Mon, Nov 09, 2015
It’s common to visualize a small vertical lift UAV as having 4 to 6 propellers, it’s very maneuverable, but it has a short range and limited load caring capabilities. Well, NASA says you can have your cake and eat it too with something they call “Greased Lightning.”
ANN CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell, spent time at the Unmanned Systems 2015 Conference and met with aerospace engineer Bill Fredericks to talk about what’s different with their vehicle. Fredericks says they’re developing a vehicle that will have four times the efficiency of a standard rotorcraft. What you will see in the video is a vertical lift winged the vehicle that has 10 electrically driven propellers.
Fredericks explains that this concept vehicle that could lead to larger UAVs or even a personal air vehicle that you either climb on, or get in, and use for personal transportation. The Grease Lightning concept vehicle has a wingspan of 10 feet but Fredericks says it could be scaled up to a wingspan of more than 20 feet to accommodate a manned operation.
As the interview continues, Fredericks goes on to talk about expanding this project into other areas and applications. This is a classic case where words simply don’t do the job; you need to watch the video and listen to the interview to see some of the great stuff that’s being developed by NASA.
Aero-TV is a production of the Internationally syndicated Aero-News Network. Seen worldwide by hundreds of thousands of aviators and aviation adherents, Aero-TV has produced over 2000 aviation and feature programs, including several hundred episodes of our daily aviation news program, AIRBORNE, hosted by Bri Cross. Parent company, Aero-News Network, has the most aggressive and intensive editorial profile of any aviation news organization and has published nearly 200,000 news and feature stories since its inception -- having pioneered the online 24/7 aviation new-media model that so many have emulated.
More News
From 2023 (YouTube Edition): New Propulsion Scheme Optimized for AAM Applications Founded in 2017 by Eric Bartsch, Pat Anderson, and Erik Lindbergh (grandson of famed aviation pion>[...]
During The Initial Climb, The Engine Began To Operate Abnormally And, After About Three Seconds, Experienced A Total Loss Of Power On October 29, 2025, about 1820 Pacific daylight >[...]
Aero Linx: Women in Aviation International Women in Aviation International is the largest nonprofit organization that envisions a world where the sky is open to all, and where avia>[...]
“We’ve paid for the cable line’s repair for the customer and have apologized for the inconvenience this caused them...” Source: Some followup info from an A>[...]
“We have long warned about the devastating effects of pairing optimization. Multiple times over many months, we highlighted how schedule manipulation, unbalanced schedules, a>[...]
Classic Aero-TV: VerdeGo Debuts VH-3 Hybrid-Electric Powerplant
See All