Chris,
Thank you for posting this. As much as I support new green tech, I don't think
that eVTOL noise is going to be a big improvement over the jet noise,
especially if eVTOL aircraft are taking off every 10 minutes. The sound may be
different, but the noise pollution will not be reduced.
I seriously doubt that the FAA will type cert. any eVTOL aircraft for
commercial flight anytime soon. I'm sure that we'll hear about prototypes,
flight tests and meetings regarding piloted or unmanned eVTOL aircraft, but it
will be years if not decades before this becomes a reality.
Thank you for your service to the community.
Steve
On Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 08:49:30 AM EDT, Christopher Eliot
<[email protected]> wrote:
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? If you
had to make a choice, would you see an eVtol service as better than expanding
corporate jet activity at Hanscom 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[2]
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[4]
https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/urban-air-mobility-uam-market-106344[5]
https://www.faa.gov/air-taxisYouTube discussion with Austin Meyer (developer of
X-Plane flight simulator with discussion of electric aircraft and UAM)[6]
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
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