6 minute read
The Naivety of Flying Cars
By AWR2 Kaleb Mantela, USN
My views are expressed strictly as an individual, and not those of the Department of Defense. As an enlisted aircrewman, I have been sitting in the back of helicopters since I was nineteen. Over the years, I have been experiencing the world from vantage points that only a dozen others get to observe as well. It took me years of training, dozens of lectures, and countless instructors to reach the level the Navy requires of me. This is just to sit and work the instruments in the cabin. This does not touch on the amount of experience and training that naval officers receive to pilot the aircraft. There is a dizzying amount of nuance in aerodynamics that makes flying and driving incomparable. Knowing this, I find it amusing to see startup companies pitching their flying car ideas to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which have classified these flying cars as eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing). Various cities and state legislatures have recognized the potential of eVTOLs and have enacted laws to allow and regulate their use. This has many people in the field of aviation perplexed. There are obvious issues with noise, regulations, and safety that people seem to be overlooking.
The Mother of All Noise Complaints
A lot of people jump at the idea of skipping over traffic in a second just like the Jetsons, or silently gliding throughout the sky like in Bladerunner. However, these conceptions cannot be further from reality. eVTOLs for all intents and purposes are electric helicopters, or gigantic drones. Either way, the amount of energy that is required to generate lift from the rotor blades hitting the air is immense. This process can produce anywhere from 97.2 dB to 106.5 dB of noise. That level of noise is comparable to a rock concert. Repeated exposure above 85 dB causes hearing loss. Since my time as a naval aircrewman, I have experienced hearing loss, and unfortunately my hearing will never come back. Moreover, that amount of sound does not cover most local noise ordinances. An example from Jacksonville, Florida states, from 0700 in the morning to 2200 at night, the maximum allowable noise level is 65.0 dB (the equivalent to a washing machine). Violators may face misdemeanor charges, which can result in fines or imprisonment. Under these types of laws, no one can park their flying car in the driveway. This leaves companies to operate out of designated helipads they call vertiports.
A Jeff Bezos Sky Carriage
Urbanlink, a Miami-based company, has placed 20 orders for Lilium's six-passenger eVTOLs and plans to establish launch pads in upscale locations, including Miami, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and Marco Island. They will operate a mixed route of on-demand and scheduled services, functioning more like a sky taxi. More than likely these “flying cars” are not for you. They sell at price points for the ultra-rich, ranging from $70,000 to a hefty $300,000. Meanwhile, the average American in 2024 is struggling to afford rent, food, gas, and other necessities. The FAA also has placed strict guidelines like clear flight paths, altitude limits of no less than 4000 feet above urban areas, and a pilot license for anything over 254lbs (a small car weighs around 2,500lbs). These rules are much more in line with conventional aircraft for a good reason.
Flying is Not Safe
August 31, 2021, a routine flight to the USS Abraham Lincoln was underway. Inspection of the helicopter was completed by maintenance and the crew members, so it was signed as safe for flight. The helicopter carried half a dozen people as it touched down on the flight deck. Not long after, it experienced divergent and uncommanded lateral and vertical vibrations. The helicopter rotated left 50 degrees, then right 200 degrees, hitting the flight deck and causing the main rotor blades to detach. The helicopter rolled a final time off the flight deck and into the Pacific Ocean. Five of the crew members were lost. A damper hose, which could not have been seen during inspection, had failed. The investigation concluded that the crash was not the fault of any of the crew members. There is no such thing as a fender bender in the sky. Crashes cost millions, and they can cost people their lives. Some of the worst accidents have been at the hands of experienced crews. You cannot guarantee complete safety when people fly. Companies that swear by an eVTOL’s safety are lying. It is a hubris selling point to naive investors and policy makers. Marketing eVTOLs to the average consumer and pretending they are just as safe and easy as a car is pure greed and negligence.
Safety Culture
This was a freak accident, and parts failing that lead up to a mishap like this are uncommon. There are hundreds of maintainers who work day and night and are held accountable for mistakes they make on the aircraft. There are layers of safety embedded within Naval Aviation because of past failures. This has left us a robust safety culture that allows us to complete numerous flight hours and missions. Despite the safeguards, human factors cause 85% of all aviation mishaps. It genuinely does not matter that these eVTOL’s have less parts, or multiple electric engines. Even trained naval aviators with thousands of flight hours are not immune to mistakes. Mishaps will increase tenfold if untrained aviators are allowed to take to the skies.
Final Words
Ultimately these are fun brain experiments, but the technology is far from reaching the average person. It is genuinely disheartening to see so many cities across the United States focus their resources on a small and very affluent population of people. Flying cars are a non-issue, and what politicians need to focus on are solutions for the housing crisis, homelessness, fentanyl, and our failing infrastructure, among many other real problems. Until companies can address the noise, cost, and most importantly safety of these projects, cities should not spend any time or money on these experiments. If you're still not convinced, just remember: If you don't like how people drive, you won't like how they fly either.
