuel to cruise at the same speed as a similarly-sized monohull. It is also more stable while at anchor, reducing the need for power-hungry stabilisers such as Seakeepers.”
Megayachts price our at about $1 million per foot, Jeff Bezos’ 500-footer costing about a half-billion dollars. A $400,000 aerial shuttle to and fro such a sailing palace might be seen as nothing more than a bauble on a tennis bracelet for those affluent enough to enjoy that lifestyle. Otherwise it’s in the Piotal Helix (Blackfly) and Hexa Lift price range.
A Significant Cross-Country Flight
In its first flight between airfields, the Axe went from Turweston to Bicester in the UK, a dustabce of about 18.4 kilometers (11.4 miles)by tw–lane roads and taking 15 minutes, according to Michelin. Secondary roads in England are slow by American standards. Obviously the shorter distance by air would take much less time at Axe’s cruising speed. It marks the first eVTOL fligtht between two European airfields.
Coming to EAA’s AirVenture
Michael Thompson, CEO of Skyfly, announces, “I’m incredibly excited to be taking our aircraft to EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh – hands down the biggest airshow in the world. This is a milestone moment for our team and our technology. I’m even more proud to announce that, assuming we receive our experimental permit in time, the aircraft will be flying into the show. To not just be exhibiting but actually flying in means people will get to see the aircraft in action, not just on static display. It’s a powerful statement of how far we’ve come and where we’re headed.” Skyfly’s Axe can be seen at stand 421.