This white paper introduces a Power Margin Ratio (PMR)-centered framework for analyzing heavy-lift electric VTOL feasibility. The paper argues that transient peak power availability during takeoff and climb—not total onboard stored energy—is the dominant governing constraint in many heavy-lift EVTOL architectures. The DCL-110 “Sunflower” architecture is presented as a conceptual systems-engineering response to this constraint through: centralized transient buffering, radial distributed energy storage, low-RPM large-disk propulsion, CG-centered payload geometry, and mission-phase-aware power management. The work establishes a systems-level architectural framework intended to support future experimental validation and heavy-lift EVTOL development.
Matthew Dominik (Tue,) studied this question.