Signals Start Of Production Phase

PAL-V and the Netherlands Aerospace Center (NLR) announced the completion of the development phase of the rotor blades for the PAL-V Liberty, a significant step in moving toward the production phase of the flying car.

The collaboration between PAL-V and the NLR, Netherlands’ premier aerospace research institute, took advantage of NRL’s extensive experience in aerospace engineering and composite structures to tackle the development and hone the design of the rotor blades.

The blades are 20 percent more efficient with less drag compared to equivalent blades yielding improved performance and fuel economy. The set of two blades measure about 11 m (36 feet) in length yet weight only 35.8 kg (79 pounds).

With the refined design of the blades completed, PAL-V has created a small-scale assembly facility near its headquarters where the company is getting ready to begin production of the Liberty.

Henri de Vries, Senior Scientist at NLR said, "We are thrilled to have reached another milestone with our new technology for high-end composite rotor blades. Together with PAL-V we’ve overcome technical challenges and ensured our rotor blades are ready for industrial production. Gyroplane rotor blades are brought in motion by the airflow to create lift instead of by using a motor, this is called autorotation.

“So the PAL-V blades are basically its wings during flight. Next to being lightweight, they contain a mid-hinge to fold the blades and enable driving the vehicle on the road with a convenient vehicle length of just 4 meters. This makes its design unique and unprecedented."

FMI:  www.pal-v.com/