Northwest Aerospace News PNAA 2021 ADVANCE | Page 30

It was at the GoFly competition that aerodynamicist , Fred Bills , 37 , met Tibbitts , saw the ZEVA ZERO and was impressed in comparison to the other vehicles in the competition . “ ZEVA ’ s team was so much further along — they had an impressive set up and team — the full scale models were already built .” He quickly made a decision that he ’ d like to be a part of the team to get personal aircraft going . He added that unlike some competitors , “ It ’ s built !”

Bills reflected on the project and said , “ When you see a full scale model created , having been through the design cycle and knowing the cost and work hours that are required to even get a sub-scale model going , you do the math in your head and think , ‘ This is a team that is going to get it done .’ It ’ s impressive and looks good ; they will be able to get funding and get it done .”
Being farther along will help Tibbitts and team to reach a commercial / industrial market first with the Department of Defense ( DOD ) and search and rescue applications . They believe that air taxi service via eVTOL will be prevalent in urban areas by 2025 . They see personal eVTOL usage 10 years out from acceptance of urban air taxi service by 2035 or 2040 .
30 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS