CarterCopter: a high-speed, low-cost helicopter

By October of 1994, Carter was wind-tunnel testing a 1/6 scale model with incredible results - the model reached a Mu of 8 (not .8) before it became unstable. These tests confirmed the viability of the Carter design but many years of research, development and testing went into the next full-scale prototype, which first took to the skies in 1998. Meticulous attention to detail and safety saw steady progress, building to a very public test in March of 2002.

During that test flight, the Carter Prototype, by then called the CarterCopter, achieved a Mu ratio of .87 without incident. In addition, it achieved a minimum rotor rpm of 115, a speed of 173 mph, and an altitude of over 10,000 ft msl (mean sea level).

This accomplishment immediately generated very strong interest in military and aerospace circles and within two months of the test flight, Carter was included in a grant with Northrop-Grumman for unmanned vehicle research and is under consideration for several other research programs.

Jay Carter Jnrs company is now Carter Aviation Technologies and holds twelve patents with another three pending and Jay Carter believes his technology can be used to manufacture VTOL hybrid aircraft with performance superior to the Osprey tiltrotor at a far lower cost, with his designs applicable to aircraft as small as two-seat commuters all the way through to commercial craft for 120 passengers.

Jay Carter Jnr is incredibly positive about the future of CarterCopter. "We are currently poised to break the Mu-1 barrier within the next one to six months, which we believe will prove that our technology can be used to manufacture hybrid rotorcraft capable of travelling at speeds of up to 500 mph and altitudes of 45,000 feet.

""This should enable licensees to build rotorcraft with performance superior to the Osprey tiltrotor at a far lower cost. We believe our technology is scaleable up to the size of a C-130 transport plane. Over $20 billion was spent on R&D to develop the Osprey, and total program costs now exceed $50 billion. We have recently initiated negotiations with top management at some of the largest aerospace firms in the world, including Northrop-Grumman, Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, and Sikorsky Aircraft.

"We are also entering into high level discussions with several branches of the U.S. military. The reasons for this interest are simple. CarterCopter technology should enable the construction of aircraft that cruise at high speeds and altitudes with excellent fuel efficiency, take off and land vertically, hover, and carry sling loads.

"Moreover, CarterCopter aircraft should be safer than both helicopters and conventional aircraft, and less expensive than helicopters. Our technology literally promises to transform the aerospace industry. Also, with recent developments in Afghanistan, the military has become much more interested in developing the capabilities provided by our technology."