Whirlybird Wonder: Austrian Madmen Take to the Skies in a Barrel of Laughs
Image Credit: CycloTech.
I just came across something so utterly bonkers, so delightfully against the grain, that it's got my petrol-infused heart doing a little electric boogie. Never mind all those sleek, drone-like contraptions; a team of Austrians has gone and cooked up something that looks like the lovechild of a helicopter and a barrel organ. And against all odds, it's actually taken to the skies!
Back in the dark ages – around 2011, if you can believe it – I first stumbled across these mad scientists and their peculiar spinning cylinders. They called themselves D-Dalus back then, which sounds like something a Roman emperor would name his pet hamster. But the tech, oh boy, the tech was sooo intriguing. Fast forward to today, and these clever clogs at Cyclotech (way better name than D-Dalus) have strapped six of these "Cyclorotors" to an airframe they've dubbed "Blackbird," making it the first aircraft in the world to take flight with such a bewildering setup.
Image Credit: CycloTech.
So, what in the name of all things aviation is a Cyclorotor? Imagine a barrel, but instead of being full of pickled gherkins, its walls are made up of tilting airfoil blades. As the barrel spins at a constant rate – and I mean a proper whirl, not some lazy Sunday potter – these blades are constantly adjusting their angle. It's all thanks to a swashplate, a clever bit of kit that sounds like something you'd find on a pirate ship, but in reality, it ensures each blade slices through the air at precisely the right angle, then neatly tucks itself back in.
The result? Thrust vectoring that's quicker than you can say "Bob's your uncle." That means 360-degree freedom, which for a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft battling a gust of wind, is like having the reflexes of a ninja. Regular propellers need a bit of a wind-up to get their thrust going, like me trying to get out of bed on a Monday morning. Electric motors are punchy, sure, but they can't quite match the instantaneous adjustments these Cyclorotors can pull off.
And then there's the very important safety aspect. I'm not saying I'd fancy sticking my arm into one of these spinning barrels any more than a regular propeller – the outcome would likely be similarly messy. But there's something about the packaging that makes them seem a tad less menacing on takeoff.
Image Credit: CycloTech.
The "Blackbird" prototype went from a mere idea scribbled on a napkin to actually flapping its unconventional wings in a mere 11 months. It is a rather petite beast, weighing in at a featherlight 750 pounds (that's about 340 kilograms for you metric types). It's currently a solo affair – no room for a brave (or foolish) passenger just yet. It's got one of these Cyclorotors at each corner, just like your common garden-variety quadcopter drone. But then, the mad lads have gone and bolted on two more barrels underneath the front and rear, mounted at right angles.
These extra spinning gizmos aren't just there for show, like a spoiler on a milk float. They provide extra oomph for vertical lift and act as a backup in case one of the others decides to have a sulk and stop working. They also give the Blackbird the ability to generate sideways or even a twisting thrust. Imagine that – an aircraft that can not only go up and down but also shuffle about like a tipsy crab.
The production version, currently going by the rather optimistic moniker "CruiseUp," is slated to be a two-seater with a modest range of around 62 miles and a top speed of about 93 mph. It's being pitched as a personal "buy'n'fly" machine, rather than a fully certified air taxi that'll be ferrying suited-up city slickers to their next power lunch. Cyclotech is also tinkering with some wonderfully odd cargo-carrying versions with a company called Yamato. I know it sounds like a particularly potent brand of Japanese whisky - but I digress.
Sadly, there's no video footage of the entire maiden flight, we only get a short teaser - which is a crying shame. I imagine it was less a graceful ballet in the sky and more of a slightly wobbly hover, like a toddler taking its first steps. But Cyclotech assures us that they're now embarking on an "extensive flight test campaign" to really see what these barrel rotors can do. They're not exactly rushing to mass production, with the current guesstimate being somewhere around 2035. Their business plan seems more focused on proving their unique propulsion system and making it available for other applications, which sounds like they might be selling the clever bits to other folks rather than churning out flying machines themselves.
You have to admire their audacity. With the sleek and predictable electric aircraft designs popping up everywhere like mushrooms after rain, these Austrians have thrown a proper curveball. The Blackbird, with its six spinning barrels, is a proper head-turner, a mechanical marvel that looks as bizarre as it is potentially brilliant. It's the kind of contraption that makes you scratch your head, chuckle a bit, and then think, "You know what? I wouldn't mind a go in that." I'll certainly be keeping my beady eye on Cyclotech and their barrel-rolling adventures. It's not every day you see something this wonderfully, gloriously odd take to the skies.
