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F l y O R B s. o r g
Flight Plan
Phase 1 Objective:
Develop, acquire, and conduct manned flight test of an affordable ORB
While it will be years before ORBs are making regular flights across cities and between rural areas, we believe that Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) technology could begin providing safe and viable transportation TODAY!
Our Phase 1 Objective intends to prove the concept with a small budget executed by an unmatched team of professionals. This process will help create lessons and material for educating future ORB designers, testers, manufactures, owners, pilots, regulators and passengers of all ages.
The NASA Puffin is an ORB concept where a single person could fly vertically during takeoff and landing then transition to more efficient winged horizontal flight in transit. The planned speed is 150 mph.
NASA Puffin
The Joby Aviation S2 is a two seat ORB with motors that articulate for vertical takeoff and landing. The efficient wing increases cruise speed and range. It is planned to have 14 electric motors.
Joby Aviation S2
Flight Plan
Seeing is believing! That is why we think few efforts will help accelerate a revolution in transportation like having an independent non-profit organization leverage the experience of flight test professionals to evaluate product safety and performance and then employ the experience of highly-trained professional pilots to conduct demonstrations of this technology, so the public can safely see and believe. This test and demonstration process is the cornerstone of establishing credible education for the public, industry, government, and academia.
Phase 1
a) Engineering: Determine desired attributes and availability of viable ORBs
b) Program Management: Acquire the first ORB, managing cost, schedule, and performance
c) Test: Conduct developmental and operational test, collecting ORB safety/performance data
d) Demo: Provide an opportunity for the broader public to see an ORB in flight
e) Education: Use tests and demos to educate the public, industry, government, and academia
Organization
Independent Non-Profit:
While each stakeholder has a critical role with key interests, it is important to have an external actor with no profit motives providing objective assessments and collaborative development among the other stakeholders. As a educational non-profit, we feel that it is important to do a significant amount of fundraising through crowd sourcing to prove that we are bringing value to the general public.
Experienced Professionals:
Engineers: Identifying and developing ORB technology
Program Managers: Managing ORB cost, schedule, performance and risk
Community Organizers: Establishing relationships for ORB education
Business Leaders: Assessing markets and fostering stakeholder profitability
Pilots: Safely testing and demonstrating ORBs
Educators: Developing and delivering educational programs
Policy Makers: Collaborating with government to accelerate a revolution in transportation
Results
Inspired Public:
By having an independent organization test and demonstrate an ORB it will become clear that this technology is safely and rapidly maturing and will soon be providing safe, simple, affordable, available, quiet, and clean transportation so they can share the air with family and friends.
Inspired Youth:
Few things can impress an aspiring engineer like seeing Sci-Fi come to life in a new flying machine. As important as the engineering is the engagement of young minds in the other innovative uses of this technology. FlyORBs.org will establish ORB-focused science fairs to increase the flow of ideas that will enhance the next-generation of ORB design and use.
Enabled Industry:
FlyORBs.org will help develop market research and supply it to all industry partners so they can focus their efforts on developing and manufacturing safe and affordable ORBs. Specific test data and results will be shared with the specific manufacturing firm and generalized best-practices will be shared across the industry.
Enabled Government:
Through testing conducted by professionals who have been trained in the world's most elite test pilot schools and testing the world's most complex aircraft, FlyORBs.org will be providing data and lessons-learned to regulators, ensuring that public risk is properly balanced without unnecessarily stifling ORB operators, innovators, and industry.
Enabled Academy:
Public interaction for education and demonstration along with product testing will not only inspire a strong corps to join academic endeavors, but it will also help academia focus on those key technologies with the highest return on investment and perhaps help connect industry and government with expert researchers to close critical gaps.