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eVTOLs -- the future, or a money pit?

Tom McAndrew

Tom McAndrew

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I've been following the development of eVTOLs for several years. In part, I've done so because I always thought it would be great to buzz around in a helicopter, especially in urban areas, or when traveling between urban areas that were 2 hour or less car rides, and thus not really worthy of taking a plane. While that would be fun for me, if that were adopted (and affordable) on a large scale, the pollution from such would be pretty bad. Electrically-powered vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) could make this a reality, and a lot of money has been poured into this concept around the world.

So will eVTOLs be the norm for many people in the future? Only time will tell. I think the below article is an interesting overview on the situation.

Not my normal type of post, but I've been interested in eVTOLs for some time, and thought it might be an interesting discussion.

spectrum.ieee.org

Following the Money in the Air-Taxi Craze

With air taxi companies pledging to start commercial operations in 2024, one key question remains unanswered: Are we on the verge of a stunning revolution in urban transportation, or are we witnessing, as aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia puts it, the “mother of all aerospace bubbles”?
spectrum.ieee.org spectrum.ieee.org
 
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Woodpecker

Woodpecker

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NittPicker

NittPicker

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As the article notes, the pinch point will be if "vertiports" don't have the ability to handle large volumes of people. They'd have to be built outside the city where there is enough available real estate. But then commuters would need another transportation option for the final leg of the trip which would add more time and expense. To me the concept doesn't seem feasible on a large scale within a metro area. OTOH, I can see it being used for the special purposes noted in the article.
 
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Metal Mike

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As a helicopter pilot I see a problem with air traffic control in urban areas. While eVTOLs could be fun, using them for everday transportation could be a problem. Questions remain about using eVTOLs in bad weather (Insturment Flying Rules). So a fun vechile for use in good weather and away from urban area is possible.
 
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psuro

psuro

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This reminds me of the thread about they guy who took the powered glider thing up to 18,000 feet. Without proper training, these vehicles will be a hazard.
 
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fairgambit

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Tom McAndrew said:
I've been following the development of eVTOLs for several years. In part, I've done so because I always thought it would be great to buzz around in a helicopter, especially in urban areas, or when traveling between urban areas that were 2 hour or less car rides, and thus not really worthy of taking a plane. While that would be fun for me, if that were adopted (and affordable) on a large scale, the pollution from such would be pretty bad. Electrically-powered vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) could make this a reality, and a lot of money has been poured into this concept around the world.

So will eVTOLs be the norm for many people in the future? Only time will tell. I think the below article is an interesting overview on the situation.

Not my normal type of post, but I've been interested in eVTOLs for some time, and thought it might be an interesting discussion.

spectrum.ieee.org

Following the Money in the Air-Taxi Craze

With air taxi companies pledging to start commercial operations in 2024, one key question remains unanswered: Are we on the verge of a stunning revolution in urban transportation, or are we witnessing, as aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia puts it, the “mother of all aerospace bubbles”?
spectrum.ieee.org spectrum.ieee.org
Click to expand...
Have you considered the Gambit L1050?

EarlyFlight.jpg
 
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MacNit

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Tom McAndrew said:
I've been following the development of eVTOLs for several years. In part, I've done so because I always thought it would be great to buzz around in a helicopter, especially in urban areas, or when traveling between urban areas that were 2 hour or less car rides, and thus not really worthy of taking a plane. While that would be fun for me, if that were adopted (and affordable) on a large scale, the pollution from such would be pretty bad. Electrically-powered vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) could make this a reality, and a lot of money has been poured into this concept around the world.

So will eVTOLs be the norm for many people in the future? Only time will tell. I think the below article is an interesting overview on the situation.

Not my normal type of post, but I've been interested in eVTOLs for some time, and thought it might be an interesting discussion.

spectrum.ieee.org

Following the Money in the Air-Taxi Craze

With air taxi companies pledging to start commercial operations in 2024, one key question remains unanswered: Are we on the verge of a stunning revolution in urban transportation, or are we witnessing, as aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia puts it, the “mother of all aerospace bubbles”?
spectrum.ieee.org spectrum.ieee.org
Click to expand...
This article is a fairly good summary. Industry standards, for the most part, already exist. The key challenges will be more on the aspect of regulating the air space. And this is even more complicated post 9-11.
 
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PSU87

PSU87

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My former boss was in the aviation industry his entire career.
He was into this, then very quickly jumped out of it if that tells you anything
He's a bit worried about the certification aspects as the article alluded to. While there are industry standards in place, he thinks the FAA is going to stumble in getting these certified in a timely manner as they don't have experience with these types of vehicles.
Add to that the complexity of the quad-copter: you do NOT "fly" a quad copter... you tell it where to go and the SOFTWARE flies it. The pilot might push the joystick, but thats only telling the system which direction he wants it to go. Coming on the heels of the 737Max software problems, he does not see the FAA as being in a lenient mood. They are gonna demand the ever lovin shiat tested out of these things.
 
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Sharkies

Sharkies

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TBH, these would be awesome getting from Delco out to Centre County for football games. Sign me up.
 
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Sharkies

Sharkies

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Woodpecker said:
35 km range might be problematic (along with 1000 other like-minded people arriving for the game)
Click to expand...
My assumption is there is an entrepreneuring farmer out that way that would set up "circles" in one large field for all of us to land. The landing part should be easy enough, range (and wind?) would be the bigger question. Also, would it allow me to bring a stocked cooler?
 
Woodpecker

Woodpecker

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Sharkies said:
My assumption is there is an entrepreneuring farmer out that way that would set up "circles" in one large field for all of us to land. The landing part should be easy enough, range (and wind?) would be the bigger question. Also, would it allow me to bring a stocked cooler?
Click to expand...
And you can take an air taxi to the Beave from that field! I think it can carry 200 kg so, depending on how hefty you and your partner are, a cooler sounds doable.
 
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