Electric aircraft operation is a likely to reshape the world of flight. Thousands of Urban Air Mobility and eVTOL aircraft are expected to swarm the sky daily over the next ten years. Thus, the safety aspect will become more prominent. Loss of electric power in such aircraft is more critical than conventional machines due to the resulting loss of propulsive power. Operation of UAM and eVTOL will be different from established flight operations, they may fly regularly over more populated areas. Crashes can be fatal to the occupants and the general public. There is a serious need to prevent crashes due to loss of electric power. This design idea provides a unique solution for situations where there is a loss of electric power but the motors and other essential systems are in working condition. External electric power can be supplied for emergency landing.

The benefits are redundancy in power source for safety. Since the source of emergency power will be external of the aircraft, the supply can in emergency can be ensured.

The system consists of: 1) an airborne aircraft, 2) a control station, 3) a satellite at suitable altitude with solar power generation, 4) a ground power supply station. The aircraft must have right electrical/electronic configuration to receive energy in form of LASER and microwave beams, and to convert to electricity. When in need, the aircraft sends a signal to the control station with its call sign and an emergency power request along with necessary data to locate it. The control station verifies it and sends an activation signal to the satellite and the ground power supply station. The satellite has stored energy harnessed from sunlight that it directs to the subject aircraft as LASER or microwave beam. The ground-based station can also do the same. The aircraft receives the energy beams and flies to the nearest landing site. The control station uses an algorithm to optimize the use of satellite or the ground unit or both, as well as the mode of supply – LASER or microwave. It does so by taking the aircraft’s location and weather data as inputs.

The conventional fuel-based propulsion does not provide such provisions in emergency, neither does the current electric aircraft products. Providing external power in emergency makes the idea novel.

The idea can be used for all electric aircraft. It may be equally useful for conventional aircraft as well in the event of electrical power loss.

The entire emerging electric aircraft ecosystem is the market. Moreover, a portion of the conventional aircraft operation may also like to have such as system as a passive redundancy.

The integrated infrastructure is unique but the individual elements are already available in aircraft and other industries. However, there must be specific attention to make the energy transmission and conversion mechanisms robust and effective.

There is no such system in existence to compare. The infrastructure may require significant investment but the benefits are way more than the cost concern.