VTOL On Demand Mobility


Evtol industry…….'fake it until you make it' culture is still alive and well ……. sooner or later ….too many inexperienced startups trying to build quite advanced aircraft designs……. next few years there will be a bloodbath……..A disaster ….. the most fundamental was a fantasy about the economics ……..predicted impossibly low empty weights…….unattainable performance and range predictions,…………accomplish all of this in record setting time.

In the near future prison’s (State Pen’s) will no longer have their inmates stitching mail bags, or breaking rocks, instead they’ll be hosting innovation hubs, delivering TED talks and running techno creativity centres. Ah for these modern times.
Since so many of these are obvious scams, their fundraising is more complicated. This might be handy for reference in general too.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6kW3sys79w
 

Aviation Week had an interesting article 2 weeks ago where it speculated that up to 75% of these start up companies could fail and the remaining 25% would have a hard time attracting funding because all the investors who got burned won't want to sink another penny into the evtol market.
 
At the end, there will be more money burned here than was coal on the Pan-American railroad. Speak about low carbon emissions!!
 
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At the end, there will be more money burned here than coal on the Pan-American railroad. Speak about low carbon emissions!!
it reminds me, where are all the SST's we were supposed to be zooming around in by now?, you know, breakfast in London, Lunch in San Francisco.

I'm afraid Uber without a human driver is far more likely to win this 'race'. Stick in a robot dog in case your too lazy to get of the sofa, and we are done here.
 
Moshier Technologies AURORA 400 VTOL Aircraft Project 1986
 

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Considering that Eve is a subsidiary of Embraer, they have a good chance of navigating the hurdles of certification and flight testing and getting this thing into service. By aiming for a late 2020's EIS, they can lean from the mistakes of others and take advantage of emerging technologies to leapfrog the competition.
 
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Hope it wasn't serious. :(

If the NTSB is investigating there must have been some substantial damage.


Edit : Looks like it may have been a high speed breakup or loss of control. So a total loss. Shame :eek:


 
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Copy%20of%2022_JAN_2020_FULL%20SCALE%20CONCEPT%202.png
 
FAA will slow roll Joby. Look at the implications for AW-609 after a high speed failure, and their was a like platform flying in the DoD.
 

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSQw2ORhOrw&ab_channel=AutoFlight


Is it just me, or does the landing footage at 4:16 look like it's CGI ? Also the takeoff and vertical climb footage at 2:11 seems a little odd. Am I going crazy, or does it looks like some of this footage is faked ? o_O

Take a look at this footage of the Archer. This is how a evtol is supposed to move on takeoff. Notice how the other aircraft is steady as a rock in an unnatural way ?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN0MK2PHgEo
 
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Yes, the touchdown sequence is odd. The rest seems legit (no wind, no Payload, minimal weight (that's how an eggshell is supposed to fly)).
 
Propellers distributed longitudinally provide much better pitch stability/control in contrast to Archer's configuration.

Autoflight's vertical lift system may not be as eye pleasing, but it is effective from a safety/reliability perspective and 8 rather large propellers enable a low disc loading.

In general: The advantage of a seperate lift-thrust configuration (SLT) is its inherent simplicity, which has a direct effect on reliability.
- No need for variable pitch propellers
- No propeller tilt mechanism
- No conversion during transition

Last but not least: The thrust-motor could be easily substituted with an internal combustion engine, which would enable long range/endurance, without major changes to the basic configuration. The simplest way to put a hybrid configuration into action.
 
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Quite an informative article/interview on the AMSL Vertiia:

 
Oh geez, flying hydrogen tanks with electric engines, what could possibly go wrong ?
Ian Malcolm, as per my signature, wouldn't like this.

"electro-hydrogen flying taxis ? Yeah: oooh, aaah, that's how it always starts. Then later there's crashing, running, and... screaming." LMAO
 
Oh geez, flying hydrogen tanks with electric engines, what could possibly go wrong ?
Ian Malcolm, as per my signature, wouldn't like this.

"electro-hydrogen flying taxis ? Yeah: oooh, aaah, that's how it always starts. Then later there's crashing, running, and... screaming." LMAO
dont forget to build it just heavy enough to be certified.....
 
Propellers distributed longitudinally provide much better pitch stability/control in contrast to Archer's configuration.

Autoflight's vertical lift system may not be as eye pleasing, but it is effective from a safety/reliability perspective and 8 rather large propellers enable a low disc loading.

In general: The advantage of a seperate lift-thrust configuration (SLT) is its inherent simplicity, which has a direct effect on reliability.
- No need for variable pitch propellers
- No propeller tilt mechanism
- No conversion during transition

Last but not least: The thrust-motor could be easily substituted with an internal combustion engine, which would enable long range/endurance, without major changes to the basic configuration. The simplest way to put a hybrid configuration into action.

Don't forget that smaller rotors means a higher impact on rotor balance from accelerations. Wind loads, rate of climb or descent, yaw and bank will affect more a smaller rotor than a larger one.
So, if in theory the distribution of lift is a benefit for stabity, in effect it makes the aircraft less robust toward real flight conditions and one that loose quicker its efficiency. One notable aspect is vertical flight and descent where the smaller, more rigid, props and rotor system are more susceptible to recirculating flows and assymetrical ground effect.
 


Considering that this aircraft was operating at the extreme edge of its performance envelope, the basic design of the Joby is sound. I do wonder if the aircraft could have been saved had there been a pilot at the controls.
 
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I do wonder if it could have reached anything close to that speed has it been built to be manned....
 
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Great news if this were true, instead of relaying on the old swiveling nozzles like the Harrier, and Yak 141 or ducted fan solutions like the F-35B. maybe we'll see no compromise VTOL fighters in the future.

 

 

FAA and United Kingdom's CAA issue statement that recognizes potential of eVTOL aircraft​


March 4, 2022

The U.S. and UK civil aviation authorities are engaged in a range of bilateral and multilateral discussions focused on facilitating certification and validating new eVTOL aircraft, production, and continued airworthiness, AviationPros reports.


Faa E 6220d868c2075




WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority recognize the potential of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) and other Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft to significantly benefit the public. To support future eVTOL aircraft development and operation, the U.S. and UK civil aviation authorities are engaged in a range of bilateral and multilateral discussions focused on facilitating certification and validating new eVTOL aircraft, production, continued airworthiness, operations, and personnel licensing, AviationPros reports.
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

4 March 2022 - As these aircraft enter into the aviation ecosystem, both agencies recognize that they must continue to maintain the high safety standards that the public expects. To streamline and expedite integration, this technology should use existing regulatory frameworks on which that strong safety record is founded.

Both regulators recognize AAM is a collection of new and emerging technologies in the existing aviation system. Both authorities have a strong history of collaborating in aircraft certification, airspace integration, operations, and infrastructure, which lead to a safer, more sustainable sector.

 
2nd iteration of beta goes to a simple lift cruise

Interesting interview inside on a number of design decisions from battery location, aerodynamics, configurations, and so on.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HKD5WsTqOQ

Cargo, medical and government as first target....

CEO as chief flight test pilot ....

Hmm, one year later still no transition? I had high hopes on Beta. Does anyone know what's the problem?
 
2nd iteration of beta goes to a simple lift cruise

Interesting interview inside on a number of design decisions from battery location, aerodynamics, configurations, and so on.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HKD5WsTqOQ

Cargo, medical and government as first target....

CEO as chief flight test pilot ....

Hmm, one year later still no transition? I had high hopes on Beta. Does anyone know what's the problem?
My suspicion is that the rotors are not as efficient as they seemed in simulation. So there is work on how to make effective rotors that do not incur significant drag. That is my hunch using the scientific method of "Gosh, those rotors are sure small."
 
2nd iteration of beta goes to a simple lift cruise

Interesting interview inside on a number of design decisions from battery location, aerodynamics, configurations, and so on.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HKD5WsTqOQ

Cargo, medical and government as first target....

CEO as chief flight test pilot ....

Hmm, one year later still no transition? I had high hopes on Beta. Does anyone know what's the problem?
My suspicion is that the rotors are not as efficient as they seemed in simulation. So there is work on how to make effective rotors that do not incur significant drag. That is my hunch using the scientific method of "Gosh, those rotors are sure small."

When I look at that top view it seems to me that the rotors have sufficient disc area.
But you're right, their shape is very unusual and might be the reason why we didn’t see a video of hover or transition yet... In addition to efficiency, noise is also a factor that should not be neglected.
 

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Transition has always been the massive step for any Vtol configuration. All sorts of bad things related to details within the configuration can go wrong. The normal challenge is a transition with a bit of yaw relative to a cross wind. Quite a few test pilots have given their lives in trying to make various contraptions go from zero airspeed to wing borne flight and back again.
 
Is this the worlds first eVTOL aircraft?! The PKZ-1 first flew in 1918. It had one motor, 4 wooden propellers, and was powered by a cable connected to a DC generator on the ground (it was tethered). It was intended to replace observation balloons and it predates the conventional helicopter by some 20 odd years.
 

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Looks like an expose has been published showing that the Lilium Jet project is a fraud. People on this forum have been pointing that out for a long time.
 
Yes. No vertical Takeoffs and landings here. Notice that both pilots are wearing ventral parachutes.
Notice also:
- the high alpha attitude on the picture.
- the featureless cockpit
- the badly executed sheet metal console holding the flight display (normal (usual) pilot side)
 

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