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Puffin

The Puffin is a Powered Lift eVTOL aircraft developed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Virginia Beach, United States. It is currently in the Scaled Prototype phase. The Puffin aircraft has a capacity of one (1) occupant. and a range of 80 units.

Last updated on February 24th, 2025.

Characteristics

General
Name	Puffin
Company	National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Industry	Research
City	Virginia Beach
Country	United States
Primary Classification	Powered Lift
Secondary Classification
Tertiary Classification	Inclined Sitter
Energy Source	Battery
Capacity	1 seat
Pilot type	Piloted
Announced	November 2009
First (Unmanned) Flight
First (Manned) Flight
Design Maturity	Scaled Prototype
Official Website

Geometry
Length
Height	3.7 m
Span	4.4 m
Wing Configuration
Wing sweep?

Seating

Seating Configuration	1 seat
Passenger Seat Rows
Seats per Row
Separated pilot seat?	Yes
Seating Layout	Standard

Performance
Max Take-off Weight (MTOW)	272 kg
Operating Empty Weight (OEW)	136 kg
Payload	91 kg
Battery Mass	45 kg
Cruise Speed
Max Speed	130.1 kt
Range	43.2 nm
Endurance
Cruise Altitude
Max Altitude	30000 m
Thrust
Power Available	89.5 kW

Propulsors
Propulsor Type	Prop
Propulsor Layout
Total Number of Propulsors	2
Propulsors in Cruise	2
Propulsor in Hover	2
Individual Propulsor Thrust
Individual Propulsor Power	44.7 kW

Electric Energy
Battery Capacity
Battery Power
Battery Density
Battery Current
Battery Voltage
Battery Chemical System
Battery Charge Time
Battery Charge Rate
Charging Voltage

Maneuverability
Wheeled Ground Taxi?
Independent Ground Taxi?
Conventional Landing?
Amphibious?