There’s No Turning Back from an eVTOL Future
|
The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) revolution
is upon us, and there likely no turning back. That is the message from a
growing number of opinion leaders at this year’s Heli-Expo.
That list includes AHS
International executive director Mike Hirschberg, who points out that more
than $1 billion has been invested in vehicles and related research before
regulations are finalized for the category. And the roster of companies
involves includes major players such as Airbus, Boeing, Bell, Embraer, Intel,
Amazon, Honda, Toyota, and Uber.
“Electric aviation is really
changing in what it will be in the future,” Hirschberg said. According to
Hirschberg, electrically powered vertical vehicles provide the opportunity to
eliminate all the things typically viewed as drawbacks on helicopters:
transmissions, gearboxes, shafting, and hydraulics. He said reforms to Part
23 certification requirements could go a long way to making eVTOL design
approval of both electric powerplants and occupant protection achievable.
Bell CEO Mitch Snyder agrees. Bell
executive vice president for technology and innovation Michael Thacker “is
meeting with the FAA all the time, and we are having these discussions,”
Snyder said this week at Heli-Expo.
Chris Emerson, president of Airbus
Helicopters Inc., strikes a more cautionary note and urges careful study.
“People are starting to build up and gather data so that we understand what
the future project is going to look like. And by the way, it will have to
follow all of the certification requirements that we have in place, plus
more."
|
torsdag 1. mars 2018
The future is here, some say - Airbus is cautious - AIN
Abonner på:
Legg inn kommentarer (Atom)
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar
Merk: Bare medlemmer av denne bloggen kan legge inn en kommentar.