Carter PAV (Personal Air Vehicle) is a two-bladed, compound autogyro developed by Carter Aviation Technologies to demonstrate slowed rotor/compound (SR/C) technology. The design features an unpowered rotor mounted on top of the fuselage, fixed wings mounted underneath, and a controllable-pitch pusher propeller at the rear. Heavy tip weights (75 lb / 34 kg each) are placed in the rotor tips to enhance rotational energy and reduce flapping.
General Information
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Compound autogyro |
| Manufacturer | Carter Aviation Technologies |
| First flight | 5 January 2011 |
| Status | Flight testing (as of 2015) |
| Number built | 2 (PAV and PAV-II) |
| Developed from | CarterCopter |
Development
Design of the PAV began in 2005 after the earlier CarterCopter Technology Demonstrator (CCTD) was damaged in a gear-up landing. The cost of repair was deemed higher than building a new aircraft incorporating lessons learned. Several changes were made from the CCTD: the twin-boom configuration was replaced with a single tailboom, and flaws in rotor blades and hub revealed during testing were corrected.
On 16 November 2009, AAI Corporation (a Textron subsidiary) signed a 40-year exclusive license agreement covering all unmanned aircraft systems based on Carter's technology. In 2014, Carter stated that the license had been bought back from AAI, and the company began seeking production partners outside the United States.
Design
The PAV uses computer-aided design and X-plane flight simulation. A tilting mast allows the rotor to be tilted 15° forward and 30° aft to accommodate different centers of gravity and wing angles of attack. Unlike conventional helicopter rotors that operate at a fixed RPM, Carter's rotor operates across a range of 100–350 RPM.
The aircraft has traditional airplane-like controls (Vernier type), with the stick also controlling the rotor. Most controls were automated by 2011, and jump-takeoff is performed at the push of a button. Materials include glass fiber, aluminum, titanium, steel, and autoclaved carbon/epoxy prepreg with aramid honeycomb core (on PAV-II).
Operation
When stationary on the ground, the engine spins the flat-pitch rotor to 370 RPM, then disengages from the rotor to provide full power to the propeller. The rotor, with substantial rotational energy from the tip weights (equivalent to ~1,000 hp / 750 kW temporarily), has its blades pitched to push air down and lift the aircraft in a jump takeoff. As altitude is gained, the aircraft transitions to forward flight using the pusher propeller, and the rotor shifts to autorotation. Once sufficient airspeed is reached (~70–85 mph / 113–137 km/h) for the wings to provide lift, the rotor blades are feathered to reduce rotor speed to ~100 RPM, minimizing drag. Rotor lift is reduced to approximately 10%, and lift is provided mostly by the wings.
Testing and Milestones
- 27 July 2010: FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate issued.
- 5 January 2011: First flight (without wings), lasting 36 minutes.
- 18 January 2011: First zero-roll jump take-off to a height of 120 ft (37 m).
- January 2012: First traffic pattern flights with wings attached.
- 7 November 2013: Achieved Mu-1 (advance ratio of 1.0), a speed of 174 kn (322 km/h; 200 mph), and rotor slowed to 113 RPM.
- 2014: PAV-II (registration N210AV) flight approved in March, demonstrated at Sun 'n Fun and Oshkosh Airshow. Achieved 186 kn (344 km/h; 214 mph) at 18,000 ft (5,500 m).
- 2015: First non-Carter pilots flew the aircraft.
Specifications (PAV)
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
| Capacity | 2 passengers |
| Wingspan | 45 ft 0 in (13.7 m) |
| Empty weight | 2,000 lb (907 kg) |
| Gross weight | 3,800 lb (1,724 kg) |
| Powerplant | 1 × Lycoming IO-540 K1G5 6-cylinder piston engine, 250–350 hp (224 kW) |
| Propeller | 4-blade (N110AV) or 5-blade (N210AV), 8 ft 0 in (2.44 m) diameter |
| Cruise speed | 180 mph (290 km/h, 160 kn) |
| Stall speed | 0 mph (briefly) |
| Lift-to-drag ratio | 15 |
Subsequent Developments
In 2019, all intellectual property pertaining to Carter's SR/C technology was acquired by Jaunt Air Mobility LLC, which was selected as an Uber Air Taxi partner in June 2019. Carter Aviation continues as a research and development entity led by Jay Carter, Jr.
