Aircraft Designed To Be Autonomous In The Air And On The
Ground
Transition between hover and wing-borne cruise was demonstrated
Friday by Aerovel's Flexrotor UAV ... capabilities which allow it
to combine VTOL with range of more than 1,600 nm and endurance
exceeding a day and a half. Aerovel's president, Tad McGeer,
explains that "transition requires a climb, pitch-over, dive, and
zoom, so we entered the new regime with a roller-coaster thrill.
But after a few seconds the ride turns sedate, with the engine
ticking over for long-endurance cruise at 50-60 kt, and the big
rotor hardly making a sound."