Full-Scale eVTOL Aircraft Aerodynamic and Acoustic Flight Test, Modeling and Simulation

Integration of Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles has the potential to transform the landscape of short-range vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) flight. Among the eVTOL aircraft under development for projected Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) missions are distributed electric propulsion (DEP) vehicles with multiple rotors often operating in combination with fixed wing and tail surfaces. These vehicles offer benefits in quietness, simplified flight control, redundancy, and conversion between vertical lift and forward flight. However, they also pose considerable design challenges in terms of quantifying the effect of rotor-rotor and rotor-airframe interactions on performance, flight mechanics, vibration, and noise. Computational models under development to analyze these characteristics lack enough high-quality, full-scale test data for validation. To address this need, NASA is seeking design and execution of experiments on relevant, full-scale AAM systems that would generate aerodynamic and acoustic data supporting the development of these aircraft. This proposal presents a plan to assist NASA in achieving this goal by filling a gap in contributions to a public domain body of high quality, full-scale, eVTOL aircraft aerodynamic and acoustic test data for the chief classes of DEP eVTOL aircraft under development; (1) multicopter, (2) vectored thrust and (3) lift+cruise vehicles. The proposed plan is to complement our team’s current acoustic testing of a full-scale multicopter vehicle with additional acoustic testing of a vectored thrust vehicle by adding a new major eVTOL aircraft developer to our team. In Phase I, we will perform model predictions and ground tests for a full-scale vectored thrust vehicle. Phase II will see acoustic flight tests of the vectored thrust vehicle that will complement ongoing multicopter and lift+cruise vehicle acoustic flight tests being carried out in parallel efforts

The proposed research effort will provide performance, aerodynamics and acoustics flight test data for a full-scale eVTOL vectored thrust vehicle to support NASA’s ARMD Strategic Thrust 4: Safe, Quiet, and Affordable Vertical Lift Air Vehicles. The test data obtained will be used to develop and validate computational aerodynamic and acoustic models of these types of aircraft and help fill a vital, missing link impeding the progress of those at NASA and industry developing eVTOL AAM vehicles.

CDI provides engineering services and analysis software to numerous eVTOL AAM air taxi vehicle developers. The test data and analysis enhancements produced will be instrumental to the success of this new generation of entrepreneurial organizations who have an immediate need for the proposed full-scale, flight test data and the improved modeling and analysis it will engender.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 5) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.