SureFly electric helicopter makes first flight

The Workhorse SureFly electric helicopter made its first flight earlier this month in Cincinnati, Ohio, marking a new milestone for electric powered aircraft.

The SureFly has eight propellers directly attached to eight outrunner motors attached to four arms, much like a large Y8 multirotor. Essentially, that's just what it is - a very large helicopter drone. We've now reached a point where it's possible to use this tech for manned flight.

This aircraft isn't powered by batteries alone though. It has a petrol engine to drive two generators used to directly create electricity for the motors. There's also two 7.5kWh back up batteries should the generator fail. These would provide five minutes of juice for an emergency landing. You've also got a ballistic parachute in there, much like many other light aircraft. It's pretty difficult to put one of these in a traditional helicopter though!

At the moment, this power setup allows the SureFly to fly at a maximum speed of 70mph and a flight time of one hour. All this doesn't sound too astounding, but remember, this helicopter is the first of its kind.

Unlike some other similar drone-style helicopter projects out there, this one is a traditional piloted vehicle. The Volocopter, for example, is designed to transport people autonomously which is clearly quite a different concept. The SureFly can carry one pilot and passenger or a pilot and cargo.

It will be interesting to see where this sort of technology is heading in the next few years. As electric and hybrid-powered aircraft become more popular, we're sure to see some innovative new designs out there. I for one can't wait!