Northwest Aerospace News October | November Issue No. 11 | Page 29

I
nnovations and partnerships combined make it easy to
embrace the idea of electric propulsion systems in aircraft,
as touted by VerdeGo Aero™. The concept is that small
aircraft are powered by quiet engine systems that lift
powerfully from the ground with a hybrid electric/battery
system.
“It is going to take longer for the batteries (we need)
to scale and be ready for the commercial market,” said
Lindbergh. Currently, Lindbergh notes that as soon as the
battery of this magnitude hits the market, their systems
are ready to plug-and-play.
Think about leaving your house and stepping into a two-
to-three seat personal aircraft to travel to work. When
flying overhead, the aircraft is virtually quiet.
The system elements include:
· Engines
· Generators (1-2 inputs)
· Power Distribution
· Battery/Battery Management System
· Attitude Control
· Motors
· Propulsion Units (optimum for 4-8+)
· Noise Mitigation Approaches including optimized
multi-rotor/prop arrays and low-noise generator
installations
Dr. Anderson, CTO of VerdeGo Aero™, is director of the
Eagle Flight Research Center at Embry-Riddle Aeronau-
tical University. He has a vision for air mobility transpor-
tation and his connections to the university have led to
student-based research and development efforts for the
organization. Lindbergh said about Anderson, “I believe
(he is) one of the smartest guys in aviation – (he) partic-
ipated in the NASA Green Flight Challenge … built the
first parallel hybrid aircraft.”
Bartsch, COO of VerdeGo Aero™, is what Lindbergh
calls the “MVP” right now.
“He is able to keep all of the business deals, employees
and projects going, allowing Pat to focus on the engineer-
ing,” said Lindbergh. “I’ve been the glue of the organiza-
tion, and my job today is focused on fundraising and PR,”
he added.
VerdeGo Aero™ has five full-time employees, plus grad-
uate and Ph.D. students on contract. They also work with
third parties. “We have a unique situation and can cherry
pick Dr. Anderson’s students and do things on research
contracts,” said Lindbergh.
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