Imagine leaving the rush hour traffic behind as you jet off to work “Jetson” style in your own personal VOTL – a Vertical Take Off and Landing aircraft. Well, if Karl Milde, president of Milde Aircraft Corp., has anything to say about the matter, this fantasy will one day become a reality.
While many companies are working on their own personal aircraft designs, Milde’s concept is a craft that would take off and land vertically, like a helicopter. “We were awarded a U.S. patent last year for our unique vertical take-off design,” said Milde. “My objective was not only to fly, but to be able to build an affordable personal aircraft that was safe.” Milde wanted a craft that would fly between 1,000-2,500 feet in the air, travel at speeds between 50-75 m.p.h., was fuel efficient and cost about $100,000.
When his two top-notch aviation engineers delivered a design that met his criteria, Milde wondered where he could get verification that the concept was as good as it seemed. “Our design is essentially a simplification of the helicopter,” said Milde. “We have a number of small ducted fans on each side of a fixed wing, which means the craft doesn’t require a transmission. Also, this is good for safety reasons since if one fan were to fail, the craft wouldn’t crash.” Now, Milde wondered if the simple design was too good to be true.

The answer to his question came via the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP). “I found out about SATOP’s offer of free engineering advice through the Westchester Chamber of Commerce,” explains Milde. “When I submitted my request for technical assistance, my main objective was to confirm that this new design was viable.”

SATOP accepted the request and assigned Ed Sarlls, a Boeing engineer/scientist with 30 years of aerospace industry experience, to evaluate the project. “The sketches I reviewed reflected an innovative approach to the VOTL,” said Sarlls. “One of the changes I suggested was to reduce the power requirements by increasing the size of the lift fan. This modification would help streamline the design.”
Sarlls, who is currently working on the International Space Station, thinks SATOP’s ability to facilitate the transfer of knowledge is important. “I believe when a small company like Milde Aircraft Corp. develops a new concept it is smart to get second opinion,” he said. “In the industry we call it a ‘sanity check’ – you need to stop and ask, is this really a good idea?”
Karl Milde now has the confidence to move forward. “I was able to use SATOP to my great advantage to validate my concept,” he said. “Now that we have the design, my next step is funding. I have a business plan and have applied for funding with the Advanced Technology Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.”
“Someone forward thinking like Karl Milde is going to create a personal aircraft,” said Sarlls. “Just like the early days of aviation, there’s a lot of work involved and technical challenges, but mark my words, sooner or later the days of Buck Rogers will be a reality.”

“There is no greater proponent of the SATOP program than Karl Milde,” said Jacques Baron, vice president for the County Chamber of Commerce in White Plains. “Karl happened to attend the first meeting where I was describing SATOP to an audience of about 25 and he was the first to call me about submitting an RTA. Karl has since submitted several RTAs to SATOP and been thrilled with the process and advice he received from the Alliance Partners,” continued Baron. “Now, he stands up at the Chamber’s monthly networking roundtables to say something positive about SATOP, and you can’t place a value on a third-party endorsement like this. He will literally bend over backwards for this program.”