Originally Posted by
IFMU
19 psf is pretty high. I bet the inertia is next to zilch. Variable pitch or not autorotation doesn't seem very viable.
Right, I don't think autorotation in the conventional helicopter sense is in the design. The idea is 100% computer control that will sense if the engine dies and immediately shift to stored battery power, to maneuver around obstacles for a safe landing. Or if one of the fan motors dies, it will shift electric power to the others and keep everything balanced for a controlled landing. All of this in theory, of course.
And it will just take one of those "safe" landings on someone's house to kill the "taxi" concept in litigation. Even if the noise doesn't kill the concept first, and I think that's really the main obstacle because none of these things are actually in the air over people's houses yet.