USAF Accelerates Flight Testing of Unique Single-Seat Hexa eVTOL

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Austin, Texas-based Lift Aircraft with a new contract to continue developing its unique, single-seat, ultralight, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft called Hexa.

Thom Patterson

Wednesday, April 13, 2022 at 11:56 AM ET

Verified

Texas-based Lift Aircraft’s Hexa eVTOL weighs 432 pounds and includes a halo of 18 proprotors. [Courtesy: Lift Aircraft]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Air Force awarded Lift Aircraft a new contract to continue developing its Hexa, a single-seat, ultralight electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Hexa is an 18-proprotor, amphibious eVTOL designed to eventually not require a pilot's certificate under FAA Part 103, making personal flight more accessible.
The aircraft is being developed for diverse civil and military applications, including emergency response, personnel transport, and search-and-rescue, with initial testing to occur at Eglin Air Force Base.

See a mistake? Contact us.

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Austin, Texas-based Lift Aircraft a new contract to continue developing its unique, single-seat, ultralight, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft called Hexa.

Hexa has been performing crewed test flights of full-sized prototypes since 2018 and the aircraft has been under Air Force contract since 2020. After Hexa receives FAA approval, Lift Aircraft says its 18-proprotor, amphibious eVTOL won’t require a pilot’s certificate to fly, under the FAA’s powered ultralight classification in FAR Part 103.