Airspeeder Alauda Mk3 makes historic first flights

Approximately 118 years after the Wright Brothers began mankind’s opening foray into the world of powered flight, now Airspeeder has taken its first steps with the unmanned flights of its electric Alauda Mk3.

The concept of Airspeeder began in the summer of 2019 when entrepreneur Matthew Pearson stated his ambition to ‘create the world’s first racing series for electric flying cars’. Now, that goal of three remotely piloted races in 2021 takes another step closer to reality with the first flights of the eVTOL Alauda Mk3.

“Nothing drives innovation like racing. The world is ready for advanced air mobility and we are proud to make history by introducing the world’s first racing series for flying electric cars,” commented Matthew Pearson, Founder, Airspeeder and Alauda Aeronautics. “Airspeeder and EXA represent the future of motorsport and a compelling and exhilarating showcase of the potential of electric flying cars as this generation’s defining mobility revolution.”

These historic first flights have taken place at undisclosed test locations in the deserts of South Australia under the observation of Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Throughout the development process, the Alauda team has worked with the regulator to ensure compliance to all required procedures while developing robust safety protocols. The successful execution of these flights means that uncrewed electric flying car Grand Prixs will take place in 2021 at three soon-to-be-revealed international locations.

INDUSTRY TECH LEADERS KEY TO EVTOL ALAUDA DESIGN AND BUILD

Key to the design and build of the eVTOL Alauda Mk3 have been some of the greatest technical minds in the industry, Pearson pulling together a world-class team of technical experts, engineers and designers from F1, performance automotive and civil and military aviation backgrounds from the likes of McLaren, Brabham, Boeing, Jaguar and Rolls-Royce.

Alauda’s technical HQ is based in Adelaide, South Australia with a commercial HQ based in London. From there, CCO Jack Withinshaw has led a team that has forged partnerships by some of the most globally recognised backers of elite motorsport. This includes: Acronis, EQUALS, DHL and IWC Schaffhausen.

“The Alauda Aeronautics Mk3 is the world’s first performance eVTOL craft,” adds Pearson. “It is the result of the very best minds working with focus to accelerate a mobility revolution. Racing will take this a step further and we cannot wait to compete with elite teams to show the world the dynamic potential of these incredible performance race-craft.”

CREWED SERIES THE GOAL FOR 2022

The successful execution of these flights means that uncrewed electric flying car Grands Prix will take place in 2021 at three soon-to-be-revealed international locations, with the forthcoming crewed series planned to race around the world in 2022.

These races will see elite pilots drawn from aviation, motorsport and eSports backgrounds to remotely pilot the world’s only racing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) craft. These pilots will remotely control their Speeders in races across electronically governed, Augmented Reality enabled sky-tracks. Audiences will watch via digital streams that show the full dynamic potential of vehicles that have greater thrust-to-weight ratio than a F15 fighter jet.

Of course, with most series in the world of motorsports comes the underlying aim of transferring that technology to the wider consumer world, with the races aimed at laying the building blocks for the arrival of eVTOL advanced air mobility craft.

This technology, predicted by Morgan Stanley to be worth $1.5 trillion by 2040 is already finding potent applications in air logistics and remote medical care and has the potential to liberate cities from congestion though clean-air passenger applications such as air taxis.