A new report by NewAtlas says that Senkel is working on bringing a new tandem wing eVTOL prototype which will be dubbed the ‘eMagic Aircraft’. This aircraft was just now exhibited in a demo.
Senkel left Volocopter in 2016 due to range inefficiency issues. He then collaborated with pilot and engineer Michael Kugelgen to work on the eMagic Aircraft project. The footage of Kugelgen flying the machine is revealed now.
Senekel states that “The tandem wing configuration gives excellent flight characteristics,” Senkel told NewAtlas. “It’s impossible to stall it. It softly goes into a higher sink rate when the stick is pulled, but it remains controllable all the time. This behavior is very useful for transition between flight modes.”
The eMagic One is a hybrid between an aircraft and a multi-copter. It gives five times more range than a standard multi-copter. It was said in an article by AutoEvolution that Senkel brought his expertise in electric drivetrains to the table, while Kugelen worked on the airframe of the eMagic One. Moritz Pfletschinger is also another person who worked with the two. He handled the software development for the aircraft and flight controller optimization.
The eMagic One is 23.6 ft (7.2 m) long and it has a wingspan of 25.2 ft (7.6 m). The maximum takeoff weight is 882 lb. (420 kg). The airframe is very light, and it has an empty weight of 562 lb (255 kg).
It can reach a top speed of 105 mph (170 km/h) and has a flight time of up to an hour.
The Magic Aircraft team is now looking for outside investments to work on its prototype. The aim is to turn it into a three-seater flying taxi. Volocopter also states that they will be bringing their flying taxis soon in and around the year 2024.