Electric rotary aircraft completes first Eglin flight

  • Published
  • By Samuel King Jr.

The Lift Hexa, an electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, completed its first test flight here April 4.

The unmanned aircraft, piloted via remote control, used 18 motors and propellers to fly for approximately 10 minutes and reach a height of about 50 feet.

The aircraft resides with Eglin’s rotary wing test squadron, the 413th Flight Test Squadron, who manages the program under its Agility Prime flight.  The unit provides the coordination, logistics and support for the Lift team’s developmental ground and flight testing operations.

“This is an opportunity to leverage some of the unit’s expertise with rotary aircraft and apply it to this new field of electric propulsion aircraft,” said Maj. Riley Livermore, 413th FLTS futures flight commander.