Nick Klenske

News

Counting the Cost of Urban Air Mobility Flights

Will eVTOL air taxi services really be able to deliver the promised on-demand flights affordable across income groups, or will this be another perk for high-net-worth individuals?

Companies preparing to launch eVTOL air taxi services say they will offer very affordable flights based on greatly reduced operating costs and economies of scale. Some aircraft developers have projected per-passenger-mile costs of between $1 and $3, but questions remain as to whether all aspects of their operating costs are sufficiently well known, with so many aspects such as ground infrastructure and regulation still not resolved.

News

5G Connectivity Advances Set To Expand the Horizons for Autonomous Flight

While enhancing its software platform to support drone operations using low-altitude authorization and notification capability, Skyward is also looking to deliver enhanced autonomous flight capability by tapping 5G cellular networks.

Connectivity technology group Skyward is improving the support its platform provides for drone operators using the FAA's low-altitude authorization and notification capability while investing in longer-term advances in the use of 5G networks. Beyond existing drone services, the improved connectivity will support autonomous operations for eVTOLs and other new air vehicles.

News

Beyond the Air Taxi: The Business Case for eVTOLs in Global Rescue and Disaster Relief

Experts are evaluating how eVTOL aircraft could make responses to natural disasters and other crises more effective.

Johnny Doo, who is leading NASA's Transformative Vertical Flight Working Group on Public Services, says that because eVTOL aircraft are less complex and easier to operate than traditional rotorcraft they could give disaster relief agencies a new approach to getting help where it is needed.

News

Hydrogen Advocates Say Theirs Is the Ultimate Path to Aviation's Zero-Carbon Future

Start-ups like Universal Hydrogen, HyPoint, and ZeroAvia are taking different approaches to converting aircraft to hydrogen propulsion, arguing they can get this solution to market quicker than new-build aircraft programs.

Carbon-reducing propulsion solutions like sustainable aviation fuel and battery-based electric power reduce aviation's dependence on fossil fuels, but proponents of hydrogen power say they can achieve the ultimate zero-carbon objective for the air transport sector. According to innovators like Universal Hydrogen, HyPoint, and ZeroAvia, they could get converted aircraft into commercial service as early as 2025.

News

Beyond Air Taxi: How eVTOLs Could Be a Lifesaver as Well as a Moneymaker

Every minute that an eVTOL aircraft saves in getting emergency medical support to a patient increases the chance of survival, and this application also demonstrates clear societal benefits for the new mode of transportation.

New eVTOL aircraft could get paramedics to the scene of a medical emergency quicker than ambulances or even helicopters, and those few extra minutes could mean the difference between life and death. That's why companies like Jump, Jaunt, Volocopter, Kitty Hawk, and Urban Aeronautics all have plans to deploy their new vehicles in emergency medical service roles.

Special Reports

Air Traffic Management

Autonomous eVTOL aircraft join drones in posing air traffic management challenges

Regulators and air traffic management agencies already face a challenge integrating unmanned aircraft systems, or drones, into controlled airspace. But now, passenger-carrying electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft are demanding access too, and some of them will be operated autonomously without a pilot. So how will the system cope with what's being called unmanned traffic management?