In June 2017, a 65%-scale proof-of-concept began fabrication at Placerville Airport, CA, to validate its configuration. Trek Aerospace manufactured the ducts and assembled the 65%-scale demonstrator, only powered by an XTI-Trek Aerospace battery pack, and MGM Compro, based in Zlín, Czech Republic, supplied its electric motors and controllers. It was completed in December 2018 and unveiled in January 2019. Between January and April 2019, it was ground tested to validate the electric motors, battery systems, ducts, propellers, flight controls, systems and instrumentation. It first flew tethered on May 2, 2019, and conducted multiple controlled hovers. Untethered hovering, forward wing-borne flight, and the transition between should follow and subsequent testing is scheduled in Deseret UAStest site near Tooele, Utah. Those should take four to six months. The first full-scale prototype should begin construction before May 2020 and fly at the end of the year. By May 2019, XTI had 77 reservations, for a $500 million value or $ million for each aircraft. Development is funded by XTI founder David Brody, private equity investors and crowdfunding stakeholders. A funding round took place in September 2018, another should raise $25 million and a will seek $75 million, for a $175 million development cost. In July 2019, the GE Catalyst was selected to power the aircraft.
Design
The TriFan 600 is a six-seat fixed-wing aircraft powered by three ducted fans: two pivoting on the wing and one in the aft fuselage, lifting the aircraft in VTOL. It will have a 37.7 ft wingspan and a 38.7 ft length, with single 6 ft diameter propellers in the wing ducts and two 5 ft diameter co-axial propellers in the aft duct. The hybrid electric propulsion system include a single 1,000 shp Honeywell HTS900 turboshaft driving three generators, powering two 350 hp electric motors for the wing ducts and one each for the aft propellers. It should reach 340 kn and cross 650 nmi in VTOL operations or 1,200 nmi from a runway.
