![]() While the Earth-bound nuts-and-bolts are established, companies from aviation giants like Airbus in Toulouse, France, and Boeing in Arlington, Va., to automotive and industrial players like Hyundai in Seoul and Toyota in Tokyo, as well as tech-forward start-ups attempt to establish a footprint in the UAM sector. While agencies are establishing standards, engineers are figuring out how to distribute small-takeoff and -landing zones around cities that allow for safe maintenance, as well as for passenger and cargo loading and unloading. The draft safety standards are not applicable for vertiport facilities that will be utilized by other types of aircraft outside the performance characteristics of this composite aircraft." "The draft guidance contains a discussion of a composite aircraft (or reference aircraft), and the recommended safety standards contained in the draft guidance are only applicable to vertiports used by this composite aircraft or by any aircraft within the range of performance characteristics as this composite aircraft. "The draft is based on research conducted by the FAA on the performance characteristics of various aircraft designs, currently under development, that will utilize vertiport facilities," the agency wrote in an announcement last spring. In March 2023, the FAA started to establish standards for UAM-focused vertiports including signage and specifications for concrete. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Washington notes that UAM aircraft initially will use a flight ecosystem already in place for traditional helicopters that consists of routes, helipads, and air traffic control (ATC) services. In addition to UAM's goals of moving people and goods around densely populated environments, the same technology is also anticipated for outside of city centers for civilian and military use and is referred to as advanced air mobility (AAM). Each, of course, have their own pros and cons. These aircraft may be piloted remotely or with a pilot on-board or be fully autonomous in intracity and intercity routes.Īs of 2023, the eVTOL aircraft directory of the Vertical Flight Society in Fairfax, Va., has more than 300 designs registered that feature lift and thrust layouts, including what look like a much larger version of a consumer quadcopter drone distributed multi-copters designs that use hybrid concepts where fixed or tilted wings drive forward flight while other fans or propellers are used for liftoff, hovering, and landing and speedy jet designs. In addition to the promise of a flying taxi, autonomous eVTOL, hybrid, and traditionally fueled aircraft operators say they intend to find customers for air shuttles, personal air vehicles, air cargo, air ambulances/emergency vehicles, last-mile delivery, and similar military applications. While many focus on passengers flying over traffic jams in city centers, the UAM sector is more broad than that. In the intervening years, the urban air mobility (UAM) sector of eVTOL flying taxis will need to see rapid adoption of regulations, best practices, and infrastructure investment to enable safe air travel in cities dominated by tall buildings, huge radio frequency (RF) transmission traffic, and soon, other aircraft. Some market prognosticators estimate the UAM market to grow from $2.2 billion in 2021 to $31 billion in 2031. The National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) estimates that 130 million passenger trips may be taken by the year 2029. The city soundscape soon may be abuzz with a variety of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft ferrying passengers and cargo across dense urban centers high above the crowded streets below.Īs with any nascent technology, there are a glut of designs as the market shakes out which provide the safety, resiliency, comfort, and demand operators need to transform the commuting public into frequent flyers taking short jaunts across cities or metro areas.
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