Moller International, Inc. Postpones First Manned, Untethered Flight of the M400X Moller Skycar(R)
Moller International, Inc., the developer of the Skycar(R) aircraft, the Rotapower(R) line of rotary engines and the Aerobot(R) line of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) today announced the postponement of the first manned untethered flight of its M400X Skycar(R) that had been scheduled for October 11, 2011.
“As Moller International moves forward with our new marketing and public relations campaigns, we find ourselves up against compounding deadlines, “said Jah Mackey, Director of Marketing for Moller International. “We have been working very hard to balance the needs and desires of our shareholders, potential sponsors, the FAA and the media. To address each group’s position, we have a step back in our execution time-line and created a campaign and event strategy that will satisfy everyone.”
Moller International’s new strategy includes several levels of corporate sponsorship, celebrity guests, press and analyst tours, FAA certification, strategically located viewing areas and live webcast of the flight and event presentations.
“Postponing the flight has presented us with many benefits,” stated Dr. Paul Moller, President of Moller International. “The postponement gives us ample time to create an event that will not be forgotten, it affords us the opportunity to develop strategic relationships that provide great potential beyond the initial sponsorship opportunities, and the awareness building campaign that promises to address many of our communication issues.”
The new flight date will be announced once the final approvals have been given from the FAA, event sponsors, Moller’s flight preparation team and an acceptable weather window can be identified.
“Postponing the flight was not our first choice,” stated Bruce Calkins, General Manager at Moller International. “However, as the scope of the flight event grew, we recognized the need to adjust our plans and incorporate additional activities and amenities for our guests, sponsors and the visiting media. To accommodate the changes to our plan and meet the FAA requirements for the flight, we reevaluated our location choices and found that Lake Minden not only met our initial requirements, but also exceeded our expansion expectations.”
Lake Minden is an outstanding location for the flight, its location and size add a margin of safety that other location prospects did not provide and allows Moller the room to fly with a satisfactory safety zone, control access to and from the location and provide excellent viewing areas for media and guests.
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