Honestly thought the models had been set aside for the duration but following further sleepless nights trying to reconfigure this in my head I'm beginning to see a way forward.
To recap, the original concept as submitted to the GoFly challenge featured propellers around both the dome of the passenger compartment and its base. These proved to be well outside the available dimensions for the competition and since then smaller motors along with propellers of a reduced diameter (32") have been ordered from the supplier.
This has re-opened a number of possibilities as regards the final design, which you can see beginning to take shape here. Anyone formulating an eVTOL vehicle will have found as I have that the final result is one of compromise among competing design requirements.
The second set of propellers will indeed be attached to the base and not the capital (though longer term a third rig could be added there) and one reason for this is that it also provides a wide stance for the undercarriage... a hazard with all vertical take-off types is a proneness to tipping that has to be obviated one way or another. Conventionally it has meant substantial skids, for which there should be no need here.
I have to get a dome 3-D printed for this fifth-scale model and add the second quadcopter besides a base, and thereafter it will be photographed and mailed to the graphical artist in order to be rendered for the benefit of the website.
Then I'll need to mock up the chassis in timber too satisfy myself with the ergonomics before pressing ahead with the build in alloy.
Famine or feast in this business.
