Sound levels are a key factor for an urban mission; Airbus' extensive expertise in noise-friendly designs is driving CityAirbus' sound levels below 65 dB(A) during fly-over and below 70 dB(A) during landing. Credit: Airbus.
Airbus, the French aerospace giant that has revolutionized air travel around the world, is boldly stepping into the new century with an advanced, next-generation, eVTOL design.
It’s all too easy to turn a jaundiced view toward any new announcement that touts big progress in eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) development. But when aerospace titan Airbus speaks, it’s hard to turn a deaf ear.
This week at Airbus’s sustainability summit in Toulouse, France, the manufacturer unveiled a design for a fixed-wing CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL with a V-shaped tail and eight sets of electric motors and propellers, AINonline reported.
An engineering team led by Airbus Helicopters is working on the detailed design for the model, with the aim of achieving a first flight with a prototype in 2023, en route to type certification in 2025.
Their potential is compelling: Air taxis could substantially cut down the travel time in heavily congested areas, turning a 45-minute trip from downtown Manhattan to JFK International Airport into just five.
Developing countries are particularly interested in the technology, given their megacities have often grown faster than the infrastructure can support.
The full electric aircraft will carry up to four passengers on flights of up to 80 km (50 miles) and at speeds of 120 km/h (75 mph).
“We have spent hundreds of thousands of engineering hours on this; on all aspects of eVTOL design,” Airbus UAM (Unmanned Air Mobility) head Joerg Mueller said, noting that Airbus has performed extensive computer modelling, conducted multiple wind tunnel tests with full-scale propellers, and set up test benches for noise research. Asia Times - link - Dave Makichuk - link - more like this (France) - link - like this - link
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