WICHITA FALLS, Texas, Nov. 8, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Carter Aviation Technologies once again broke the Mu-1 barrier (only the second time in aviation history) with their second generation Slowed Rotor / Compound (SR/C™) prototype (see Mu-1 barrier explanation at: http://www.cartercopters.com/faq/05). This aircraft design has the VTOL capabilities of a helicopter, the speed and efficiency of commercial fixed wing aircraft, and the safety of an autorotating rotor that acts like a parachute in the event of a power failure.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=22124
Jay Carter said, "It has taken us longer to get to where we are today than we planned, but we are elated with this extraordinary accomplishment."
At Mu-1, when the rotor is turning very slowly, the rotor drag all but disappears and with very long small wings, the aircraft efficiency is better than most general aviation aircraft and about 4 times better than the most efficient helicopters. By being able to safely slow the rotor in flight, the technology allows for forward speeds as high as 500 mph, the cruise speed of some business jets, without the tip speed of the advancing blade going over Mach .9.
After a gorgeous sunrise, the record setting event occurred at 8:15:05 local time on November 7, 2013. The aircraft flew for 49 seconds at Mu-1 and above and for 7 minutes and 32 seconds above Mu .96. Other significant achievements were a true airspeed of 200 mph at 10,790', an altitude of 13,585' while climbing at over 500'/min, and a low rotor rpm of 113. The pilots reported the aircraft was as smooth as a sailplane on an absolutely smooth day.
Carter had made history previously with their first generation SR/C prototype breaking the Mu-1 barrier in June of 2005. That first time historic Mu-1 flight was the culmination of more than 12 years of research and development. Jay Carter, Jr. explained, "This [reaching Mu-1] was the goal for our first generation aircraft and we achieved it in 2005. We determined at the time that we needed to make some overall improvements to the aircraft so we designed a second generation SR/C prototype. We felt this was needed to really prove our technology and get the attention of military and aircraft manufacturer's upper management."
"With this milestone behind us, we now plan to focus our attention on demonstrating the long range and extreme endurance capabilities of our aircraft," explained Jay Carter.
About Carter Aviation Technologies, LLC.
Carter Aviation is a Wichita Falls, Texas based aerospace research and development firm that has developed and demonstrated its Slowed-Rotor/Compound (SR/C™) Technology. More information is available at www.CarterCopters.com. To discuss any of the foregoing or schedule a visit to Carter Aviation's facilities, please contact Jon Tatro at Jon.Tatro@CarterAero.com.
