What began as a student design project, the WatFly Atlas is a single-seat electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, which is intended for recreational use and supposed to be marketed from 2021..
Designed by mechanical engineering students Abinesh Chandrasekhar and Gonzalo Espinoza Graham of the University of Waterloo (Canada), before founding the independent start-up company Atlas the two students original goal was to make and produce a one passenger autonomous long-duration eVTOL aircraft for Urban Air Mobility (UAM).
The Atlas with its four rotors powered by a wing integrated battery pack will provide up to 60 minutes of thrill filled flight reaching up to 125 mph whilst carrying about 250 lbs or hover for about 15 minutes. Its battery packs, about a quarter the size of a Tesla’s and can recharge in approx two hours.
Atlas’ strong, stiff carbon fibre structure combines with our active cabin gimbal suspension for true comfort. There’s also ample leg room and a rear storage area. So your luggage – from golf clubs, to skis or snowboards – simply fit. While inside the cabin there’s more than 180-degrees of breath-taking visibility thanks to the canopy wraparound.
Because of its configuration, Atlas is FAA certified as an Ultralight Air Vehicle, meaning you do not need a pilot license to fly it; just the company‘s tailored training course. The use of the device is limited to leisure activities with the prohibition of flying over dense areas, including cities and villages, as well as certain specific airspaces.
As of February 2020, the company is now taking pre-orders for their aircraft and expect the first product models to be sold in 2021 the price for the Atlas is expected to be about $150,000.00 USD.
