Business Model

The Carter Hummingbird is a new type of aircraft with a very specific mission: To maneuver more freely and precisely in the air than any other aircraft of any type. Properly developed, Hummingbird will revolutionize the aerobatics industry.

What is Aerobatics?

Aerobatics is a formally organized sport with a following in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and many other countries. As the name implies, the discipline involves performing “acrobatic” maneuvers in the air. Modern aerobatic aircraft are highly specialized machines, designed expressly for aerobatic flight, that can influence strongly a pilot’s flight performance. The quest to develop better aerobatic aircraft is ongoing in several countries, including France, Germany, Russia, Canada, and the U.S.

An Aircraft of the Future

Aerobatic Performance.

Hummingbird will be capable of flying current aerobatic maneuvers with ease and precision, as well as introducing three completely new modes of flight for light aircraft:
a. Sustained, fully controlled hover.
b. Efficient knife-edge (side) flight, including knife-edge loops.
c. “Powered lift” slow flight.
In terms of pure aerobatic capability, therefore, Hummingbird will have no peer.

Advanced Human Interface.

Hummingbird is designed to be an extension of the needs of aerobatic pilots. The semi-reclining seat increases G tolerances. Superb visibility and attitude reference always let the pilot know his or her situation. Thrust and drag are controlled with a single power lever, while software automatically adjusts the pitch of both propellers. The side-stick controller offers support for the pilot’s flying arm during lateral maneuvers. The cockpit will be extremely quiet since the exhausts from both engines exit aft of the propellers, while the propellers themselves are muffled by the duct.

Spectator Appeal.

Hummingbird is an exhibition airplane with a look and sound completely different from existing aircraft. In the hands of skilled pilots its unique hover, slow flight, and knife-edge capabilities will be mesmerizing. Furthermore, the aircraft's low wing loading will allow it to fly routines closer to its audience, bringing both airplane and pilot more into view and into contact. A low 190 hz rumble will issue from the propellers which, along with the howl of eight 2-cycle cylinders at 6000 rpm, will create an unmistakable sound. New generations of spectators, who relate more to X-Wing Fighters than to Spitfires, will come to demand the Hummingbird look and sound, particularly when it demonstrates numerous aerobatic maneuvers impossible for any other machine.

Transportable.

Hummingbird breaks down quickly into manageable components, the largest of which is about ten feet long and weighs 200 lb. Airshow teams could fit three or more Hummingbirds into one tractor-trailer. It will take two people about 1 hour to totally dismantle one aircraft, and about 2 hours to reassemble it to flight condition.

Economical.

While Hummingbird's complex and sophisticated airframe will cost more to build than conventional airframes, two Hirth engines together cost only a third the cost of one aerobatic 300hp Lycoming. Furthermore, the Hirth costs much less to overhaul and maintain, as do potential Wankel engines being considered for the aircraft. Therefore we are in the enviable position of being able to produce a technically superior product for a lower total cost to the customer.

Safe.

Hummingbird’s low wing loading and rugged roll-over structures will minimize potential injures in many crash-landing and ground impact scenarios. A ballistic recovery system provides emergency recovery as low as 200 ft AGL in the event of an in-flight emergency. The aircraft’s low mass inertias and low-set rudder contribute to safe, predictable spin behavior (one of the more dangerous aspects of conventional aircraft). Dual engines, propellers, fuel systems, and electrical systems provide redundancy in the event of equipment failure.

Hummingbird’s Primary Market

a. Competition Aerobatic Pilots

Aerobatic pilots are highly dependent on their aircraft for success in the sport, particularly at advanced levels. An aircraft that proves to be more capable, flexible, and easier to fly, at a competitive price, will find a ready market amongst competition pilots. Further, Hummingbird’s geometric symmetry will make it easy to judge. Hummingbird could ultimately inspire deep changes in the Sport of Aerobatics, increasing the sport’s public exposure and public appeal.

b. Airshow Pilots and Teams

Hummingbird is designed to perform before an audience. At least one airshow team will be formed to demonstrate and promote the aircraft before airshow audiences. Solo pilots are expected to follow suit.

Airshows are amongst the most popular outdoor events in the world. An aircraft popular with airshow audiences enjoys enormous exposure, and therefore marketing power and sponsorship potential. Hummingbird is expected to become the most sought after airshow act for some time after its introduction, driving sales to airshow pilots worldwide.

Philip Parish, an experienced airshow pilot from Tacoma, WA, intends to form an aerobatic team consisting of three Hummingbirds. With marketing support on the ground, this team will drive sales wherever it performs.

c. Recreational Pilots

The recreational market may ultimately be the largest. The two seat aircraft will serve as a good general purpose recreational and training aircraft with spectacular aerobatic performance. It will find buyers amongst the huge number of pilots who simply want to fly for fun.

The Extra 300 series and the Sukhoi SU26-31 machines are regarded as amongst the best aerobatic aircraft in the world today. Hummingbird will match these aircraft on their own level, then add three completely new flight modes (controlled hover, efficient side-flight, and powered-lift slow flight). Add the ultra-quiet cockpit and unsurpassed visibility, along with superior safety and economy, and we complete the equation of why pilots will choose to fly Hummingbird.

Hummingbird’s Secondary Markets

• While heavily optimized for aerobatics, the aircraft will be capable of reasonable cruise performance, with an endurance of about 3 hours at up to 200 mph. Since aerobatic aircraft are overpowered for cruise, longer flights may be possible with one engine shut down. The aircraft will thus be a viable mount for moderate cross-country flights.

• The aircraft’s unique slow-flight and hover capabilities, along with its helicopter-like visibility and twin-engine reliability, may lend themselves to certain search and surveillance tasks at a much lower cost than that of a helicopter.

• A Hummingbird variant designed for military flight training would provide significant advantages over any current trainer. These include propulsive symmetry (like a jet); a similar cockpit environment; the ability to generate accelerations on all axes simulating a jet fighter at speed; and post-stall slow flight capability not unlike the F22.

Possible spin-off technologies

• Hummingbird’s innovative propellers could be adapted to other light aircraft designs.

• Many of Hummingbird’s design features may be applicable to future VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) machines.

Manufacturing Hummingbird

The preferred approach is to fully assemble aircraft on a custom-order basis. Each aircraft would be fully tested and licensed in the Experimental Exhibition category before being delivered to the customer. It is probable that the aircraft will be fully certified for the recreational market at some time in the future.

It is expected that manufacturing will take place in New Zealand, for the following key reasons:
a. Liability laws are more rational in NZ than in North America.
b. The composite yacht industry in the Auckland area has created a sophisticated composites infrastructure, including specialized expertise and a skilled labor pool. Many of the materials and technologies demonstrated in modern racing yachts are similar to what will be seen in Hummingbird.
c. The low NZ dollar makes exporting financially attractive.

Technical Risk

• The Hummingbird configuration, while original, could be considered an elegant recombining of established technologies. Shrouded propellers and counter-rotating propellers have both been flown on previous aircraft and are well understood. The aerodynamics of annular wings is well understood. Taken in isolation, there are few unproven technologies in Hummingbird.

• Those features which are unproven, such as the innovative structural arrangements of airframe and propellers, are technically sound and are being verified by rigorous analysis before prototype construction begins. The technical risks arise from developmental issues rather than conceptual ones. Therefore, reducing risk to acceptable levels is a matter of taking care of the details through rigorous analysis, development, and testing.

• In short, no magic or unknown technology is required to make Hummingbird perform as promised. The concept is original; the physics is not. Numerous opinions from independent experts are in general agreement that the aircraft is viable and that it will advance the state of the art.