Diesel and propellers: technology for the future?
The Californian start-up Otto Aviation officially introduces the Celera 500L as "the most fuel-efficient commercially viable passenger aircraft in the world".
The full-scale prototype has completed 31 test flights validating its performance goals: a max. cruise speed of 724 km/h, a range of +7,200 km and a fuel consumption of 9.4 to 13 l per 100 km. It is equipped with a liquid cooled V12 motor certified to operate on available Jet A1 and biodiesel, powering a propeller, and utilises extensive laminar flow over the fuselage, wings, and tail surfaces.
Its 12.7 cbm cabin can carry D-sized cargo containers from a product’s point of manufacture to POS. Low costs per kg of payload on short and long-range missions makes the Celera 500L effective at carrying small volumes of high value cargo. (ah)