Time-saving air taxi travel could soon become reality, thanks to NASA’s wind tunnel and flight tests on a small, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) research aircraft. By gathering aerodynamic and control data on this subscale model, NASA aims to provide publicly available insights that aircraft manufacturers can incorporate into their own air taxi designs.
As eVTOL vehicles move closer to commercial service, engineers require detailed, real-world performance data to refine flight dynamics and develop robust control systems. These systems stabilize and guide aircraft through diverse operating conditions, ensuring safe and reliable operations. Because most companies keep their air taxi test results proprietary, NASA’s Research Aircraft for eVTOL Enabling techNologies (RAVEN) project fills a critical gap by openly sharing its findings.
“NASA’s ability to perform high-risk flight research for increasingly automated and autonomous aircraft is really important,” explains Siena Whiteside, RAVEN project lead. “We push the vehicle to its limits and document what happens during unforeseen events—such as a motor failure—and then publish the data so everyone benefits.”
Rapid, Cost-Effective Testing with a Subscale Model
The RAVEN Subscale Wind Tunnel and Flight Test (RAVEN SWFT) aircraft weighs just 38 pounds and spans six feet, yet it incorporates 24 independently actuated “control effectors” to alter its flight path. This compact platform allows NASA to iterate quickly and economically:
- Wind Tunnel Trials: In 2024, researchers tested RAVEN SWFT in Langley Research Center’s 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel, simulating realistic flight motions while measuring aerodynamic forces and control responses.
- Tethered and Free Flights: Following tethered flights, the team progressed to remote-controlled free flights, refining flight control software in real time. Software updates upload in under five minutes, replacing weeks-long development cycles and vastly increasing data collection rates.
Wind tunnel insights mitigated risks by identifying critical behaviors before airborne trials, while real-time code adjustments accelerated the path from design to flight-ready aircraft.
Collaborative Software and Future Scale-Up
Under a Space Act Agreement, NASA partnered with MathWorks to develop the custom flight control algorithms powering RAVEN SWFT. This collaboration shortens the timeline from concept to first flight and paves the way for next-generation eVTOL designs.
RAVEN SWFT also serves as a precursor to a larger, 1,000-pound–class RAVEN demonstrator, being co-developed with the Georgia Institute of Technology. This full-scale vehicle will not only validate flight controls but also study acoustic signatures—crucial for minimizing noise in urban air mobility operations. Data from both platforms will remain publicly accessible to support industry-wide innovation.
Advancing Open Research for Safe, Quiet, Affordable Air Mobility
By conducting rigorous flight research and sharing all findings openly, NASA’s RAVEN initiative aims to accelerate U.S. leadership in advanced air mobility. The project’s scalable approach to eVTOL testing offers a blueprint for developing flight control systems that are safe, quiet, and cost-effective—bringing practical air taxi service closer to everyday reality.
