The future of flight? Helicopter-plane hybrid is battery-powered and doesn't need a runway because it takes off VERTICALLY

The S2 takes off like a helicopter, but once airborne its 12 propellers rotate and fold up so it can glide like an aeroplane
Joby Aviation, based in Santa Cruz, California, has produced supercomputer simulations of a 1,700lb full-scale S2 aircraft plus models
Company claims the electric plane could be five times as efficient as a conventional personal aeroplane and safer too
There is no hint as to when a full-size version of the S2 will take flight

Powering down a runway in an aeroplane could be a thing of the past - for the rich and famous at least - if this concept for a personal aircraft takes off.

A team of engineers who specialise in the design of wind-energy turbines have designed a small electric aeroplane that can take off vertically.

Its lift off would be similar to a helicopter’s, but once airborne, the S2 aircraft’s 12 rotor blade motors fold up so it can glide along like a conventional plane.

Entrepreneur JoeBen Bevirt has not yet built a full scale prototype of the S2, but around 24 10lb (4.5kg) models exist to prove the design works.
The models have piqued the interest of Nasa, which is now funding the development of a 55lb (25kg) version.

Joby Aviation, the firm behind the design, which is based in Santa Cruz, California, has produced supercomputer simulations of a 1,700lb (770kg) full-scale S2 aircraft and claim it should be able to fly two people between New York City and Boston – a 200mile (322km) journey – in just one hour.

Such a trip would require 50kilowatt-hours of electricity, which would make it around five times more efficient that a personal aeroplane burning approximately one-and-a-half gallons of fuel.
Mr Bevirt told Popsci that the plane would not have been possible a decade ago, but compact and efficient motors, increasingly power dense batteries, smart control systems and ever tinier sensors mean that the S2 could soon take to the skies.
Its most noticeable feature is retractable arms that reposition the motors from a horizontal position - like a helicopter to take off vertically - to folding up for aerodynamic flight.
Computers can adjust the speed of the motors 4,000 times per second to optimise efficiency, reduce noise and improve flight control, according to the firm.
The models demonstrate that 12 compact electric motors work three times as efficiently as combustion engines on personal airplanes, which could make the S2 a safer way for the rich and famous to travel in the future, the company said.

Efficient: Joby Aviation, which is based in Santa Cruz, California, has produced supercomputer simulations of a 1,700lb full-scale S2 aircraft (pictured) and claim it should be able to fly two people between New York City and Boston - a 200 mile journey - in just one hour