The vision of Nova Minerals Ltd (ASX:NVA, OTCQB:NVAAF) of deploying heavy-lift drones at its Estelle Gold Project exploration sites in Alaska is a step closer with the first fully electric eVTOL DRAGON Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) expected to be delivered next month.
Its maker Rotor X Aircraft Manufacturing Company, in which Nova has a 9.9% stake, has commenced manned flights of the PAV after completing hundreds of unmanned test flights in partnership with US defence contractor Advanced Tactics.
Rotor X expects to begin commercial delivery next month.
The PAV is the first step towards the development of heavy-lift drones which will be designed to transport heavy equipment around mine sites quicker and cheaper
compared to more expensive transportation options like helicopters.
Dragon aircraft above the Rotor X A600 Turbo helicopter.
Vision nearing fruition
“With our core focus being the development of the Estelle Gold Project in Alaska, we are always looking for innovations and efficiencies to save costs both now and in the future,” Nova chief executive officer Christopher Gerteisen said.
“Drones are becoming part of our everyday life more and more and for mining particularly they already provide an opportunity to remotely control many mining activities, including gathering enhanced data and real-time performance metrics, providing rapid visual access and performing surveys.
“However, the drones being developed by Rotor X take this a step further and are designed to transport heavy payloads such as tools, fuel, core samples, drills and equipment remotely around the mine site from one area to another very quickly and much cheaper compared to expensive helicopters - that’s a game changer!
“In this respect, we are delighted to see our 9.9% investment in Rotor X reach this major milestone and our vision of having heavy lift drones onsite to save costs getting nearer to fruition.
“This investment came to us on a great deal in the form of a small loan, which has now mostly been repaid and we look forward to continuing to work with Rotor X as they advance their product line.”
Impressive specs
The PAV is a fully electric ultralight aircraft that does not require a pilot’s licence to fly in the US.
The aircraft, which will cost around US$90,000, has eight electric motors reaching speeds of over 60 mph and will be sold as a quick-build kit set.
It has a passenger weight of up to 250 pounds and a flight time of around 20 minutes, with batteries easily swapped out and re-charged in less than two hours.
Advancing air mobility
Rotor X joins two other companies, Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation, in pioneering electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Joby, with a market capitalisation of US$4.8 billion, received its Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight-testing certificate for its prototype aircraft on June 28 and made a successful maiden flight shortly after.
The US$1.5 billion Archer, meanwhile, expects to deliver its first eVTOL aircraft to a paying customer as early as the fourth quarter of this year.
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