So-called urban air mobility is a hot topic in aviation now but no one really knows if it’s just the fad du jour or a real, budding industry. This week’s poll asks if you would consider riding on one of these contraptions when and if they’re ever certified and available.
Sure thing. Just as soon as it’s approved for part 135 operations. Which should be, oh I don’t know, the 12th of never?
The investors in these things should talk to the original Eclipse investors to see how that goes.
Electric flight is possible. There is no doubt about the concept. It does work. The 2 major down sides is this. The obvious one is the lack of battery life. But the other is usually ignored. When a toy vtol runs out of battery or crashes, no one is hurt. Passengers are not toys. Safety seems to be the last worry. Even for helicopters, counter rotation is not always a lifesaver. These 2 problems should have been addressed at the beginning before investors arrived with suitcases full of money. The energy for fuel to battery is still around 30 to 1. So hybrid power appears to the only remedy at this time. Not much has changed on the battery front – as I expected and foresee any change in the future. The safety issue will be a hard sell for FAA.
Absolutely, assuming the aircraft and carrier are both certified for 135 operations.
The FAA won’t even sign-off on commercial drone use. The little ‘e’ crowd thinks they will sign-off on passenger carrying eUnicorns ???? They better call the Boenig 777 team about aircraft certification.