For UAM to Do Good, First Design Your VTOLs Right

Quadrotor hoisting person and crew in SAR at Sea Mission

There are helicopters and then there are helicopters – mission-specialized vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to perform rescue missions over land and at-sea, fight fires, perform evacuations, and transport supplies.

NASA scientist Christopher Silva and Eduardo Solis, an industrial designer for Science and Technology Corporation do a deep dive into what VTOL and eVTOL manufacturers need to consider from the get-go in their paper, Aircraft Design for Urban Air Mobility Vehicles Performing Public Good Missions. To get it right for these unique and challenging missions, Silva and Solis posit that early planning, beginning in the design phase of aircraft development is key to having a finished project that meets public service operators’ needs.

Illustration of quadrotor fuselage in SAR-at-Sea configuration with Mission Equipment and
specialized crew shown in red

In some cases, such as fossil-fueled aircraft, Silva and Solis point out, outfitting VTOLs for public good missions, there’s less than a 10% increase in weight and power. But when the VTOL is an eVTOL, the vehicles become substantially heavier and the power requirements are likewise increased and the only way to get them built and certified is to reduce the certification standards.

Design by the Dozen

How many attributes do manufacturers of (e)VTOLs need to take into consideration for these unique missions? 12.

▪ Space

▪ Weight

▪ Power

▪ Layout

▪ Drag

▪ Mounting

▪ Range

▪ Endurance

▪ Speed

▪ Handling qualities

▪ Crew coordination

▪ Environmental interactions

How to do good without busting your budget

The study reviewed eight public good missions and two disaster-related missions. The conclusion: It might be possible to configure some commercially focused UAM aircraft for public good missions with only minor accommodations. Other aircraft might also be adapted to serve the public with a relatively few modifications – providing those missions are considered right from the design phase.