Whisper Aero has a unique way of showing its cards at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Crossville, Tennessee-based company has developed an ultra-quiet electric propulsor that could power aircraft of varying sizes. While nine Red Bull cyclists recently towed an ultralight sailplane skyward, two Whisper units could launch an ultralight flying wing hang glider.
Beta Testing in the Hood
In what seems to be a clever and cagy move, Mark Moore and Ian Villa have created an electric leaf blower using their quiet technology. Putting their demonstrably quieter Whiasper Tone T1 in customer’s hands will unleash thousands of beta testers for the device and the technology.
Your editor was a bit taken aback by the blower’s $599 price, but after comparing the T1 to units with which it is competitve, realized the addage about getting what you pay for is true in this instance. The video below is a good comparison with other similar products. Whisper is clever in its marketing approach, noting the good neighbor benefits of using their product.
Interesting Engineering reports on the device. “The Tone T1 uses proprietary aerospace propulsion technology to deliver more power than top gas-powered blowers.
“It operates 70% quieter, meeting the growing national demand for silent lawn care.
“Tone T1 is born from the same propulsion technology Moore developed for electric aircraft.
“‘Whisper Aero was founded on a passion to achieve a quieter world, in the air and on the ground. The Tone T1 Leaf blower is the first product to use aerospace-grade technology derived from my years at NASA, where I pioneered electric aircraft,’ said Moore.”
Similar neighborly efforts will be necessary to make drone deliveries and urban commuter flights reasonable. Whisper’s Tone T1 can deliver low noise, and the same technology seems ready to deliver quietude while flying overhead.
Whisper Tone T1’s dB level fits neatly between conversation and normal backgrould noise
Whisper’s management of acoustic perceptions fits neatly between normal adult loss in the upper frequency ranges and just below the enhanced ability of dogs to hear, well, dog whistles. The noise is there, but we and our pets can’t hear it.
Future Plans
While the leaf blower will prove the efficiency of the thrust provided on owner’s lawns, Moore and Villa have airborne ambitions to explore. The earliest aerial vehicle to employ the near-silent thrusters is a regional, autonomous people carrier very much in tune with Mark Moore’s earlier leadership of the Uber Lift program, meant to provide urbanites with convenient air taxi service. The folks at Whisper Aero see a more suburban, rural kind of potential group of passengers. “Considerate and compelling” are words the team uses to describe their creations.
Probably not Autonomous
Even grander, Whisper visualizes a 100-passenger machine that would compete with more traditional craft like Embraers and Dash 8s. Whisper machines would be far quieter, though, allowing airports to built closer to population centers while being far less annoying.
Designed to operate from 3,000-foot runways, the machine not only reduces noise, but increases performance through its distributed thrusters along the wing. As Whisper explains, ” Integration of Whisper’s electric ducted fans along the leading edge of a wing increases the aircraft’s wing loading by >20% to increase the cruise high speed lift-to-drag ratio from 17.5 to 22.” Operating economy should make the airliner a favorite with operators, if Whisper’s analysis is correct.
100-passenger airliner might make passengers anxious with its unique design
Whisper’s designs are as unique as its thrusters, and might take a soothing sales pitch to fill seats, but Mark and Ian seem to have a way to sell their product, even in the hinterlands.