Manta fuses helicopter and aeroplane design to create short-haul, hybrid-electric aircraft that could become the ‘Uber of private jets’. Olivia Palamountain reports
Swiss egineering design and technology company Manta is overhauling regional air travel with its development of hybrid-electrical vertical and short take-off and landing (HeV/STOL) air vehicles, perfect for inter-city flight hopping.
The revolutionary feature of these aircraft is that they can (incredibly) hover, take-off and land vertically when needed – like a helicopter but without rotor blades – as well as fly horizontally, like an aeroplane.
They are also able to operate from very short airstrips of just 91 metres long and can seat between one and five people. According to Manta, an existing helipad or half a tennis court is perfectly sufficient for landing and take-off, and the aircraft can fit in a trailer towed by a car for ease of deployment.
These aircraft are fully customisable too, offering tailored design options, flexible configuration to adapt to different missions and operators, and even bespoke foils and colours for a personalised look.