Beyond Clean Sky: Cartercopter slowed rotor / compound exceeds efficiency and emission goals

Abstract

Carter Aviation has its footing in environmental efforts with roots in the wind industry. Leveraging its very lightweight high inertia wind turbine blades for application as a rotor blade, Carter has developed its Slowed Rotor/Compound (SR/C™) technology as an alternative to conventional vertical lift. The benefits of slowing a rotor in cruise flight from both a drag and acoustic perspective are well understood, but doing so safely is another matter. Carter overcame 10 challenges to make the SR/C aircraft a reality, and with it, a new era of aviation is now possible. Runway independent aircraft (to include full hovering configurations) that possess efficiencies more akin to fixed-wing aircraft promise to deliver a cleaner, greener, and safer VTOL capability that exceeds environmental goals of Clean Sky 2. CO2 emission reductions of 80% for the jump takeoff CarterCopters have been demonstrated and a 66% reduction for a full hovering heavy twin is predicted. And, all of this is accomplished with 15-20 EPNdB less noise than helicopters.