VTOL On Demand Mobility

I feel its a bit over the top to compare Archer to Nikola. The fraud that they committed was so over the top that the CEO was eventually convicted and sentenced to prison. The only real criticism you could level at Archer is that they are being overly optimistic regarding their certification timelines considering the slow progress they've made regarding flight testing. But as far as exaggerating the value of their order book to make them seem successful, literally EVERY other player in this business is doing the same. Also regarding the empty factory, wouldn't it make sense for the definitive production conforming version to begin flight testing before you really start ramping up production ?
 
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alberchico said:
The only real criticism you could level at Archer is that they are being overly optimistic regarding their certification timelines considering the slow progress they've made regarding flight testing. But as far as exaggerating the value of their order book to make them seem successful, literally EVERY other player in this business is doing the same. Also regarding the empty factory, wouldn't it make sense for the definitive production conforming version to begin flight testing before you really start ramping up production ?
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There's a line in the Wall Street Millennial video "This is complete nonsense", which was indeed pretty much my opinion of the entire video. Someone calling themselves "Wall Street Millennial" would not be my immediate choice for deep analysis of an aerospace development cycle, and that seems to be confirmed by their apparent conviction that the normal amount of design change inherent in testing necessarily means fraud has happened.

Pretty much every EVTOL programme has been horrendously overconfident about testing and certification. Nothing to see here, move along.
 
GE and BETA to build next-gen hybrid electric aircraft

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Archibald said:
A good reading, pretty sobering.
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Only the archer bit tbh - those of us with an aero structures background look at the archer design and wonder how it works. Still, major parts of the aerostructure are being built in Bristol. I imagine I will hear things eventually.

The Joby bit I can't comment on because I have no experience. The vertical design I can't comment on for other reasons.

I like BETAs approach, and they're good people in my experience.
 

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Joby software power autonomous Cargo Cessna Caravan in Pacific theater demonstration:

"Instead of relying on a single aircraft, a network of autonomous cargo planes could create a resilient and unpredictable logistics web. This approach frees larger aircraft like the C-17 and C-130 to focus on strategic, long-haul missions, while smaller autonomous platforms take on shorter, riskier deliveries to austere or dispersed locations,” the spokesperson said. “REFORPAC also showed how autonomy can reduce the logistics burden on Airmen, enabling them to focus on higher-priority mission tasks.”
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www.defenseone.com

Air Force debuts pilotless cargo flights in the Pacific

The service incorporated remotely-operated flights into its massive REFORPAC exercise as it aims to make cargo flights cheaper.
www.defenseone.com www.defenseone.com
 
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From what I've heard the crosswinds had forced the PLAAF rotary wing rehearsals to be postponed (cancelled?), but Xpeng/AeroHT thought they knew better. You can see how hard the wind's blowing even in the crash footage. Too much marketing, not enough engineering (or common sense)!
 
vanishingelephant said:
From what I've heard the crosswinds had forced the PLAAF rotary wing rehearsals to be postponed (cancelled?), but Xpeng/AeroHT thought they knew better. You can see how hard the wind's blowing even in the crash footage. Too much marketing, not enough engineering (or common sense)!
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Unfortunately that *utterly* reckless attitude seems to be more and more a sign of the times in *all* walks of life around the globe...
 
Speaking about smoke plume, imagine that fire in your neighbor alley and start shopping for your own fire truck with chemicals proof gears sized for kids and the wifey...
 
Yes except it's still there. edit: I'm starting to wonder if it's a forum software bug...

EDIT: Next day and it's still there.
 
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Halcyon66 said:

www.bbc.com

Pioneering Oxford-Cambridge electric air-taxi project launches

The project aims to test the commercial and operational viability of an electric air-taxi between Oxford and Cambridge.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
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The long term business case probably isn't going to be helped by the 100mph East West Rail route between Oxford and Cambridge that is currently being built - Oxford to Bedford is in place, Bedford to Cambridge is under consultation at the minute WRT the precise route.
 
alberchico said:
An interesting take on why air taxis could work in the UK.

andrew480813.substack.com

Why I'm Optimistic About Flying Taxis

A Business Case For a British Air-Travel Revolution
andrew480813.substack.com andrew480813.substack.com
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He's basing his case on the existing rail-route, Oxford to Cambridge via London in 2 hours 50, not the in-progress East West Rail, which will be 1 hour 35.

Meanwhile his assumption of 100 trips per day per aircraft is hopelessly optimistic. Uber/taxi figures are more like a tenth of that. Even ignoring the usage rate this implies, you simply aren't going to get 10 hours of VFR usage per day every day in the UK, which means IFR becomes a necessary part of the operation, and you need at least three IFR rated pilots per aircraft (two to split each day into two shifts, and a third so you can cover weekends on a rota). We still don't know where all these pilots are supposed to come from. And similarly for certified aviation mechanics.
 
DWG said:
He's basing his case on the existing rail-route, Oxford to Cambridge via London in 2 hours 50, not the in-progress East West Rail, which will be 1 hour 35.

Meanwhile his assumption of 100 trips per day per aircraft is hopelessly optimistic. Uber/taxi figures are more like a tenth of that. Even ignoring the usage rate this implies, you simply aren't going to get 10 hours of VFR usage per day every day in the UK, which means IFR becomes a necessary part of the operation, and you need at least three IFR rated pilots per aircraft (two to split each day into two shifts, and a third so you can cover weekends on a rota). We still don't know where all these pilots are supposed to come from. And similarly for certified aviation mechanics.
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Following the "if you build it, they will come" trope is not exactly the smartest business model...
 
Thats not allways true. If you would have asked your chariot customers want they really want, they would have said faster horses instead of automobiles (not an exact quotation of Henry Ford). Most people would have also denied the need of a PC or a smart phone 10 years before their first ownership...
 
www.linkedin.com

#hydrogen #netzero #evtol #vtol | AMSL Aero

Today, we passed a huge milestone in our journey to zero-emission flight. We have filled the tanks that will be fitted to our aircraft with liquid hydrogen produced and stored on-site at an international airport, thanks to our collaboration with our partner Fabrum. Liquid hydrogen is the...
www.linkedin.com www.linkedin.com
 
Forest Green said:

Joby notches first flight for hybrid VTOL aircraft​

breakingdefense.com

Joby notches first flight for hybrid VTOL aircraft - Breaking Defense

Joby plans to manufacture the hybrid electric vertical takeoff aircraft while L3Harris will provide its mission systems to pitch to military customers.
breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com
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That's neat. Just wondering why they didn't do it earlier. I think the current S4 model could be a nice replacement in the category of small helicopters like Little Bird ;)
I hope BETA will do the same. They just need to replace the cruise motor with a gas turbine and cut the battery capacity to what is necessary for VTOL only.
 
Hybrid would definitely help with range, but I wonder how the added complexity now compares do a standard helicopter in terms of cost and maintenance.
 
From above link:

While other competitors in the eVTOL space are increasingly looking toward hybrid powertrains for their own aircraft, Honda is a notable exception, as its eVTOL was intended to be hybrid-electric from the outset. “We are an automobile company; we know the battery technologies,” said Mashio. “When we decided to start this project, we knew that battery technology might not be there as much as we had hoped.” Although Honda wouldn’t rule out a future fully-electric aircraft variant in line with battery maturation, “for the time being, I think the hybrid systems are practical,” he said.
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