Frankfurt Almost all of the great inventions in aviation began with an initially bold vision. But Hans-Georg Kinsky and Markus Steinke have not yet lost their realism – despite all the enthusiasm for their idea. “By the time our technology is ready for the mass market, we will certainly end up investing north of 150 million euros,” admits Kinsky frankly. The two have seen too often how aviation start-ups have had to correct their own forecasts.
The technology of the two founders is a so-called cycloid rotor or cyclo rotor. They named their company, which is based in Linz, Austria, Cyclotech. Kinsky leads the company as CEO, Steinke as head of technology and development. Shipping is the template for the new drive. As early as 1926, Ernst Schneider developed the so-called Voith-Schneider propeller, which is somewhat reminiscent of a paddle wheel.
If the circularly arranged blades are adjusted, not the power of the drive changes, but also the direction in which it works. This makes ships with Voith-Schneider propellers extremely maneuverable; they can turn more or less on the spot. Aviation enthusiasts have been trying to get the ship’s propulsion into the air for many years – to date, no one has succeeded.
Cyclotech has also been working on the technology for almost 20 years – previously under a different name. Kinsky jokingly speaks of the “oldest start-up in Austria”. “Almost as long as the Voith-Schneider propeller has been around in shipping, there have been attempts in aviation, but so far they have been unsuccessful. We will do it now,” says Kinsky confidently.
But one thing is clear: it will take time until something is created that can also be sold. “We assume that we will be ready to have a marketable product by the beginning of the 2030s,” says Kinsky.
The new rotor is intended to make flying more comfortable
Cyclotech does not want to build complete flight vehicles. The company wants to develop a new, climate-neutral drive for aviation and bring it to market, said Kinsky. “It was only the invention of the engine that brought about the breakthrough in aviation. “It is the decisive element,” says head of development Steinke.
The ability to maneuver perfectly, similar to at sea, would be a major advantage for aviation, says Steinke. He calls this “360-degree three-dimensional control.” “For example, you can fly sideways with the aircraft. “You don’t have to lean into curves, which means significantly more comfort for the passengers,” says the head of development. Because the passenger cell can always be kept horizontal.
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Gusts and surprising currents could be balanced out so much better. “The flight vehicle is able to stabilize itself. This is important because there are many different, changing gusts and eddies in the urban area for which there is no weather forecast.”
However, there is still a lot of work ahead of the 43 employees in Linz. Aviation experts see two main challenges: Firstly, the weight of the rotors is high due to the disks and bearings. On the other hand, the area around which the flow flows is large, and the friction is correspondingly high.
The entrepreneur wants to raise fresh money from investors soon.
(Photo: CycloTech)
Steinke and Kinsky counter such criticism: Lightweight materials now offer completely new possibilities in construction. In addition, with virtual simulation it is possible to test settings even without expensive prototypes.
“The technology is currently in a good laboratory stage,” says Florian Holzapfel, Professor of Flight System Dynamics at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Projects around the world have already proven that cyclo-rotors can be used for flight. “And new capabilities for aviation will be demonstrated. That’s reason enough to further develop them for specific applications.”
Experts see the technology in a “good laboratory stage”
The ability to change the amount and direction of the force at lightning speed alone is reason enough to continue working on the technology. However: “The technology has a chance, but initially more of a chance as an additional unit, for example to increase the maneuverability of existing flight vehicles.” In this way, experience could be gained and credibility increased. This is important in the very conservative and safety-conscious aviation industry.
The head of technology and development at Cyclotech sees an initial market for the new drive as an additional unit for existing aircraft such as drones.
(Photo: CycloTech)
Holzapfel advises against building a complete aircraft with it: “The question is whether you should go straight to market with a flight system in which you are dependent on the approach for safe flight and run the risk of it “There are serious failures that ultimately damage the technology.”
They don’t plan to do that in Linz either. Cyclotech is aiming for the second wave after today’s air taxis, says head of development Steinke. “For example, our cyclo-rotor can also be used as an auxiliary unit to stabilize a drone.”
Despite all the realism – even at Cyclotech there are dreams that sound rather adventurous. “Our vision is that people can get into their aircraft at home with our drive and fly to their destination in a climate-neutral manner, for example in the city or in the surrounding area, without traffic jams,” says Steinke.
The company does not plan to completely manufacture aircraft itself.
(Photo: CycloTech)
Until then, the team needs two things above all: money and successful approval by the authorities. In the past 20 years, a total of around 20 million euros have been invested in the company, mostly from their own pockets, reports Kinsky. A private equity company is also involved: “We are currently looking for fresh capital and are already having initial, promising discussions. There will be a financing round in the fall.”
When it comes to approval, the two entrepreneurs want to wait until there is really something to show. So far, the start-up has only tested the new drive with a small demonstrator without a structure – initially in a hall, but finally in the open air. “We are of course following the EASA and FAA regulations for electric vertical take-off aircraft,” says Kinsky: “But we ourselves have not yet made an appearance. We want to do this before the certification phase begins, which begins in 2027.”
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