'I am always interested in new technology,' said Mr Ming, whose business interests include Golden Galaxy, an aviation company based in Beijing.
Called a 'Very Quiet Short Takeoff and Landing' aircraft, Jetpod may one day whiz commuters between the centres of major metropolises at speeds of up to 550km/h, mimicking scenes out of Star Wars or Blade Runner. Its designers say Jetpod will not need much of a runway, only a strip 150 metres long. It would also be quieter and cheaper than a helicopter, making it more environmentally friendly.
Mr Ming said he bought a stake in Avcen, the company that is designing Jetpod, after reading a report about the aircraft on the internet last year. 'I then phoned a friend in London to contact Mike [Dacre, the managing director of Avcen],' said Mr Ming, who, seven months after meeting Mr Dacre, invested in his company.
'This is the city aircraft of the future,' said Mr Dacre. 'Every time you see this aircraft in the air, it means there will be seven fewer cars on the road.'
He said the British government was 'very keen' on Jetpod. The aircraft was undergoing certification for civil use in Europe and its engine - it will have two - was being tested in Detroit.
According to Avcen's website, Jetpod's development is also being funded by the London Development Agency and the European Union's European Regional Development Fund.
Mr Dacre said the aircraft would start production at the end of this year, with 165 made in the first year of production and 225 in the second. First orders would be supplied to military buyers, as these would not need the same certification required for civilian aircraft.
He said the aircraft would cost GBP800,000
($11 million), plus US$450,000 for both engines - cheaper than most helicopters. Eighty per cent of the components would be produced by a state-owned aerospace manufacturer in Shenyang , Liaoning. The engine would be supplied by Williams International in the US, with the final assembly
in England.
This is an edited version of an article by Charlotte So published in the South China Morning Post yesterday.
Weblinks
- check out the flight simulation
- the practical implications of Jetpod
- Wikipedia always good for online research
What is Avcen?
- a small aerospace company that is solely dedicated to the design and production of the Jetpod aircraft
- based in London, England
- been researching and designing the Very Quiet Short Take-Off and Landing multi-role Jetpod aircraft since 1998
Why use Jetpods?
- cities are straining at their seams with an ever-growing demand for automobiles
- air taxis offset road and rail congestion
- air taxis are very quiet, free roaming and pay-on-demand
Potential roles for Jetpod
(source: Avcen website)
Air taxi - low-cost, free-roaming, multi-sector, low-level, very quiet, city centre air-taxis;
Personal jet - low-noise, countryside transpeeder, on grass or roughly prepared dirt strips;
Military or civil surgical air-ambulance (run-straight-in stretcher);
Free-roaming homeland security over major cities at 45 knots loiter, 340 knots chase;
Tourism air taxi, especially high-density and cross-water small island destinations, viewing platform;
Police operations.
Discussion
Is the Jetpod the city transport of the future?
Enquiry
What is the difference between a Jetpod and a helicopter?
Would it be dangerous to have Jetpods flying around the city?
Would you like to travel in a Jetpod?
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51krrPAyJyjnmdlaIV0hJNoq6iln6e%2FsMPSZquasJk%3D