At the last HFAC meeting Tom Hirsch talked about eVtol technology. At some point in the future I expect there will be a proposal to bring this technology to Hanscom Field and I think there should be an early discussion of this possibility so that people understand it ahead of time.
Basically, the idea is to scale up the small quadcopter drones until they are big enough to carry people and freight. The first US service is planned for Chicago in 2025 [7]. There is no current proposal to do this at Hanscom, but I suspect it is only a matter of time before someone proposes an air taxi service between Hanscom and Boston. There might be other destinations within range of Hanscom, such as Worcester or Nashua NH The most likely route would be similar to current helicopter routes: it would follow Route 2 into the Cambridge area and then fly over the Charles River to some location near Logan or the Boston Waterfront area. (Helicopter routes are currently set over existing highways and rivers to reduce noise over residential areas.) Most likely these vehicles would be much quieter than piston engine airplanes (small planes) and they would certainly be quieter than corporate Jets. There would be no emissions since they are battery powered. However, it is likely there would be a lot of operations. An air taxi service might fly every 10 or fifteen minutes if there are a lot of passengers. The Chicago service is expected to cost about $100 and a Boston service would probably be similar. This is more expensive than the commuter rail, but getting to Boston in 10 minutes rather than 90 minutes would appeal to some people. I can only speculate right now, but it is possible such a service would replace some of the current Hanscom operations. It is also possible it would simply be in addition to current Hanscom operations. Without having any concrete proposal this is only speculation. Again, this is purely speculative, but it is possible this technology could lead to replacement of the small piston engine airplanes and a reduction in their climate impacts. I would be happy to hear people’s reaction to these concepts. How would you react if there was a proposal to bring an eVtol service to Hansom Field? I repeat, there is no such proposal, but as I see the technology developing I expect there will be a proposal eventually. Discussing the idea well ahead of time is good for preparation. Christopher Eliot, HFAC [1] https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/FactSheet-UAM.pdf <https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/FactSheet-UAM.pdf> [2] https://www.faa.gov/uas/advanced_operations/urban_air_mobility <https://www.faa.gov/uas/advanced_operations/urban_air_mobility> [3] https://nari.arc.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/UAM_ConOps_v1.0.pdf <https://nari.arc.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/UAM_ConOps_v1.0.pdf> [4] https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/urban-air-mobility-uam-market-106344 <https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/urban-air-mobility-uam-market-106344> [5] https://www.faa.gov/air-taxis <https://www.faa.gov/air-taxis> YouTube discussion with Austin Meyer (developer of X-Plane flight simulator with discussion of electric aircraft and UAM) [6] https://youtu.be/3wEdJbZu2Y4 <https://youtu.be/3wEdJbZu2Y4> [7] https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/03/27/air-taxi-to-ohare-will-allow-chicago-travelers-to-skip-traffic-on-the-kennedy <https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/03/27/air-taxi-to-ohare-will-allow-chicago-travelers-to-skip-traffic-on-the-kennedy>
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