RHAEGAL

“Awaiting is Exhausting”, at least for me but I am pretty sure a lot of you reading this will be agreeing with me strongly and it becomes super strenuous when you are expecting a dress or a book or even a new set of earpods and in that while, your package is delayed for one more day, feels like forever, isn’t it??

When it comes to freight i.e. the goods that are carried for shipping, bad weather is always a nightmare not only for the consumers but for the business as well causing delays, increased costs, etc. As you know that air freight transportation is one of the common and fastest methods of transportation but nature limits it as well. Intense fog, heavy rain, etc are the prominent causes. But have you heard already or let me rejuvenate your memory once again,

“Necessity is the mother of invention.”

Rhaegal drone of Sabrewing Aircraft Co. is the future of air freight transportation. This vision of urban air mobility, built on the promise of electric propulsion and autonomous flight, is no sci-fi dream but a practical project. Ed De Reyes, CEO of Sabrewing and also a retired Air Force pilot explains that the Rhaegal drone is never meant to carry people but cargo. As a result, it can get the job done without many of the required safety features that are normally present in manned aircraft. It can also fly in inclement weather and reach places that ‘no crewed rival can safely reach.’ 

Consider how much easier it would be to use such methods to move cargo instead of people. If there are no passengers on board, you can lose the heavy, bulky gear that assures passenger safety. Replace pilots and you can also dispense with the instruments that help them see where they’re going, as well as the equipment that soundproofs the cabin and supports the windows, floor beams, bulkheads, and so forth. In some cases, an aircraft can weigh 25 percent more with human-factor equipment than without it.

Rhaegal can lift around 2500 kilograms of cargo straight up from the ground and if a short runway is available, it can take off in the standard way, then fly straight ahead carrying as much as 4,500 kg and it is outlined to load and unload goods without the help of forklifts, pallet jacks or any special type of equipment.

Either on tarmac or dunes, Rhaegal can sit low on the ground and tilt accordingly making it easier to quickly load and secure containerized or bulky cargo. Not only this but the aircraft’s high floatation “tundra tires” and four-post landing-gear arrangement create its possibility to land even on mud, snow, sand, deep puddles, and an integral loading ramp with rollers can be used to easily load freights.

Before takeoff, the operator loads into the computer an exact flight plan, provided by the air traffic control authorities, that includes procedures for departing in any weather and also establishes the frequencies, routes, and a clearance to the aircraft’s final destination. That way it can find its way home even if it loses communication with the operator or air traffic control.

And if you are thinking about the traffic on land, Rhaegal has got a solution for that as well. It uses an artificial-intelligence landing system to spot obstacles from above, including vehicles, people, rocks, and uneven surfaces. This landing system can recognize many types of obstacles and clearings, including landing pads aboard ships at sea. 

Whenever an obstacle is detected through the infused sensors, it is informed to the operator and then the operator takes the necessary decision to change the flight path. If the operator does not take any decision, the computer decides on its own. Wherever the aircraft goes, the computer can detect bad weather up ahead and provide the data to the operator, who together with air traffic controllers can make changes to avoid storms, in some cases by flying well above them.

Rhaegal’s all-composite airframe is built in sections that can be quickly and easily repaired or even replaced in the field, with a minimum of hand tools. This modular design means that inspections that used to ground aircraft for weeks or even months can now be accomplished in hours.

With such an amazing profile, Rhaegal can be best suited for military operations as it can fly fast enough to avoid low radar and ground fire enabling vital supplies. It’s even versatile enough to whisk four casualties and two medics to a mobile hospital within the hour after an injury occurs, greatly increasing the patient’s chances of survival. 

Besides, Rhaegal has a proprietary system that allows it to land safely if its propulsion system is damaged: It can either glide to a safe landing spot or, if the craft is hovering, it can land even if it loses the thrust of an entire duct unit. 

By February 2018, Sabrewing was to fly a 65%-scale vehicle in the fall. By February 2019, a one-eighth-scale model was going to be tested while the first full-size aircraft construction had begun, to fly by the end of 2019 and to enter service in 2023. 

At the January 2020 Vertical Flight Society symposium, Sabrewing announced a larger Rhaegal-B was being completed, to be revealed within weeks. Sabrewing has started building the first full-size Rhaegal prototypes in September 2020, and Part 23 certification is now expected to be delayed until the first quarter of 2022. The company intends to get EASA approval first, followed by an FAA signoff.

Now the question of the hour is:

What do you think was inside the first package shipped by the first cargo flight??

Think or probably read and answer in the comments below. Common guys, show some knowledge spirit, you never know what you stumble upon…

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