Designed For Personal Ownership And Fun Flight Dynamics, The Air One eVTOL Takes To The Skies

Air, a Tel Aviv-based company in Israel, debuted its full-scale prototype, the Air One, two months ago, and now, the full-scale eVTOL is airborne and testing is underway.

Air’s chief executive officer and co-founder, Rani Plaut, expressed, “It was truly awe-inspiring to watch Air One lift off the ground for the first time. We’ve been on this upward journey for nearly five years and cannot wait for the public to join us on this ride.”

Resembling a small-sized two-motored plane, the Air One is a two-seater pilot operated multi-copter with wings, designed for personal ownership and fun flight dynamics.

Despite looking like so, this Israeli eVTOL is really an eight-prop coaxial multi-copter that comes in the form of two rather heavily-slanted wings.

It doesn’t come with a forward propulsion system, but tilts to fly like any other multi-copter, and has no fully wing-borne efficient flight mode, nor any control surfaces on the wings.

Regardless, when it's fully tilted forward at speed, the wings contribute some lift to take some stress off the props and the powertrain.

According to the company, the Air One propels at 771 hp with a maximum speed of 250 km/h and a cruise speed of up to 160 km/h.

Weighing in at 868 kg, it has a maximum payload of 250 kg, and Air says it can soar the skies for about an hour on a single charge, delivering a maximum flight range of 177 km.

Pricing-wise, it starts at USD 150,000 (RM 664,725), and the company said it already sold more than 150 units, with certification and the first customer deliveries both slated in 2024.

All in all, compared to other players in the market, the Air One offers a lot with it’s build, namely more seats, three times the flight range, and a jet-like flip-top canopy cabin that looks very cool.

Plaut concluded, “This momentous milestone secures Air’s spot as a market leader in the personal air mobility space, making the thrill of flight achievable on a daily basis. We look forward to continued growth as we launch into the next phase of development.”