SSAL - Ship to Shore Air Limo
The Ship to Shore Air Limo (SSAL) is a unique eVTOL in that it is a short-range aircraft. Most trips from ship to shore would be less than 5 minutes making a 35-minute endurance practical.
The primary mission of the SSAL is to offer luxurious, spacious, comfortable, and quick transport from ship to shore. The SSAL has excellent visibility for all on board thanks to the stadium seating arrangement. This flight system is exponentially more cost effective than a traditional helicopter system.
The design is relatively simple, featuring eight fixed rotors and two stub wings set at a predetermined angle of incidence to offer the best lift performance at cruise speed. The two stub wings and lifting body fuselage help reduce power consumption when at its cruise speed of 90 kts.
The eight rotors offer some redundancy for safety.
Due to its smaller rotors, the SSAL can land in a much smaller landing area than helicopters. The SSAL can be used in lieu of traditional surface tenders during rough sea conditions.
Piloting an eVTOL is much easier than a traditional helicopter making it possible to eliminate the need for a highly skilled pilot to be on call.
The platform has an 'Auto-Hover' emergency system in case of pilot emergency. The SSAL would have low maintenance requirements as compared to a traditional helicopter. The SSAL would be less intrusive to residents for off airport landings and departures.
Length 29.23ft / 8.9m
Height 9.43ft / 2.87m
Wingspan 19.25ft / 5.87m (tip to tip of rotors)
Wing area 44.3 sq. ft. / 4.12m2
Gross weight 4,500lbs / 2041kg
Empty weight 3,300lbs / 1497kg
Seats 5 passengers and 1 pilot (if equipped with bench seat in back row)
Rotor motors Eight 120 hp. each, with 72” diameter rotors. Motor type TBD
Cruise 90kts
Top speed 120kts
Rate of climb 1500 + ft. / min
Endurance 35 minutes at current motor and battery technology
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