Air taxis next frontier for Austria’s FACC 

Bloomberg

Austrian aerospace supplier FACC AG, spun off from a maker of skis and tennis rackets 30 years ago, is about to reinvent itself again.
The manufacturer of composite wing flaps and rudders for Airbus SE and Boeing Co is branching out to build flying taxis for Chinese technology startup EHang Inc, a market Chief Executive Officer Robert Machtlinger says will help double annual sales to $2.2 billion within a decade.
EHang has turned to FACC as the Asian firm seeks to lighten its two-seater 216 drone by at least 15 percent — or about 60 kilograms — to eke out improvements in speed and range. By the end of next year, FACC will have produced the first batch of 300 units on its Austrian assembly lines.
“We’re in the final phase of development and we’ll make the first vehicles this year,” Machtlinger, who is himself a qualified pilot, said in an interview at the company’s plant in St Martin im Innkreis. “We have an order from EHang to manufacture the first batch within 18 months, which are destined for Asia.”
The 216 model, which sells for 300,000 euros, can currently fly as far as 70 kilometres (44 miles) at speeds of up to 160 kilometrees an hour. In addition to urban shuttle services, it could carry tourists, serve offshore oil platforms and provide support flights after natural disasters.
As the craft is pilot-less, both seats can be used by passengers, or the same space filled with cargo.
EHang has several thousand pre-orders for the model, according to FACC.
While many similar vehicles are being developed, the Chinese company has already logged 7,000 flight hours with prototypes, and is developing a test range with FACC for flights in Linz, Austria’s third-largest city.
FACC is also aiming to smooth its manufacturing processes and halve drying times for its composites so that advanced structures can be churned out faster.
That will also help meet demand from Airbus and Boeing as they accelerate build rates and introduce a higher proportion of alternative lightweight materials in future planes.
The company is also expanding into turbines. While many jet-engine parts are too hot to be made of composites, FACC has devised a Kevlar lining for Pratt & Whitney powerplants intended to contain metal components that might be flung out in the event of bird ingestion or other catastrophic failures.
Machtlinger said he has about 450 million euros for bolt-on acquisitions over coming years and will target new technologies, bring crucial processes in-house, or seek
to expand the company’s footprint in markets such as North America.
As many as 30 potential targets are under review.