Early use cases for eVTOL aircraft should be based on business-to-business models for supporting logistics across a range of between just 20 and 60 kilometers (up to 84 nm), according to a new guide published by the Bristow Group. David Stepanek, Bristow’s executive vice president and chief transformation officer, who authored the just-published paper, said this approach would prove to be more viable in the early phase of the new advanced air mobility (AAM) sector than widely-publicized plans for air taxi services.
“Particularly as the industry evolves to a market-facing position, we must reinforce a reality to the business and consumers who will be the early customers and influencers of the new technology that existing aviation infrastructure will be utilized during the initial phase of AAM operations,” Stepanek stated in the guide’s introduction. “Further early AAM services are not likely to be futuristic on-demand, point-to-point transportation.”
The Bristow guide also cautioned against complacency over safety, expressing concern that some of the AAM sector’s pioneers may take the view they are not beholden to established norms and practices.
“While AAM aircraft offer redundant electric propulsion systems (i.e. no single main rotor) and simplified human interaction from the advancement of digital flight control systems, there is a prevalent assumption that these aircraft are so advanced as air vehicles that the hard lessons learned from the evolution of safe commercial operations may not have to be considered,” Stepanek stated. “I believe that inattention to how current air operations have become the safest mode of transportation around the world would endanger the implementation of a viable, safe urban mobility business model.”
Bristow, a global helicopter operator, is actively preparing to integrate eVTOL aircraft into its fleet and expects cargo to be the first application. The U.S.-based group has provisional purchase agreements with manufacturers including Volocopter, Lilium, Overair, and Beta Technologies.
AAM: A Philosophical Guide for Early Operations is edited by David Stepanek, Bristow Group’s executive vice president and chief transformation officer. He said the guide is mainly intended for organizations now looking to be part of the new sector of aviation and is intended as a proposed plan for successfully and safely bringing the new electric and hybrid-electric aircraft into commercial service.
Stepanek told the Revolution Aero conference in London on Tuesdays, that some prospective early adopters of eVTOL passenger services have not fully comprehended the steps that will need to be taken. “I’ve spoken to some city officials and they’ve been surprised to learn that this means you are starting an airline, with all that entails,” he commented.
Expanding on his concerns over safety, Stepanek told AIN that early entrants to the air taxi sector may be focused predominantly on the customer response to service levels and so more concerned about "people pleasing" than ensuring uncompromised safety standards. "It's not just about buying the equipment, an operator needs to have all the right processes in place and a culture that puts safety above all else," he commented.