AltoVolo Sigma – aircraft with vertical take-off and silent jet engines

The personal air transport industry is rapidly developing, and against the backdrop of the recent announcement of the single-seat Volonaut Airbike from Polish engineer Tomasz Patan, the British company AltoVolo has gone further – its new aircraft Sigma

What is known

The AltoVolo Sigma is positioned as a “vertical hybrid jet aircraft”. The design is based on a patented system of tilting jet engines, which provide speeds of up to 354 km/h and a range of up to 821 km. At the same time, according to the developers, the noise from the engines is 80% lower than that of conventional helicopters.

Safety is a priority: Sigma can maintain stable flight even if one of the engines fails. In case of a critical situation, a parachute is provided. Compact dimensions (width 4.8 m, weight – 980 kg) allow landing in cramped conditions – on roads, roofs or yacht decks.

Who is involved in the project

The development is being carried out in collaboration with several well-known companies:

• Ansys is a developer of engineering modeling software, used in Formula 1, among others;
• Embention (Spain) is a supplier of an autonomous control system;
• The reliability of the design was confirmed by aerodynamicist Dr. Richard Brown from Sophrodyne Aerospace.

AltoVolo is betting on a cost-effective strategy for bringing the product to the market and is counting on high interest from investors. Applications for the Sigma will begin to be accepted in early July, but the company has not yet disclosed the price and start date of sales.