Carter PAV Nearly Complete

It is so small and compact that you might be tempted to call it “cute”, but the new Carter PAV is anything but cute. The dynamic new PAV prototype continues to demonstrate Carter’s revolutionary Slowed Rotor/Compound Aircraft (SR/C) technology. The technology was fully tested and developed on the original prototype, the CCTD, over a period of seven years. The design of the aircraft takes the somewhat novel approach of combining a rotorcraft with fixed-wing aerodynamics.

It is so small and compact that you might be tempted to call it “cute”, but the new Carter PAV is anything but cute. The dynamic new PAV prototype continues to demonstrate Carter’s revolutionary Slowed Rotor/Compound Aircraft (SR/C) technology. The technology was fully tested and developed on the original prototype, the CCTD, over a period of seven years. The design of the aircraft takes the somewhat novel approach of combining a rotorcraft with fixed-wing aerodynamics.

Carter Aviation Technologies from Wichita Falls in Texas recently updated their information on the newly released Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) Prototype. The exciting new aircraft has already been under development for the past two years and should hopefully be complete by the end of 2008. While it is essentially an update of its predecessor, it has a number of noteworthy changes. One of the most notable is a new tail configuration that makes use of a single tail boom with a horizontal stabilizer and three vertical stabilizers instead of the original twin tail booms. The new tail configuration not only provides protection for the propeller from ground strikes, but is also situated in the propeller slipstream to aid control of the aircraft. Another change is the 54 inch tilting mast that can be tilted forward 15 degrees or aft 30 degrees at slow speeds to help keep the aircraft level to the ground. This will greatly aid the pilot during take-offs and landings by making visibility much better.

Yet another noteworthy change is the wingspan, which has been increased from 34 feet to 45 feet. The change increases the aircraft’s lift-to-drag ration to well over 12, giving it a distinct advantage over a number of other fixed wing aircraft. The design of the massive rotor will also provide the aircraft with exceptional jump takeoff capabilities, regardless of high-density altitudes and the aircraft’s gross weight. Of course none of these changes could be considered ‘improvements’ if the performance, reliability and safety of the aircraft had been compromised and so these three elements have continued to be key factors in the new design of the aircraft. The aircraft is also designed to give its passengers the best seat in the house, with the back seats being tiered so that passengers seated here can still see clearly out the large windows. The aircraft seats four, including the pilot, and there is a comfortable amount of space for cargo. There are many more amazing features of this remarkable aircraft that shouldn’t be overlooked. The new PAV will undoubtedly prove to be a remarkable and versatile aircraft. If you want to know more, you should definitely have a look at the aircraft’s specs on Carter’s official website.