Summary points:
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XTI Aerospace has completed a propulsion technical familiarization (Tech Fam) meeting with the FAA, advancing the TriFan 600 VTOL aircraft toward type certification.
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The TriFan 600 features a hybrid-electric propulsion system with two turboshaft engines driving three ducted fans, enabling vertical takeoff and a cruise speed of 345 mph with up to 700 miles of range.
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FAA and XTI engineers reviewed compliance plans for key systems including the drivetrain, fuel management, fire containment, and onboard diagnostics, reinforcing the aircraft's safety and certification path.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - XTI Aerospace, Inc. in Englewood, Colo. has completed a propulsion technical familiarization (Tech Fam) meeting with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), marking a key step toward certification of its TriFan 600 hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft.
The meeting brought together engineers from the FAA and XTI Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of XTI Aerospace, to review the TriFan 600’s propulsion architecture and proposed compliance strategy. Discussions covered the aircraft’s propulsion system, including its twin turboshaft engines, drive train, propellers, fuel system, engine compartments, and structural mounting components.
FAA officials evaluated how the TriFan’s design addresses core certification areas such as engine fire containment, bird strike survivability, cabin occupant safety, fuel management protocols, and onboard diagnostics, including sensors designed to detect system anomalies and failures.
AVX Aircraft and XTI Aerospace team to develop TriFan 600 vertical lift aircraft
"As XTI completes this latest Tech Fam meeting with the FAA, the engineering team continues its collaborative approach to type certification of the TriFan 600," said David Ambrose, XTI’s Vice President of Engineering. "FAA dialog during the Tech Fam meetings provides helpful insight regarding our approach to systems and structural design to support eventual certification - this open and transparent approach underscores our paramount goal of producing a safe and reliable aircraft."
Vertical lift
The TriFan 600 is designed to combine the vertical lift capability of a helicopter with the speed, range, and comfort of a business jet. Powered by two turboshaft engines driving three ducted fans - two pivoting wing-mounted fans and one embedded in the aft fuselage - the aircraft is expected to cruise at 345 miles per hour (Mach 0.58) with a range of up to 700 miles. It is designed to carry six passengers and a pilot, and take off and land vertically in areas as small as a helipad.
XTI is working with the FAA to pursue type certification under Part 23 regulations, with the goal of entering commercial service by the end of the decade.
