As part of the month-end I've accrued cost of prototyping, even at scale. November I spent £605 on materials, though one third of this toward an articulated mannekin that is essential for ergonomic and flight-testing reasons (and for such time as the vehicles end their days hanging from the rafters in museums). The cost of certifying electric air taxis being upward of three-quarter billion dollars, however, does put it in perspective.
Monetising the project I view as a key objective in 2023, therefore, beside the effort to reduce the cost of prototyping from every point of view: I've ordered a (free) sample of plastic tubing to see if it will sub for alloy or carbon at a fraction of the cost. For such reasons too I'll look again at eight smaller motors running off one battery-pack instead of a pair, reducing the weight by 2.6kg (6.0lb).
