In a Masterclass with Art&Design and Science&Engineering Saturday Club members from Kingston University, Flight Crowd led a session on eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) design.
Flight Crowd is a not-for-profit Urban Air Mobility community set to inform, engage, and inspire members of the public on the future of flight. To kick-start the Masterclass, Flight Crowd’s founder, Mariya Tarabanovska, and Marsha Ilina, Community Outreach Coordinator, introduced the Club members to Flight Crowd’s work. During the introduction, Club members learnt about the possibilities of Air Mobility, future careers, and also their task for the day: to design their own eVTOL.
Once they had been given their brief, Club members had the opportunity to fly drones in Kingston University’s STEM Outreach Centre.
After the presentation and drone-flight, the group was divided into teams and each was challenged to design their own Air Taxi. Once they had settled on their designs, Flight Crowd experts guided the groups on how to use CAD (SolidWorks Apps for Kids), which they experimented with to create their 3D designs and bring their Air Taxis to life.
To conclude the Masterclass, each group presented their CAD creations and what inspired the process. The Air Taxis ranged from vehicles for schoolgirls in Afghanistan, firefighters, and mountain rescuers. The groups considered everything from aerodynamics, interior and exterior design, sustainability and accessibility.