Category Filtering: 'vertiflite'
This series addresses the uses of terminology that threaten to become routine expressions or idioms — or already are — but are misleading or erroneous. This installment clarifies what is a model-based method, and identifies distinctions between and complexities of various approaches.
In July, during the US Army Industry Days at Ft. Rucker, Alabama, the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) Project Manager for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA), Col. Greg Fortier, made some remarkable comments. Fortier is in the Army’s Program Executive Office for Aviation, PEO(A), which took over leadership of the FARA project from the Army Futures Command (AFC) this year.
The 15th Annual Electric Aircraft Symposium (EAS) took place virtually from July 20–22, 2021, with more than 450 registrants.
The US Air Force (USAF), in partnership with the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), initiated the “High-Speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing (HSVTOL) Concept Challenge” in April (see “Industry Briefs,” Vertiflite, July/Aug 2021)
Will hydrogen eventually supplant traditional sources of aviation fuels? One company thinks so.
For the past five years, Tier 1 Engineering of Santa Ana, California, has been flight-testing and refining an electric-powered version of the Robinson R44 — the world’s best-selling general aviation helicopter for the past 22 years — with nearly 7,500 delivered.
With a goal to launching its first electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft services in a number of cities in the next five years, urban air mobility (UAM) pioneer Volocopter has formed a strategic partnership with global aviation leader CAE to develop, certify and deploy an innovative eVTOL pilot training program.
Actor, director and activist Christopher Reeve said in a 1996 speech, “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
Much has been said and debated about diversity, particularly in the US over the past year. While this is often wrapped up in discussions of discrimination and social justice — very important issues for society to tackle — this commentary is not about that.
When someone talks about “The Design,” keep in mind that it’s a reference point… but it’s only the plan.
