Metro Hop has the green light from the United States Air Force Agility Prime program to test its patent pending Active Landing Gear. This unique landing gear allows Metro Hop's all-electric, short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft to fly up to 250 mph with substantial payloads, while operating nearly silently out of small spaces.

This landing gear also means that the Metro Hop aircraft can handle most vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) missions with superior performance.

With this Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer contract from Agility Prime, Metro Hop is teaming up with Auburn University's Vehicle Systems, Dynamics, and Design Lab (VSDDL) to model and validate the design of the Active Landing Gear. VSDDL will use its flight simulation facilities and software to model the gear under various conditions during the takeoff and landing phases of flight.

"The VSDDL recently developed a reconfigurable flight simulator aimed at novel aircraft configurations and we're currently developing two more. We look forward to using our capabilities to give us precise measurements of Metro Hop's flight capabilities and allow us to aggregate essential data on the plane," said Dr. Imon Chakraborty, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Auburn University and director of the VSDDL.

After this initial phase of testing is completed, Metro Hop will move forward with construction of a fully operational landing gear set and begin dynamic landing-drop and taxi testing.

"We are grateful for this support from Agility Prime and we are thrilled to be working closely with the VSDDL team at Auburn University to move our project forward," said Metro Hop CEO and Founder Bruno Mombrinie. "This is the first step among many: let's fly!"