S1.6 · Flight 1 · September 12, 2026
Successful first test in relatively still air. Wind prevented the planned yaw tuning and control-surface tests later in the session.
Aircraft speed. Car-like freedom.
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Aircraft speed. Car-like freedom.
Join usS1.6 completed five heading changes in hover, three left and two right. With control-surface input alongside motor control, we saw a substantial improvement in yaw response. A persistent left-yaw tendency still required pilot correction.
Successful first test in relatively still air. Wind prevented the planned yaw tuning and control-surface tests later in the session.
Turning response felt better after adjusting the controls, but unwanted turning and drift remained. We consider this test successful, even with the hard landing. No appreciable damage, just light repairs with an expected one-day turnaround.
We flew a short hover test. It was a reasonable first hover, with no appreciable damage. Unwanted turning and drift still required attention.
We were testing simpler firmware, a new landing gear design and tilt mechanism design. It was unsuccessful and ended in a hard landing.
S1.4 lifted off, but the hover attempt was unsuccessful. We returned to ground testing before trying again.
S1.3 lifted off and hovered. The test ended in a light crash that damaged that airframe.
S1.2 completed stabilized roll and pitch maneuvers in winds gusting up to 16 mph.
S1.2 completed its first hover, including liftoff, hover, and touchdown.
S1.1
Hover attempt
S1.1, our first 20%-scale prototype, lifted off, but a control-software configuration issue drove half the motors higher as the aircraft tried to correct its yaw. We then iterated to S1.2, a hover-only airframe built to prove out hover faster.
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