German air taxi firm plans Orlando ‘vertiport’

Based at Lake Nona, a so-called ‘smart city’ located just to the southeast of Orlando International Airport, the new facility is slated to connect around 20 million people in the sunshine state using Lilium’s electric air taxi. The five-seater eVTOL (electric, vertical take-off and landing) aircraft - known as the Lilium Jet - uses 36 electric jet engines and has no tail, rudder, propellers, or gearbox. Its first demonstrator flight took place near Munich in May 2019.

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The main wings of the Lilium Jet house 24 engines, while a smaller wing bank at the front of the plane is home to the remaining 12. Maximum power output of 2,000 horsepower is available for take-off and landing, but Lilium claims less than 10 per cent of this will be required for cruising flight. According to the company, the air taxi’s 60-minute run time gives it a range of around 300km, putting Florida cities like Jacksonville, Tampa and potentially even Miami within reach of the Lake Nona ‘vertiport’.