Jetpod Air Taxi Prototype's Crash Claims Inventor's Life

A British inventor died during a test flight of his "Jetpod" meant to revolutionize city commutes

By Jeremy Hsu Posted 08.17.2009 at 11:45 am 2 Comments

Jetpod Tragedy Fire and rescue personnel check the wreckage of the Jetpod which crashed during the test flight in Taiping, Malaysia yesterday. Malaysia Star

Michael Robert Dacre, a 53-year-old aircraft entrepreneur, died when his Jetpod--a prototype "air taxi" twin-jet aircraft --crashed on take-off during a test flight in Malaysia. Dacre had hoped to revolutionize city commuting with the jetpod, an aircraft he invented with the ability to take off or land on very short stretches of road or grass for short-hop commuting.

The very quiet short take-off and landing (VQSTOL) aircraft used both horizontal and vertical thrust to get airborne in just 125 meters (410 ft), with the ability to reconfigure quickly into a jet capable of cruising at 310 mph. The Times reports that Dacre had been developing the concept with his UK-based company Avcen as a possible commuting alternative that might have charged £40 (65 USD) for a quick flight from Heathrow Airport to Central London.

Jetpod's Dream Unfulfilled: Can a British inventor's dream outlive him? Avcen

Malaysian officials say that the Jetpod reached a height of about 200 meters (656 ft) before plummeting to the ground, where it was engulfed in flames, according to The Guardian.

Inventors and companies reaching for the dream of VQSTOL or vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) aircraft have met with their share of past troubles. The U.S. Marines' and Air Force's tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey managed to overcome a checkered developmental history and three fatal test-flight crashes to become the transport workhorse for U.S. Marines.

We've previously covered other tilt-rotor aircraft that typically used propellers rather than jet engines to achieve helicopter-like mobility. Such ventures have ranged from personal aircraft to the AeroTrain commercial plane concept.

Speculation on the cause behind the Jetpod's tragic crash remains difficult while the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation investigates the possible causes.

[Times London, Guardian]

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2 Comments

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TechnoFreakFace

08/26/09 at 2:35 pm

What has to happen to a person to get themselves noticed, just sad

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p jones

08/30/09 at 3:18 am

p jones clearly a man with vision and tremendous drive to get so far. Its to be commended for its such people like Mr Dacre who at least progress with their vision and it highlights the risks people like him take for progress. At this time thoughts are with his family for their sad loss.