An Industry White Paper

 

 

on

 

 

PERSONAL AIR VEHICLES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prepared By

 

Michael C. Ross

(916) 923-2215

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

This White Paper is being written as an educational introduction and discussion tool. The subject matter of the paper is the emergence of a new form of transportation, the Personal Air Vehicle (PAV), with the specific focus on Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) vehicles. It is hoped that this paper will:

1.    Educate individuals about an emerging product; a product that when available will capture the imagination, adventuresome spirit and state-of-the-art technology for which California is famous.

2.    This paper outlines and discusses possible solutions to the growing problem of traffic congestion and gridlock, including offering suggested legislative concepts to correct or mitigate these transportation issues.

3.    We will identify how this technology can reduce projected California infrastructure costs, thus saving money.

 

No other transportation alternative can offer this unique win-win strategy for improvements to the State’s transportation dilemma: a system that can improve air quality while simultaneously reducing overall travel time.

 

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this document are as follows:

1.    JUST THE BASICS - This report is a basic report that is designed to provoke thought and discussions on the topic of airborne alternatives to current personal travel. It is expected that this document will be updated yearly as technology, business, as personal and legislative trends change.

2.    HOPES - By undertaking this discussion today, it is hoped that it will foster inter- and intra-industry communications, as well as motivate the industry to focus on key issues. It is also intended to create product awareness, and spur conversations that will help develop positive public and governmental policy.

3.    PLANNING – For many, its clear that proper planning equals higher quality products and a savings of time, energy and money. Our current transportation system evolved from legacy systems that were in place since the birth of the nation with a propensity to “force-fit” established infrastructure to new and changing requirements. In addition, many people and lots of ideas came together to create the roads and highways we have today supporting the personal automobile and the fundamental changes to personal travel it produced. As a society, this cost us time, money, resources, effort and unfortunately, lives. We have an opportunity to avoid some of the mistakes of the past in planning for the transportation needs of the future. A new form of transportation is on the horizon, and there is a requirement and obligation to effective plan and implement systems that embrace this technology in a manner that is consistent with new and existing public mandates.

4.    A MINIMAL COMMITMENT: Even with California’s proposed $25 billion infrastructure investment bonds on the drawing boards (the Fall of ’06 Ballot initiatives), it should be made clear to California’s motorists and tax payers that we are not building any new roads and will continue to experience gridlock conditions in many parts of the. As a result, its time to start talking about viable alternative solutions that will help us plan California’s transportation future. This plan should be one that will meet California’s needs tomorrow and well into the 22nd century.

 

HISTORY OF INDUSTRY

Man has been fascinated with the idea of flight for nearly all of recorded history. With mentions of flight in the bible, on pyramids reliefs (winged god pictures), or in early “manned flight” stories found in Greek Mythology, the concept of flying is definitely part of our human psyche. In fact, soaring with the birds and going from here to there without being limited to ground transportation has fostered books, thought and discussions on what it would be like to be free to fly whenever, wherever and however we wished.

 

Whimsical thought became more serious about 500 years ago when the noted inventor, Leonardo di Vinci, appears to have designed/drawn the first flying machine(s). Although it is not known for sure if they were actually built, let alone flown, what we do know is that since then man has a recorded history of actively pursing the dream of flight using a variety of methods.

 

After centuries of theory powered flight became a reality when the Wright Brothers demonstrated the first successful heavier than air aircraft during their historic Kitty Hawk flight. As we all know, that flight changed the world and future of transportation forever. Since then, spurred on by innovation and technological advancements, the Aeronautics industry has achieved tremendous growth and withstood change and challenge on a variety of fronts – all of which have provided us with a number of viable transportation options.

 

Since the 1900’s, there have been a wide variety of aircraft designs. The types of aircraft developed fall into four basic categories - The first category is “lighter than air” aircraft (balloons, dirigibles, blimps, etc). The second is “fixed-wing” aircraft which include commercial airliners, general aviation aircraft and other typical airplanes. The third category is identified as “rotary-winged” aircraft and includes helicopters, gyrocopters, and other aircraft which employ single or multiple non-stationary wings. The fourth and latest category of aircraft has been designated “powered-lift” here in the US. This category includes tilt-rotor aircraft such as the V-22 Osprey 28-person military transport, the tilt-rotor Augusta BA-609 9-person commercial aircraft, the military Harrier AV-8 “Jump Jet”, and the Moller M400 Skycar, which use thrust generated by engines to provide lift during take off and landing but “transition” to aerodynamic lift while they have sufficient forward speed.

 

Up to this point in time the air transportation industry has been dominated primarily by fixed-winged aircraft. As these aircraft became more reliable and economic, they became an essential element of the transportation network in the US and elsewhere around the world. Unfortunately, the number of people using this form of transportation resulted in a major demand for conveniently located places for those aircraft to land. This generated an increased need for, and size of, airports. This has caused additional problems, including, where to locate, how to mitigate noise and safety issues, how to plan for future growth, how to tie into ground transportation systems, parking and other services for travelers, and increased ground traffic in and around the airports themselves.

 

In the 1940's, aircraft with vertical take off and landing capabilities became practical with the introduction of the first helicopters. Even so, the capabilities of these early helicopters were greatly overshadowed by the public's acceptance and the rapid growth of the fixed-wing aircraft already in operation.

 

Helicopters were, by comparison, slow, looked ungainly, were noisy, and did not fly as high as any fixed-wing aircraft. Even with the extensive and effective use by the military in the Korean War and Vietnam, helicopters did not enter into widespread commercial use, but rather remained the aircraft of choice for only a small number of applications where their unique abilities overshadowed their limitations.

 

While helicopters were growing in size and capability, the air traffic control system was evolving to meet the speed, maneuverability and altitude requirements of the predominate fixed-wing aircraft. For instance, long, shallow-angle instrument approaches and missed approaches were designed to provide adequate safety for fixed-wing aircraft with one engine inoperative. Additionally, Air Traffic Control (ATC) procedures were designed to accommodate the turning radii, speeds and climb/descent capabilities of fixed-wing aircraft. Essentially, the current ATC system was shaped by the performance capability and associated requirements of the primary aircraft in service, the fixed-wing aircraft.

 

VTOL TODAY

As the current century expands before us, the lessons of the last half a century have clearly come into focus. We as a society are using VTOL aircraft in a variety of situations that will make them a welcome addition to the transportation matrix. For instance, modern VTOL aircraft can perform point-to-point flights under nearly all weather conditions with speeds matching that of fixed-wing aircraft (300 knots). With a maximum endurance capability of well over five hours, today’s VTOL aircraft have been designed to cover distances two or three times that of a helicopter, and about the same as the majority of light General Aviation fixed-wing aircraft. Powered-lift aircraft may soon be able to safely carry dozens of passengers in fixed-wing comfort, at fixed-wing speeds over fixed-wing distances. Yet they do not require sequencing with fixed-wing traffic, long runways or much of the complicated and expensive infrastructure of a typical airport.

 

WHY VTOL

Highway traffic is reaching a crisis state in many parts of the world. In the U.S., automotive miles traveled are increasing even faster than the population growth. Few new roads are being built. Historically one type of infrastructure is supplanted by another when a system comes along that is more personally convenient. Americans are actually increasing their use of the present limited infrastructure with 91% of us getting to work by road. In addition, 3.3 million of these workers travel more than 50 miles one-way. Slowing traffic presents a critical issue for the trucking industry where 75% of all freight value and virtually all perishable goods are transported by truck. Truck traffic, which is growing more rapidly than automotive traffic, cannot be off-loaded because transporting freight by rail is too slow and by air too expensive. The Volantor could, however, off-load automotive trips of 50 miles or more. This represents 33% of all automobile miles traveled, but as stated here, current trends suggest that if we do not find an alternative to the automobile quickly we are going to lose our ability to go where we want, when we want. Three elements are required to create personalized airborne travel on a massive scale:

1.    Volantors that are fast, economical and safe

2.    A “Highway in the Sky” or Skyway that is controlled by highly redundant control and monitoring systems.

3.    Congress to prioritize and fund agencies such as NASA and the FAA to address aeronautical technologies that are complementary to personalized airborne transportation.

 

VTOL capable User friendly Safe Affordable

Compact Economic to operate High speed cruise Streetable

 

VOLANTOR VIABILITY DEPENDENT UPON CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES

The Volantor’s need to take off and land vertically and still maintain a useful payload and range places an extraordinary premium on its use of lightweight components and materials. Three current technologies govern the Skycar Volantor’s weight and therefore, its viability.

§  Powerplants—rotary engines based on the Wankel principle have the performance attributes for this type of aircraft. Their features include small frontal area to minimize duct drag, perfect radial balance to allow hard mounting, high power for a given weight and volume, a history of reliability, and most importantly, low cost per horsepower generated.

§  Materials and material processes—composite materials can have strength greater than the strongest alloyed metals while weighing less than the lightest metals. Their use provides the opportunity to minimize airframe weight. Composite materials can be used to generate complex aerodynamic configurations with minimum tooling. They also provide inherent noise dampening and a sealed structure for cabin pressurization.

§  Avionics—the stabilizing computers, sensors, fly-by-wire controls, communications hardware, etc., must achieve high performance at a reasonable cost. They must be lightweight, small, reliable, and require low power if they are to meet the goals of a practical Volantor. Avionic components have undergone dramatic performance and cost improvements and continue to do so.

Safety OF A SKYCAR TYPE VOLANTOR

Generating a design that is safe both on the ground and in the air is the dominant design consideration. To ensure that the failure of any single component does not have catastrophic consequences requires the following in the Skycar Volantor design:

§  Multiple engines—The Skycar has four ducted fan nacelles, with two computer-controlled engines mounted in each nacelle. All engines operate independently and allow for a vertical controlled landing should any one fail.

§  Multiple computers—For redundancy the Skycar has four independent voting computers for flight management, stability and control.

§  Rotary engines—Wankel-type rotary engines are very reliable as a result of their simplicity. The three moving parts in a two-rotor rotary engine are seven percent of those in a four-stroke piston engine.

§  Enclosed fans—Each nacelle fully encloses the engines and fans, greatly reducing the possibility of injury to individuals near the aircraft.

§  Redundant fuel monitoring—Multiple systems check and report on fuel for quality and quantity.

§  Aerodynamically stable—In the unlikely event that insufficient power is available to land vertically, the Skycar’s aerodynamic stability ( ~ -0.01) and good glide slope ( ~12) allow the pilot to maneuver to a local airport for a transitional landing or, if all power is lost, to use an airframe parachute.

§  Automated stabilization—Since computers control the Skycar stability during hover and transition, the only pilot input is speed, direction, rate of climb and altitude.

 

By emphasizing simplicity, durability and redundancy, safety is an inherent attribute of this Volantor aircraft.

 

Infrastructure Development

Regardless of how practical the Skycar is demonstrated to be, it cannot compete with the automobile unless a safe airway network also exists. It is also true that it would not be safe to allow the Skycar occupants to actually pilot the Skycar while operating on a virtual highway system. The Skycar inherently relies on electronics to achieve safe hovering flight. It is therefore a modest step to integrate this stabilizing and positioning capability with airway control systems that are already in place or soon will be. Global positioning systems can be used to coordinate and control all aircraft within large areas. The US GPS system has been in place for many years, as has the Russian Glonass system. Europe has just agreed to build their own system called Galileo. All of these systems could be used together to provide the level of redundancy necessary to ensure safe operation should one system temporarily degrade or fail.

Recently the FAA certified the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) that uses geostationary satellites to continuously calibrate GPS in order to achieve greater reliability and positional accuracy (down to a few feet). In addition the US government issued a contract to Honeywell to develop the Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) that improves the positional accuracy down to inches. There are no significant technical issues preventing the development of an operational virtual highway system. What is needed is the national will to do so. Once Volantors like the Skycar are fully demonstrated the impetus will be there to create the infrastructure to make them usable by everyone. This is not unlike the interplay between automobiles and roadways near the beginning of the twentieth century.

 

TOMORROW

Until the advent of the PAV, personal high-speed travel has generally required using some combination of automobile, helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft in addition to scheduled airline flights. The PAV, and more specifically, the Moller M400 Skycar, offers the vertical takeoff and landing capability of a helicopter, with the cruising speed, altitude, and range of a high-performance fixed wing aircraft. It is designed to be used between an extensive network of small Vertiports guided by electronic “highways in the sky” designed by NASA and the FAA and already going into service. The Skycar represents a totally new approach to personal transportation—a practical means of high-speed point-to-point travel.

 

Designed from the outset for low life cycle maintenance and maximum operational flexibility, the production version of the Skycar powered-lift aircraft will offer operators highly cost-effective, point-to-point transportation at cruise speeds up to 275 knots (315 mph) and at ranges up to 650 nautical miles (750 statute miles).

 

As of late-2006, after nearly three years of continuous development and refinement, Moller International is approaching its next milestone: a manned, untethered flight demonstration of the M400 Skycar prototype. This event, tentatively scheduled for early-2007, will be carried out at a time and location to be announced shortly.

 

On October 26, 2002 in Davis, California, Moller International made aviation history with the inaugural flight of the world's first powered-lift aircraft intended for civilian use. In a private showing before the Company’s shareholders the vehicle was demonstrated in a brief, unmanned, tethered hover flight. “We have blended the best of today’s technology to create the Skycar: the strength and weight savings of composite materials, the speed, reliability and affordability of state-of-the-art electronics and our remarkable power plant, the clean-burning, environmental-friendly Rotapower^® engine, to produce this first-of-its-kind aircraft” said Dr. Paul Moller, the inventor and President of Moller International. With an anticipated low volume production price of under $500,000 and initial delivery dates estimated for at the conclusion of the FAA certification process (estimated to take 3+ years), the Skycar will prove to be an exceptional value with extraordinary, never before available, capabilities.

 

The Skycar is highly dependant upon computer technology. Often referred to by Dr. Moller as “a flying computer” the Skycar’s fly-by-wire controls and automated flight computer is at the heart of the machine. These microcomputer-based systems control every aspect of the operation of the aircraft providing automatic stabilization and an easy-to-use interface between operator and aircraft.

 

The Skycar’s requirement for on-board microprocessor power far exceeds the requirements of a modern automobile. Currently a set of two systems performing nearly identical functions is used. In the case of a failure, the pilot can switch to the alternate and maintain the necessary control required to land safely. Future systems include a multiple-redundant flight control systems with automated lockout/switchover in the case of a failure of any one of the flight controllers. In addition, systems that monitor engines and other critical mechanical systems for operations, required maintenance and provide feedback on the telltale signs of potential problems will be implemented. On-board systems for airborne detection and avoidance of other aircraft, synthetic (night) vision, real-time weather mapping, and other navigation aids will be reliant on high-speed, low cost computer components. Every critical flight function will be monitored and controlled. With the microprocessor it is possible to provide the low-weight, cost-effective solutions required in the Skycar.

 

In the air the Skycar will function as node in a peer-to-peer network of flying vehicles where high-speed, continuous automated communications between nodes is essential. Just as Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) command and control is evolving today, future Skycars will function autonomously for the majority of the time they spend in the air, so too it will be necessary to keep the Skycar’s systems in touch with other aircraft. And while communications with the ground will be important, satellite to aircraft (for GPS) communication will also be required. This in-flight exchange of information (location, speed, direction, altitude, and destination) is necessary to facilitate safe and effective routing and this system will be dependant upon vehicles cooperating with each other and dynamically adjusting course, altitude and speed to accommodate each other and their environment. The revolution in communications technology that occurred over the past twenty years will be continued and many of the benefits of modern microprocessor technology will be focused on essential functions of the Skycar.

 

On the ground, air traffic control (ATC) systems with their recently acquired capabilities from the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) and Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) will quickly need to expand to handle the rapid growth in use of the airways. If the Skycar becomes a common form of transportation, thousands if not hundreds of thousands of these vehicles will be flying, many of them in the air above metropolitan areas. Today’s flight control system will have to be automated to handle this level of air traffic, even if the majority of the functionality is in the aircraft itself. Just as in the current cellular phone system architecture the cell phone plays a vital role but cannot function without the support of the required infrastructure. The same will be true for the Skycar. Overall routing and planning functions (like providing the “Highway in the Sky” flight plan display information) will probably be the function of ground-based systems. Dynamic collision avoidance and changes required to accommodate weather and other localized environmental conditions will be in the aircraft—with fast updates to/from the ATC to radiate adjustments when/where required.

 

It is extraordinarily difficult to provide a reasonable analysis of the potential number of PAV that might be put into service. Paul Moller, President of Moller International (MI), has stated that projections of the use of PAV (and specifically the Skycar) at this time are similar to someone trying to predict automobile sales in 1920, before there was an infrastructure of roads and an industrial base to build cars.

 

On the other hand, the nation’s experts on aviation at NASA do have opinions:

 

Dr. Dennis Bushnell—Chief Scientist, NASA Langley Research Center—said, “The Volantor (Skycar) will do for car-based society what the car did for horse-based society. It is the right solution at the right time.” He goes on to add, “It is not a question of if but when the market for Moller vehicles will be about $1 trillion a year.”

 

Dr. Bruce Holmes—Manager, General Aviation Office, NASA Langley Research Center—said “Once we have the infrastructure then Moller’s Skycar has a place to grow into. Such a system is on the way. Various organizations including NASA, the FAA, the Department of Transportation, individual states and aviation industry groups are developing a small aircraft transportation system.”

 

Dr. Daniel Goldin—Past NASA Director and Administrator, set down a powerful National General Aviation Vision when he said we should, “Enable doorstep-to-destination travel at four times the speed of highways to 25% of the nation’s suburban, rural and remote communities in ten years and more than 90% in 25 years.”

 

INDUSTRY PLAYERS

According to Paul Moller, “The personal VTOL technology and transportation field is about ready to explode geometrically.” Moller International is joined in the industry by about a dozen individual companies from around the world that are working to produce a safe, dependable and affordable vehicle.

 

FUTURE TARGET POPULATIONS

It is estimated that three target populations will use this transportation – the military, mass (group) and individual transportation(s). Each has their own specific needs and uses.

 

The companies, in their various product categories appear to be:

 

MILITARY

Not much is known about the military’s position, use and needs with respect to this type of technology. What is known is the military is working on this technology with NASA’s assistance (supported by online articles that mention that state they are working on a product).

 

MASS TRANSPORTATION

History shows that because of extensive cost, those who provide transportation have always tried to maximize their profits by putting the most number of people in their seats for the lowest possible fare. As a result, initial transportation designs are for the movement of large numbers of people, including busses and air taxies.

 

Boeing – has a division entitled the Boeing Flying Car Program, but little else is known about their program.

Ford – I could not find someone who would comment on Ford’s progress and involvement, but there are several online articles that mention their name and state that they are working on a possible product.

Toyota –Toyota developed a low-cost fixed-wing aircraft using a powerplant derived from one of its automotive engines and was able to obtain FAA certification of the aircraft. The current status of the project is unknown, although it appears as though the multi-million dollar effort was used as an exercise to gain experience with the FAA certification process rather than as a preliminary step towards actual production of the newly certified aircraft.

 

SMALL GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL– California based

Moller International – Skycar - a flying vehicle that takes off and lands vertically and is designed to be used in the air and on the streets. Initial plans for the vehicle to take off and land from small “helistop” locations, heliports, airport or other designated locations.

Advanced Flying Automobile – Fixed wing, flying vehicle with a telescoping fixed wing that is designed to be removed or collapse so the vehicle is usable on the streets. Must take off and land from an airfield.

 

INDUSTRY NEEDS – TOP ELEMENTS FOR GOVERNMENT TO ACT ON

In order to implement the above vision(s) and make flying automobiles a reality, the industry needs the following legislative support (please note: legislation has been drafted to support these needs and can be found elsewhere on this site. The identified needs are:

 

1.    Supportive Governmental AGENCIES: Governmental agencies need to be on the same page, including: California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS), California Highway Patrol, local Police and Fire departments (Search & Rescue operations, 911), the State Legislature, the Federal DOT, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Defense.

2.    EFFECTIVE POLICY: Compatible community policy that includes concepts relating to road use, takeoff/landing (heliport and Vertiports requirements), Placement of fuel stations, air taxi service requirements/restrictions – urban take off and landing locations may be limited until a safety record is established, parking facilities – (like electric vehicles)

3.    CALTRANS: Need CALTRANS to study “contra-commute” traffic flow potential (i.e., getting people to go the opposite direction of the active commute to their destination—that is if traffic is going westbound, have take off and landing areas to the east).

4.    FUEL MANAGEMENT & USE POLICY: Fuel(s): the creation, deployment, use and consumer access – support for ethanol sales at conventional filling stations (i.e., one ethanol pump per station?) and requirements, as well as support for ethanol industry, both at state and federal levels

5.    VTOL SITES: Named Vertiports or Heliports, the state need to identify where the “Land” will come from for VTOL takeoff/and landing sites. The industry suggests that a test program with 120 test sites being developed, spread out evenly throughout California. Initially, it is projected that Vertiports will be located in areas adjacent to ground transportation, such as in train, light rail or bus terminals. They may also be co-located with parking lots and/or parking structures. Recommended standards should be established for the size, access and minimum characteristics of the facilities.

6.    FUNDING: Scientific grants, tax credits and incentives for corporate and individual investment.

7.    SAFETY: Safety standards/consumer protection – uniform concepts need to be discussed and established.

8.    INSURANCE: Insurance standards established.

9.    NOISE: Although quieter than other aircraft, VTOL noise guidelines have not been established for this specific use.

10. POLLUTION: VTOL aircraft, specifically the Skycar, are designed to be cleaner burning vehicles. Standards for emission controls need to be established.

 

WHAT GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO DO

The government needs to establish basic policy so this industry can operate effectively and efficiently. The policy should support the planning for the use of this vehicle today as well as adopt laws that push forward this technology. Suggested initial actions include:

1.    Having an interim hearing on the subject, with both houses of the legislature participating.

2.    Have CALTRANS conduct a couple of the above mentioned reports.

3.    Establish firm definitions relative to the industry.