NASA introduces a battery-powered vehicle that takes off like a helicopter, but does fly like a plane

The new prototype vehicle is called Greased Lightning or GL-10. Originally, developed as a drone, but turned into a manned vehicle. A team from NASA’s Langley Research based in Hampton,VA developed the drone.

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“It could be used for small package delivery or vertical takeoff and landing, long endurance surveillance for agriculture, mapping and other applications,” said Bill Fredericks, NASA aerospace, in a statement.

Scientists also think that there could be a lot of options for which the prototype could be good for.

GL-10 is made of carbon fibre that has a wingspan of 3.05 meters and does contain eight electronic motor on the wings and additional two on the tail with the total weight of 28.1 kilograms and is known to be quiet.

Fredericks described the Greased Lightning to be quieter than any neighbor mowing the lawn using a gas-powered motor and compared to a traditional aircraft. He added that there is a scaled version which is much larger compared to what they have been using for testing purposes and it could also be a great for one to four person size personal air vehicles.

It was during the Greased Lightning tests when they have determined that it was successful when it comes to its transition from hovering like a helicopter into a plane-style wing-borne flight.

Greased Lightning was introduced at an Unmanned Systems 2015 show in Atlanta. The show features some of the latest and one of a kind technologies.

On the other hand, Federal Aviation Administration reveals its Pathfinder program at the conference, said the program will be helpful in studying how drone can be reliable when it comes in news gathering most especially in the field of agriculture and transport industries.

TagsNASA's GL-10 Drone is Both Helicopter and Plane, NASA, GL-10, Greased Lightning, drone, NASA Drone, Langley Research Center