Simply 21 months after receiving $5.1M seed funding and with solely 9 months from idea to first flight, MightyFly is able to unveil the subsequent era of its plane, the MightyFly Cento.
Plane Specs & Cargo Logistics Platform Capabilities
The Cento, beforehand known as the MF-100, is a hybrid, electrical Vertical Takeoff and Touchdown (VTOL) plane with a cargo capability of 100 lbs (45 kg), a variety of 600 miles (965 km) and a max pace of 150 mph (240 km/hr).
With eight electrical vertical carry followers, one ahead propulsion propeller, and a excessive wing carbon fiber airframe, the absolutely loaded Cento weighs simply 355 kilos (161 kg).
It measures 13.1 ft by 16.7 ft (4 m by 5 m) taking over a complete space that’s lower than two compact vehicles – which means the bottom switch stations required onsite can merely be two automobile spots in an present car parking zone.
Cento is supplied with a 6 ft by 1 ft by 1 ft (1.8 m by 0.30 m by 0.30 m) inside cargo bay in a position to carry 96 small USPS packages. Cargo is loaded and unloaded by a conveyor belt that operates autonomously, so no human dealing with apart from dropoff and pickup is required on the floor stations.
The plane are operated and maintained by MightyFly, which can handle the end-to-end technique of its categorical transport providers making the shopper expertise handy and seamless. As a result of Cento is supplied with a hybrid powertrain, it doesn’t require recharging between flights. An inside combustion engine recharges the plane’s battery whereas within the air, enabling it to carry out a number of consecutive deliveries, with as much as 600 miles vary.
“The normal hub-and-spoke distribution mannequin can nonetheless serve companies which have centralized warehousing and transport techniques in place and which have skilled few logistics points,” mentioned Manal Habib, MightyFly CEO and co-founder. “But when there’s one lesson we’ve realized from provide chain bottlenecks and logistics over the previous few years, it’s that we’d like flexibility – to have the ability to adapt to varied cargo volumes and expedited timing or urgencies. Medical firms, just-in-time manufacturing, and the 51% of all retailers that now present same-day supply want a quicker and extra reasonably priced method to get their items and perishables to the ultimate vacation spot.”
FAA Grants Particular Airworthiness and Certificates of Authorization for Lengthy Vary Flight
After present process an in depth examine of all security requirements and testing outcomes of MightyFly’s end-to-end system, inclusive of plane {hardware}, software program and its floor infrastructure, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted the MightyFly Cento a Particular Airworthiness Certificates and a Certificates of Authorization (COA) for long-range flights.
Because of this MightyFly can begin demonstrating the long-range flight capabilities of Cento. Demonstrating autonomous eVTOL flights as much as 600 miles of vary with 100 kilos of cargo is unprecedented within the trade.
With this COA in place, the corporate will have the ability to speed up improvement of its autonomous plane, with a bigger airspace (230 sq miles) during which to check the transition from hover to ahead flight at medium and excessive altitudes (as much as 5000 ft).
Awarded a Small Enterprise Innovation Analysis (SBIR) Grant
MightyFly’s built-in, high-throughput aerial logistics system is ideally suited to retail, medical, automotive and manufacturing companies, nevertheless it has additionally attracted government-level curiosity, particularly in protection, from the US Air Power.
The SBIR award is given to small companies engaged on modern know-how with the potential to profit the Division of Protection (DoD), comparable to supply of medical provides to a staff within the discipline or different missions like communication relays the place long-range capability is essential. The US Air Power has acknowledged the agility of MightyFly’s platform (e.g., no required floor charging infrastructure and long-range functionality, each afforded by its hybrid propulsion) and is supporting additional improvement of its know-how.
MightyFly started autonomous flight testing of the Cento in December 2022. In the meantime, it’s planning to develop a bigger car that may carry 500 kilos of cargo.
