Convention News
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DAY 3 March 7, 2019 HAI PUBLICATIONS Convention News Scott Drennan (pictured), Bell v-p of innovation, waxed futuristic about the prospects for eVTOL aircraft, citing data that posits 750 million passenger trips across 15 major cities in 2030. Airbus v-p of urban mobility Zach Lovering sees the convergence of distribued electric propulsion technology and autonomous systems, infrastructure as key and likely enablers. More than 150 eVTOL types are under development, according to Mike Hirschberg, executive director of the Vertical Flight Society. Technology Boeing buys app-maker MARIANO ROSALES ForeFlight › page 3 OEMs The future: it’s electric and vertical MD Helicopters’ military future › page 4 by Mark Huber Emerging electric vertical takeoff and land- According to Bell v-p of innovation Scott already partnering with NASA to demon- Design ing (eVTOL) aircraft “will not only revolu- Drennan, the business case is easy to make strate urban critical mission transport. A better grip is on the tionize vertical flight, but society as a whole,” for this new class of aircraft. Citing data Airbus’s Zach Lovering, v-p of urban air Mike Hirschberg, executive director of the from the investment bank Goldman Sachs, mobility, predicted the demand for eVTOLs way › page 6 Vertical Flight Society, predicted during NASA, and Uber, he said the global ride- would soar as ground congestion throughout yesterday’s Heli-Expo session on eVTOLs. share market will grow from $36 billion the globe continued to worsen. “It takes two Training He cited a confluence of regulatory, tech- in 2016 to $285 billion in 2030, with the hours to drive to the airport from downtown nological, and industrial developments potential for 750 million urban aerial pas- São Paulo and only 10 minutes to fly there in Hillsboro moves that he thinks makes this the right time for senger trips across 15 major cities by 2030. a helicopter,” he noted. “The future of mobil- page 16 eVTOLs, including the trend toward per- Further, this data suggests the global mar- ity is vertical,” he said. Like Hirschberg, Lov- Academy › formance-based regulations, advances in ket could support 900 to 1,500 air taxis ering thinks the technology stars are aligned electric motors, batteries, computer models as early as 2025 and that it would support for eVTOL, citing distributed electric power Completions and simulations, and increased investment 9,000 to 12,000 by 2035. systems, digital design and manufacturing, in technology. Drennan made the case that Bell’s Nexus advanced avionics and autonomous systems, Eurotec makes a K-Max At present, Hirschberg said there are concept vehicle is what urban air travelers infrastructure development, connectivity, shine › page 17 no less than 155 different eVTOLs under would expect—a “robust and redundant” and on-demand business models as key development. And, he noted, the timetable vehicle with a speed of 150 mph and range enablers going forward. set by Uber Elevate is not unreasonable— of 150 miles. As enticing as the passenger Lovering noted that Airbus A(3) is already Operations eVTOL prototype aircraft flying by next market might be, he said the potential for flying its Vahana eVTOL and recently Checklist creep a year with commercial service beginning as “beyond the past mile” high-priority cargo achieved forward speeds of up to 50 knots early as 2023. delivery was even greater and that Bell was continues on page 22 critical issue › page 19 STORY INDEX Adler Group ....................................................22 Air Methods ...................................................... 2 HAI head Airbus .....................................................3, 6, 23 Astronics Corp. ...............................................20 BBA Aviation Global Engine Services .............20 notes clock Bell ................................................................... 8 Boeing .............................................................. 3 CNC Technologies ............................................ 3 ticking on Collins Aerospace ........................................... 23 Concorde Battery ............................................17 Dallas Airmotive ............................................... 6 ADS-B DART Aerospace ........................................ 13, 18 by Curt Epstein Direct Helicopter ............................................ 23 Donaldson Aerospace & Defense ...................22 Elbit Systems of America .................................13 With the deadline for the FAA’s ADS-B Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University .............10 equipage mandate now less than a year Essex Industries ................................................ 6 away, HAI president and CEO Matt Zuc- EuroTec Vertical Flight Solutions .....................17 caro is concerned about the rotorcraft eVTOLs ..............................................................1 industry’s adoption rate for the technology. FAA ..................................................................10 He noted a recent report issued by the Gen- FlightSafety International ................................. 2 eral Aviation Manufacturers Association ForeFlight ......................................................... 3 that analyzed the equipage rates among the HAI ............................................................... 2, 4 aviation segments and found the rotorcraft HeliExports International .................................. 6 segment trailing. According to GAMA, just Hickok & Associates ........................................16 30 percent of the U.S. helicopter fleet was Hillsboro Aero Academy ..................................16 equipped with ADS-B as of last month. Intermountain Life Flight .................................19 “I don’t see the rate of equipage that we Jsfirm ................................................................ 4 would have liked,” Zuccaro told AIN this LCI ..................................................................... 8 week at Heli-Expo. “There’s a couple of Leonardo .......................................................... 3 things that I think people have misconcep- MD Helicopters ................................................. 4 tions on.” He explained that the FAA has Milestone Aviation Group ................................18 made it clear that there will be no exten- Paradigm Aerospace Corp. .............................16 sion to its mandate deadline of Jan. 1, 2020. Randy Waldman ...............................................14 “So for all those out there, hoping they will Safran Helicopter Engines ...............................18 extend it, you had better go to Plan B.” Sikorsky ............................................................ 3 MARIANO ROSALES Skytrek ...........................................................23 Tripping the flight fantastic in Redbird’s VTO Spirit AeroSystems ..........................................12 SureFlight .......................................................20 Helicopter simulation is challenging, but adding motion to replicate the many unique ways Weststar Aviation Services .............................. 8 that rotorcraft fly was right up Redbird’s alley. Although flexible and capable, its VTO simu- Whirly-Girls ....................................................... 4 lator is designed to help students learn one of the hardest manuevers: hovering. HAI president and CEO Matt The addition of flight simulation at Air Zuccaro Air Methods adding new Methods has been a significant addition to its safety culture, Helweg said, but it A key issue for those who have delayed required FlightSafety to literally create their installations is whether there will be FlightSafety simulator simulators from scratch because none enough equipment ready and technicians existed. “The AS350 is a great example,” he to install it in time to meet the deadline. by Jerry Siebenmark said. “They flew the aircraft in a number “It’s like everybody is piling up against the of different envelopes to reverse engineer wall that they are facing, and somebody is FlightSafety International (Booth B1417) for the other rotorcraft models oper- the simulator from an aircraft we provided going to find out, ‘No, you can’t get it by and air ambulance operator Air Methods ated by Air Methods—the Airbus AS350 for them. So they actually built all of that the deadline, we don’t have that many peo- (Booth B1016) will add a level-D qualified B3, EC130T2, EC135, and Bell 407GX. In for us to create a replication of the aircraft ple, and we don’t have the equipment in Airbus EC145 flight simulator at the for- all, Air Methods operates 450 rotary- and that we can train our pilots on.” the shop to put it in,’” the HAI leader said. mer’s learning center in Denver, building fixed-wing aircraft from 330 bases in 48 Since the initiation of the simulation Zuccaro noted that in most cases, off of their long-term flight simulation states. FlightSafety provides Air Meth- training, about 85 percent of Air Methods’ advances in products have dramatically agreement reached in 2014. “We appreci- ods’ fixed-wing simulation training at its rotorcraft pilots have trained on the simu- reduced the cost of equipage since the ate the opportunity to expand the services learning centers in Wichita, Long Beach, lators. “We can really concentrate training mandate was announced, making the and support we provide to Air Methods California, and Dallas. on emergency procedures and repetition installation much more affordable on both at our Denver center with this new