XTI Aerospace has reached several engineering and product milestones for its TriFan 600 during the first quarter of 2025. The company finalised a full-scale cockpit mockup, completed a structural analysis model and introduced a higher-capacity wing fuel system.

The cockpit mockup will serve as a development tool to refine control layout, visibility and pilot comfort for the hybrid fixed-wing/rotorcraft platform. XTI’s team is working with both helicopter and aeroplane pilots to ensure the setup is intuitive across both flight modes.

“The flight deck mock-up is a key tool for the engineering team to create an optimised and pilot-friendly environment,” says XTI Aircraft’s VP of engineering Dave Ambrose. “Because the TriFan 600 operates in the flight modes of both a fixed wing airplane and a helicopter, we are exploring an optimal design that is comfortable for pilots operating in either environment.”

Chairman and CEO Scott Pomeroy adds: “The flight deck human factors mockup will help us ensure we have an airplane that is intuitive and innovative and that pilots love.”

XTI’s design team has also completed a Global Finite Element Model (GFEM) of the aircraft to enhance structural integrity evaluation. The GFEM advances digital mock-up efforts, allowing internal structures and load paths to be analysed more accurately before developing a detailed structural model.

“Our structures team is eager to begin the next phase of validation and modification,” says Ambrose. “Just as the CFD informs the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft, the GFEM enables a deeper understanding of structural integrity and load distribution.”

Alongside these developments, the TriFan 600’s fuel system was updated to increase wing capacity from 300 to 400 gallons while reducing unusable fuel. Pomeroy says the revised design is “expected to improve the range of the TriFan 600” and exceed earlier performance targets.

XTI has confirmed that six product and engineering milestones were completed in Q1 2025. These included a downwash/outwash airflow study, submission of its type certification application to the FAA, flight deck mockup design, engine intake and exhaust optimisation, fuel system design upgrade and GFEM completion. Further progress is expected in early Q2 with the launch of its ‘Sparrow’ subscale model.