MILITARY

Personal electric rotary aircraft completes test flight at Duke [PHOTOS]

The Hexa, an electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, hovers in the air during its first test flight at Duke Field on July 7 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The Hexa team completed the aircraft’s flight test via remote control. The aircraft, which used 18 motors and propellors, flew for approximately 10 minutes and reached a height of about 50 feet. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The Lift Hexa, an electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, completed its first test flight at Duke Field last week, Eglin Air Force Base (EAFB) has announced.

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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.

This test was an important first step towards incorporating the Hexa into operations at a controlled, military airfield, EAFB said in its announcement.

Duke Field is an auxiliary field located North of Eglin’s main base. This flight was completed by Hexa 09, one of two aircraft stationed here. Hexa 05 was used for the first test flight here in April.

The 413th Flight Test Squadron, the Air Forces’ rotary-wing developmental test experts, has partnered with AFWERX’s Agility Prime to advance eVTOL test and experimentation.

The unit, located at Duke Field, 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.

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“This flight was an important step in advancing the testing forward.”

By Samuel King Jr.

The Hexa, an electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, hovers in the air during its first test flight at a military airfield July 7 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The Hexa team completed the aircraft’s flight test via remote control. The aircraft, which used 18 motors and propellors, flew for approximately 10 minutes and reached a height of about 50 feet. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

LIFT team members secure batteries to the Hexa aircraft’s motors before its first flight at a military airfield at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The Hexa team completed the aircraft’s flight test via remote control. The aircraft, which used 18 motors and propellors, flew for approximately 10 minutes and reached a height of about 50 feet. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

Jace McCown, LIFT team member, pilots the Hexa, an electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, via remote control April 4 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The LIFT team completed the aircraft’s first unmanned flight test via remote control. The aircraft, which used 18 motors and propellors, flew for approximately 10 minutes and reached a height of about 50 feet. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

LIFT team members bring out the batteries that power the Hexa, an electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, prior to its first test flight April 4 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The LIFT team completed the aircraft’s first unmanned flight test via remote control. The aircraft, which used 18 motors and propellors, flew for approximately 10 minutes and reached a height of about 50 feet. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

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