Aviation Safety Resources, Inc., (ASR) designs, tests and produces whole-aircraft emergency recovery parachute systems designed to safely bring down the entire aircraft and its occupants in the event of an in-air emergency. Our team of experienced professionals has developed an innovative technology to improve aviation safety. We are the FIRST to offer the NEXT GENERATION of whole-aircraft recovery systems AND the FIRST SYSTEM specifically designed for the fledgling vertical take-off and landing (VTOL or “flying car”) market.
With the development of ASR’s technology and vision, now is the time to leverage the company’s unique skills and experience as there is room in the market for a new, innovative player. Regulatory, technological and financial factors make ASR an ever more appealing solution. ASR is actively seeking investors and strategic partners who share our vision to revolutionize vehicle recovery systems.
Why now and why ASR? We are different with better products. Our next generation system is the ONLY solution that will work in the typical flying car operational profile. Driven in part by the Uber Elevate program which plans by 2023 to have flying cars operational in Dallas, Los Angeles and international system yet to be named. There are +140 aircraft concepts detailed including designs from Boeing, Airbus, Embraer and Bell Helicopter. No matter what design is successful, it will require a recovery system. In fact, the Detroit News conducted a survey and reports that 63% of respondents say they are “very concerned” about the safety of flying cars and 80% said a parachute would be “very” or “extremely” important.
Currently, we are setting up a corporate office and starting manufacturing using an innovative distributed manufacturing model. ASR has committed to facilities located in Lincoln County which will bring high paying jobs, skills training, community support, and high-profile corporate headquarters.
Potential Market/Users:
Our goal is to bring a new approach to the legacy “ballistic recovery systems” and lead a select group of dedicated, motivated and experienced industry leaders to revitalize, reinvent and innovate the industry with products for sport/experimental aircraft, light sport aircraft (LSA), general aviation (GA) aircraft, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL, eVTOL & flying cars), electric propulsion, and unmanned aerial systems (UAS or UAV). The market is ready for another player capable of providing a modern, high-tech solution to match today’s unprecedented innovation and growth in personal transport. Our products provide value and low total cost of ownership. We are creating products that are: (1) lighter weight – by ~20%; (2) less volume – by ~40%; (3) lower acquisition costs – by ~10%; (4) longer intervals between repack component (rocket)/system replacement, reducing total ownership costs over the life of the product. We are offering an affordable, improved-technology alternative to legacy products and will be a better option for new installations, especially in eVTOL and flying cars. Predictions are in just six years there will be around 3,000 eVTOL vehicles in service, and as many as 98,000 of them flying by 2050. JPMorgan Chase predicts that the market could be as much as $1.5 trillion by 2040. According to a number of trade media reports, investors have pumped more than $1 billion, perhaps as much as $2 billion, into the development of flying cars. Just announced February 1, California-based Joby Aviation says it has secured $100 million in Series B financing to take its all-electric passenger aircraft into pre-production and regulatory certification.
Potential Competitors:
The competition does not have a product that will do what the ASR products do. Whole Airplane Recovery Parachute Systems have been available in 2 – 5 passenger aircraft for more than 30 years and have an impressive record of life-saving deployments. The current market is dominated by BRS Aerospace, which has not significantly improved or expanded its product line in the past 20 years. The door is open for a new innovative player to enter the market with a lighter and less costly product that improves upon existing extraction, canopy and aircraft interface technologies. Uber has defined their typical mission as approximately 40 miles with 41.2 seconds of hover, accelerate and climb (5.3% of the mission), 43.2 seconds of deceleration, descend, hover descend (5.6% of the mission profile) and 11.51 minutes (690.4 seconds) in winged flight (89.1% of the mission). Winged flight altitudes are expected at ~300-ft above ground level at a maximum of 175 knots (201.39 mph). The current competitor’s system, with zero forward speed, requires 920 feet of altitude loss to fill the parachute. Until the aircraft reaches a forward speed of 107.6 knots (123.82 mph), the canopy does not have time to inflate and slow the vehicle decent (the altitude loss is 290 feet) with the Uber profile. By comparison, the ASR system will work at altitudes ~100-ft above ground level with zero forward speed. This covers all but the first and last 20-seconds (2.46% each) of the flight profile. This IS within the range of energy absorbing seats, crushable structures and other means to provide a complete envelope of protection for occupants.
Current Investors:
We currently have four investors who have invested in the company and funded prototyping and first level testing.