INNOVATION IN AVIATION
Welcome to the impossible
The Saturn BV70 flying disc has been developed and manufactured by us, three engineers from Carinthia, over decades of work. Contrary to the conventional literature on hover flight, this drone (VTOL concept) lifts off with 40% more lifting capacity compared to multicopters and with 40% smaller dimensions compared to helicopters – and all this with one single rotor.
IT DOES FLY
The precise interplay between the control unit and the single rotor, the guide vanes for torque compensation, and the ring-shaped structure with the FAN enables extremely efficient hovering. Due to its special design (rotating propeller at the centre of an external, stationary disc), it is particularly resistant to impact, allowing safe landing maneuvers in close proximity to people (safety aspect). Additionally, various propulsion concepts such as piston engine, gas turbine, fuel cell, and electric drives are possible. When using a piston engine as the drive unit, flight times of several hours are achievable.
POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS
Our disruptive technology offers a variety of application possibilities, including traffic monitoring, transport flights, use as a cargo lifting disc, rescue disc, and close-range video observation while hovering.
On the market alternative solutions, such as air taxis, are increasingly in demand for traffic relief. The currently known concepts with electric drives tend to have rather short ranges, short flight times, and large dimensions. However, our concept, driven by a piston engine, could achieve significantly longer flight times with much smaller dimensions.
Furthermore, our development could also be integrated as an independent lifting engine into existing aircraft, significantly enhancing their efficiency.
Impressionen
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- Scalaria 2019 “Living Legends of Aviation” … ©RBMH
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- Video transmission … ©RBMH
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- Radio transmission … ©RBMH
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- Cargo lift … ©RBMH
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- Load lifting disc
Technical facts – Prototype
Saturn BV70
• | MTOW: 25 kg (55 lbs) |
• | Power Output: 6 kW |
• | FAN – Diameter: 700 mm |
• | Outer Diameter: 1400 mm |
• | Flight Time: 1 hour |
ABOUT US
We, EFG Aircraft, are an Austrian development company based in Feldkirchen, Carinthia, founded in 2003 based on the vision of inventor and designer Benno Buchelt "to invent machines that serve humanity." In addition to our main technical work and managing a company with 40 employees for the production of water turbines, and successfully raising capital through private investors, we were able to start the development of this unusual VTOL concept.
2000
Initial Experiments
... in the area of ducted fan concepts to confirm our own patent applications in Europe and the USA. Basic ideas, calculations, and designs for force balance in hover flight.
2003
Formation
... and founding of EFG Aircraft to develop a lift concept or an unmanned drone with a single rotor at the center and an external ring.
2005
Preliminary Experiments
... to determine the vertical force balance in hover flight for VTOL concepts. Design and construction of a horizontal test stand with a 1m fan diameter and a 2.4m outer ring diameter to measure lift force and power output (short F/P), thereby confirming the theory proposed by Prof. DI Benno Buchelt.
2007
Initial Considerations
... for the construction of a remote-controlled drone with a single rotor.
Chosen size - MTOW 25kg (55 lbs). Design drafts for the production of a prototype with a 700mm fan diameter and a 1400mm outer diameter.
2010
Concept Development
... for extreme lightweight structures using mold construction for Fiberglass- and Carbonfiber-Components and manufacturing parts from titanium and aluminium.
In-house development of a rotor head for cyclic and collective blade pitch control.
2015
Control Concept
Considerations on the control and regulation concept, particularly for managing the gyroscopic moment of single rotor systems and for torque compensation.
2018
First successful flight
... of the SATURN BV70
2019
First Public Flight
... during the "Living Legends of Aviation" event at Scalaria 2019 in St. Wolfgang at Wolfgangsee, Austria, in collaboration and cooperation with Red Bull Media House.
2020
Usage
... of a single rotor enables free accessibility to various propulsion systems (piston engine, gas turbine, fuel cell), and thereby significantly increasing flight times.
Evaluation of suitable piston engines as the drone's powerplant.
2021
Tuning
... of piston engines and construction of an engine test stand to determine torque and power with synchronous data acquisition.
2022
Integration
... of the piston engine into the prototype and initial tethered flight tests.
Mastery of engine oscillations/vibrations.
2023
Cooperation
...with the IRT (Institute of Control Engineering) at Technical University of Graz, Austria, with the goal of developing a suitable mathematical model to simulate the flight behaviour.
2024
Participation
... in the FIA "Farnborough International Airshow" in England.
Acquisition of potential partners and investors.
Dipl-HTL-Ing.
Matthias Viertler
CEO
Enthusiastic entrepreneur, technical expert and developer with four completed master certifications
Helmut Kirsch
PILOT
Three-time world champion in model flying and specialist in manoeuvring unconventional aircraft
In Memory of:
Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Benno BUCHELT †
INVENTOR
Passionate designer and inventor, specialist in the field of aerodynamics and hydraulic flow machines,
esteemed researcher and professor, principal founder of EFG-Aircraft
Unfortunately, our Benno passed away in 2018 before he could witness
the first successful public flight of the Saturn BV70 in autumn of 2018.
THE SKY IS THE LIMIT …
With our disruptive drone technology, the Saturn BV70, we have succeeded in decades of work, supported in phases by private investors and cooperations RBMH,
CNC TVAR, TU Graz, in developing an unprecedented flying object that differs from conventional drones due to its unique characteristics. Through the completed proof-of-concept, we have demonstrated that our disc flies with approximately 40% higher lifting capacity and significantly smaller dimensions.
To successfully navigate the next steps such as redesign, field testing, and transition to production, additional specific expertise and financial resources are required. For support of this kind, we are open to forming partnerships with interested investors and selling company shares.
