Aug 2019 – Jan 2020
Tackling congestion through urban air mobility. Kitty Hawk's mission was to alleviate congestion and enable quick urban hops using electric vertical take off crafts. I interned as an Industrial Designer at Flyer where I designed a next generation fuse — a novel form factor that optimized vehicle accessibility and safety for rideshare use.
Created in collaboration with Tim Huntzinger
For those who live around urban centers and commute through traffic weekly, it can mean hours lost to congestion. Flyer’s mission was to alleviate long trips by providing an alternative, electric transportation service that flies on demand along major city corridors over water.
As Kitty Hawk’s original vehicle program, Flyer began as an ultralight craft for private use. As a technical demonstration, it lacked some of the necessary comforts for wide spread adoption.
My objective was to create a safe, easy to pilot vehicle design that supported more users, was cost effective, scalable, and ready for semi-autonomous rideshare use.
Our biggest constraint was creating a craft that fit within Flyer’s existing propulsion system, which was 25” across at its narrowest. Alongside weight and CG limits, this posed a challenge.
I adapted these constraints into wireframes and physical models to set the direction for vehicle development using Dreyfuss’ Measure of Man as my foundation.
Flyer’s new interior was designed to perform multiple roles while delivering a seamless and fun flight for riders. The seat supports flight safety, ergonomics, and housed the avionics hardware.
Its unique shape positioned riders at the CG point and provided restraint in the unlikely case of a water landing. The armrests doubled as structural cross-beams to reduce vibration and noise.
The new fuselage adds physical affordances and refined curves to assist riders for entry, take off, and landing. The open back and softly tapered floor optimize for vehicle ingress and space.
For rideshare we provided a functional shelf at the front of the craft and an integrated flight path display —adding storage, guidance, and helpful commuting amenities like a wireless charger.
Safety at vertiports is critical, so we integrated exterior LED to provide passengers and crew with visual cues for flight readiness from all angles.
Our final design aimed to incorporate scalable manufacturing methods and robust materials to aid maintenance and shared use. I collaborated with manufacturing and engineering teams to draft my designs for roto and blow molding.
Unfortunately, I was not able to see the designs through to testing as I had to return to school prior to completion. The opportunity to work on this project was enlightening and invigorating.