Whisper Aero seeks quieter aviation and the globe

Noisy world. Delivery drones and air taxis, also known as electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, will make cities and neighborhoods noisier if investors succeed in saturating the market.

That’s assumed. Whisper Aero seems unconcerned about assumptions.

The two-year-old startup believes you should be able to silently mow your lawn, heat and cool buildings, and even fly an air taxi. Whisper claims to have invented a quieter, more efficient electric propulsion device—an electric ducted fan—to reach that future.

Mark Moore, a former Uber Elevate executive, leads Whisper. Moore told TechCrunch that Uber taught him “the compelling need” of urban air mobility: decreased noise.

Moore advised being silent to scale delivery drones or eVTOL air taxis. “Be quiet enough to not disrupt those communities.”

Whisper created a scalable electric-ducted fan. The business has designed, manufactured, and flown nine propulsor versions in two years. They chose a product that lowers amplitude and improves noise’s tone profile. The business claims to have moved some tones into ultrasonic range, beyond human hearing.

Tech impacts are significant. Noise reductions usually cost performance or weight. Whisper COO Ian Villa said the team started with the basics of turning power into push.
Whisper stated that most firms only build for minimal noise by reducing disk loading and tip speed at the expense of efficiency. “We never agreed.”

Going ultrasonic
Whisper has kept a quiet profile since emerging from stealth two years ago with $7.5 million. Crossville, Tennessee, a town of just over 12,000 people, is its headquarters. The website remains a landing page. After two years of study, design, and testing, the company is ready to launch.

Menlo Ventures, EVE Atlas, Capricorn Investment Group, and Connor Capital sponsored a $32 million Series A for Whisper. Kindred Ventures, Abstract Ventures, Moving Capital, AeroX Ventures, Cosmos Ventures, Linse Capital, and LaunchTN—a Tennessee public-private partnership—also participated.

Whisper will begin commercialization with the U.S. Department of Defense, which it has been testing with. Whisper has won several modest DOD propulsor validation contracts, including from the Air Force Research Lab.

The DOD likely values quiet airplanes. Whisper has proven that its electric-ducted fan can fly a 55-pound drone at 200 feet without making a sound. Moore said Boeing’s popular military drone, the Insitu ScanEagle, would need to fly at least 3,000 feet above to be silent.

Moore called it a breakthrough in surveillance drone missions since it can reach so close without being spotted. “Especially at night, when you can’t see it. It can fly and loiter overhead without you knowing.”

Moore said Whisper wants to incorporate “very specific platforms” from small drones to platforms large enough to carry people.

Commercial aviation uses abound. The biggest and best-funded players, Joby and Archer Aviation, claim eVTOL could achieve commercial operation by 2025. Whisper is not producing electric aircraft, but its expertise might make them quieter. Moore said it “fundamentally transforms what the aircraft look like and what they can do.”

The company emphasizes that the benefits go beyond noise reduction and include efficiency gains, which are more crucial as more technology go electric and depend on battery lifespans. The corporation also claims that open rotors, not ducted, limit airplane speeds. An eVTOL may fly 300-400 mph instead of 150.

World’s quietest electric leaf blower?
Whisper hopes to double their Tennessee-based team, which presently numbers 10-50 (they declined to specify), with this new funding. The company is also moving into two new facilities: an 8,000-square-foot Nashville location for design, engineering, and fast prototyping, and a 40,000-square-foot Crossville facility for testing and production, collocated within a Tennessee Tech University campus.

This fund raise is Villa’s “phase two.” Phase two generates defense income, while phase one was R&D.

Phase three will involve commercial aviation, industrial, and consumer verticals, Villa added. Its electric-ducted fan powers a demonstration electric leaf blower. That’s one of many applications the corporation is considering.

Moore remarked, “We are this future Pratt & Whitney mashed up with a Dyson.”

“We’re eager to bring this technology to everyday life.”