The Hoverpod is Entecho’s personal flight Compact Air Vehicle (CAV) and employs their patented radial drum fan lifting system. With its small footprint and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) ability, it is easily transported, can be launched from anywhere and fly over any surface; be it snow, water, sand or wetland.
The Hoverpod is the ultimate recreational vehicle, combining the freedom of the hovercraft and All-Terrain-Vehicles (ATV) with the performance of Personal-Watercraft (PWC) and Snowmobiles. The Hoverpod flies at a greater altitude than a conventional hovercraft, allowing it to pass over any terrain. The Hoverpod also enjoys the freedom to tilt and develop translational g-forces in any direction. This omni-directional ability makes the Hoverpod further unique compared to conventional recreational vehicles.
Top speed should be around 120kmh (75 mph), and an initial range of 3km (2 miles) will improve through development.
Entecho are building two models using the enclosed rotor technology. The first is the small, 11 pounds (5kg) unmanned Mupod, which can be used for a variety of UAV applications and measures 3 feet (60cm) in diameter. Entecho have already demonstrated a flying prototype of the Mupod.
The larger Hoverpod is a manned version with up to 3 seats. It’s 5 feet (2.7m) in diameter and limited to fly 5 feet (1.5m) above ground – this doesn’t make it the flying car everyone’s holding out for, but it’s a significant improvement on, for example, the standard hovercraft – and opens up a much wider range of passable terrains.
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