JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #92 - October/November 2014 - 43

carbon fabrics

Successful first flight test for the
VX-1 KittyHawk C-Ply™ aircraft model
The ¼-scale version of the VX-1 KittyHawk™ successfully
completed its maiden flight on 6 June 2014 at the Foothills
Regional Airport between Morganton and Lenoir, North
Carolina, USA.

By
Bob Skillen
CEO
VX Aerospace

ittyHawk™, the new aircraft with
a unique shape made structurally
efficient thanks to Chomarat's
advanced composite reinforcement
material, took off and flew for just
under five minutes. It was a big day,
everyone was thrilled to see the aircraft
take to the skies. And after this first test,
VX Aerospace is very confident in its
potential.

Manufactured with C-Ply
C-Ply™ is the first true advance in carbon fabrics in a long time. It is designed
to optimize fibre performance. This is
a game changer for small businesses
doing aerospace-grade work because
C-Ply™ allows for cost-effective production of open-mould parts with the same
(or better) performance characteristics
as parts manufactured by automated
tape placement. This, in turn, can save
up to millions of dollars in investment.
C-Ply™ is the enabling material for
using VX Aerospace's established hand
lay-up and oven curing processes to
economically achieve properties similar
to autoclave-cured UD (uni-direction-

al) prepreg and automatically-placed
tape prepreg. The C-Ply™ material is
durable to handle during lay-up, drapable to accommodate the compound
curvatures, and can be manufactured
to fully optimize the design relative
to fibre angles and ply weights... to
ultimately yield a low-weight, high-performance, and low-cost final solution.

No wings for
a reduced carbon footprint
What makes KittyHawk™ so different
from other aircraft is its shape: it has
no wings! The aircraft design allows for
more useable space inside the aircraft,
greater payload capacity, better structural efficiency and better durability.
Furthermore, it will have a smaller
footprint than other aircraft based on
payload capability. The volume will
also allow KittyHawk™ to lead the way
in adopting CNG (compressed natural

This wingless innovation, designed by VX Aerospace, took off for the first time in early June 2014

gas) as an aviation fuel. Existing-technology CNG tanks fit inside the aircraft
with no aerodynamic compromise. At
less than 1/3 the cost of avgas, KittyHawk™ will have unparalleled operational economy with emissions that are
40% cleaner. n
More information:
www.vxaerospace.com

About Chomarat
Established in 1898, Chomarat is an independent industrial group and a leading player in the
textile sector. It relies on an international network in the field of composite materials and engineered textiles, and has industrial sites worldwide - Europe, the Mediterranean basin, the United
States and Asia - to support the development of international groups.
The Group leads a bold innovation strategy by investing in new technologies and entering into
research partnerships with universities worldwide.

No92 October - November 2014 /

jec composites magazine 43

http://www.vxaerospace.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #92 - October/November 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #92 - October/November 2014