Aircraft / Aria V12 VTOL
A JStream Exclusive Original Concept Aircraft
The Aria V12 is a narrow-body, short range quad-engine hybrid-fuel, tilting ducted fan turboprop regional air mobility (RAM) VTOL airliner produced by Aria Aircraft Company, a commercial aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Denver, Colorado USA, and Dublin, Ireland.
The Aria V12 VTOL is a derivative of the Aria T12 Subsonic, one of the four original aircraft types that were developed by Aria Aircraft beginning in 2013. Shortly after the T12 program officially launched in 2016, Aria Aircraft also began working on a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) version of the same type, which was branded as the Aria V12 VTOL. Initially efforts were focused on an all-electric VTOL aircraft design, but by 2018 engineers began working on a hybrid electric-Jet A fuel powered version instead.
By 2020, Aria’s engine manufacturer, Sonata Engines, had made further modifications to the V12’s Sonata Type 20B engine design, known as fuelflex, that would allow them to work safely using 50% or 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Thus the V12 is designed to operate as a hybrid electric-SAF (sustainable aviation fuel) aircraft, but can also use Jet A or A-1 fuel in place of SAF fuel if necessary.
The hybrid version of the Aria V12 VTOL completed its certification process in late August 2023, and entered revenue service in October of the same year, alongside the more conventional Aria T12 Subsonic model.
By February 2024, a non-hybrid, all-SAF/Jet A fuel variant with around two-thirds the range of the V12 hybrid model joined the market. The hybrid version of the V12 comes with a charging system that can recharge the aircraft from 5% to 80% in just over an hour, or from 5% to 100% in two hours.
In addition to the Aria V12 baseline passenger version and a standard business transport aircraft known as the Aria V12b VTOL Bizprop, Aria also offers a cargo/combi variant (Aria V12qc Quick Change Combi) and a business transport aircraft (Aria V12bqc QC Combi Bizprop). The T12 also offers a conversion program allowing the V12 to be reconfigured to either all fuel or hybrid format.
The company is also developing a hydrogen fueled variant, tentatively tagged as the Aria V12h VTOL Hydro-Hybrid, which is in the early test and certification approvals stage. The V12h is projected to enter service sometime in 2025 or early 2026.
Reference: none - fictional; inspired by the LyteAviation LA-44 eVTOL.
Stats
Stats displayed are for the Aria v12 eVTOL quad-engine RAM aircraft.
Name: Aria V42 eVTOL
Final Assembly Lines: Wichita-ICT, Kansas USA; Belfast-BFS, UK
Role: Quad Engine eVTOL Regional Air Mobility Aircraft
First Introduction: 26 October 2023
Status: In Production; In Service
Cockpit Crew: One or Two
Seating: 12
Engines: 2 x Sonata Type 20B
Cruise Speed: 300 knots (556 km/h; 345 mph)
Range:
Hybrid: up to 600 nmi (1111 km; 690 mi)
Electric Only: 450 nmi (833 km; 518 mi)
Fuel Reserves Only: 150 nmi (278 km; 173 mi)
Non-Hybrid (SAF or Jet-A Fuel Only): 400 nmi (740 km; 460 mi)
Runway Requirements:
Takeoff: 0 feet (0 m) via VTOL; 1200 feet (366 m) via STOL on runway
Landing: 0 feet (0 m) via VTOL; 1000 feet (305 m) via STOL on runway
VTOL Hover Ceiling:
In Ground Effect: 12,000 feet (3700 m)
Out of Ground Effect: 6000 feet (1800 m)