The UK Urban Air Mobility Consortium is laying the groundwork for eVTOL aircraft operations to begin in the country. The group seems to fully acknowledge that it faces a public acceptance challenge given that British cities, including the capital London, have been more than somewhat resistant to the expansion of helicopter flights.
Perhaps with this stakeholder outreach in mind, the consortium recently published what it calls “Community Resources for Understanding Electric Vertical Aircraft, Urban Air Mobility, and their Benefits.” The new publication seeks to provide plain English answers to questions about what eVTOL aircraft will look like and where and how they will operate, directly addressing common concerns over noise and safety.
The document also promotes benefits such as environmental sustainability and improved public transportation connections, perhaps in a bid to avoid the likely assumption that eVTOLs could prove to be just another perk for entitled fat cats.
The consortium’s member companies include air traffic management provider NATS, London’s Heathrow and City airports, and vertiport developer Skyports, as well as eVTOL aircraft developers Vertical Aerospace, Volocopter, and Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions, along with its fellow Embraer group company Atech.