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By: - 1st December 2005 at 19:34 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
One concept for an air taxi is the Avcen Jetpod. http://www.avcen.com/
By: - 2nd December 2005 at 05:47 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thanks for the reply.Avcen was he company i read about,however ,as a business proposition it seams a little far fetched.the jet pod is a little too advanced,and the business requires too much investment in prime land for its airstrips.The website was quick state that there is no other technologies capable of offering the required stol virtues yet it made no mention of autogyros/gyroplanes, which in my mind would offer greater flexibility at cheaper cost and have an added saftey factor in an engine out situation.(surely a great benifit when proposing a new venture over a crowded city.)
By: - 2nd December 2005 at 13:54 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
How much are they? I think a heli would be more than suitable, and these are obviously available at the moment. I've often though a heli would be a good shuttle between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
By: - 2nd December 2005 at 15:21 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
This is probably inrelevant but to those willing to charter a chopper for a day it's £950 + VAT
By: - 2nd December 2005 at 15:47 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I agree that helicopters are suitable for the job in every way except operating costs.Unless you are a high flyer (no pun intended) where time is money helicopters are an expensive luxury.Autogyros would bring these costs down with little loss of convinience .Check out www.groenbros.com they have a four seat gyro and an update of the fairy rotordyne concept from the 50's.
By: - 3rd December 2005 at 13:10 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
How much are they? I think a heli would be more than suitable, and these are obviously available at the moment. I've often though a heli would be a good shuttle between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Being an English gentleman, I don't know much of the goings on in Scotland, but is there not an air-shuttle service from EDI-GLA already, and if so, why not...?
By: - 4th December 2005 at 22:21 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Those Gyroplanes deserve a second chance, I wish the Fairy Rotodyne had made it into service.
Another possible air taxi could be the Moller Skycar http://www.moller.com/ or a Cartercopter http://www.cartercopters.com/
By: - 5th December 2005 at 06:56 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
i'm with you on the Fairy rotordyne.Another case of right plane wrong time.I don't supose anyone in the UK is developing anything similar?
By: - 5th December 2005 at 19:21 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Being an English gentleman, I don't know much of the goings on in Scotland, but is there not an air-shuttle service from EDI-GLA already, and if so, why not...?
By Heli or Fixed wing? I flew a manx flight from EDI to GLA, but I don't know if there is anything now. A Heli would prove useful due to reduced check in, but a normal commercial flight would loose any time benfit with all the check in guff.
By: - 5th December 2005 at 21:57 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
i'm with you on the Fairy rotordyne.Another case of right plane wrong time.I don't supose anyone in the UK is developing anything similar?
Not really, but AgustaWestland has proposed a compound variant of the Merlin which might prove useful.
This Cartercopters CH-45 Heliplane looks good http://www.cartercopters.com/ch-45.html
By: - 6th December 2005 at 18:17 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
By Heli or Fixed wing? I flew a manx flight from EDI to GLA, but I don't know if there is anything now. A Heli would prove useful due to reduced check in, but a normal commercial flight would loose any time benfit with all the check in guff.
I was thinking fixed wing, I had always presumed that Loganair did a service between the two...just goes to show how wrong I can be! :rolleyes:
By: - 6th December 2005 at 20:06 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I was thinking fixed wing, I had always presumed that Loganair did a service between the two...just goes to show how wrong I can be! :rolleyes:
There's been the odd attempt at doing it between Glasgow and Edinburgh over the years, I think Air Ecosse or was it someone else had a go in the 80's using an Embraer Bandeirante ???
Seem to recall Burnthills Aviation trying it with a Bell Jetranger too, if my feeble memory serves me well?
Of course there also used to be an inter LHR-LGW air taxi operated by British Caledonian helicopters, using their Sikorsky S-61's way back in the late 70's and 80's.
By: - 6th December 2005 at 21:50 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
This is probably inrelevant but to those willing to charter a chopper for a day it's £950 + VAT
If you really mean 'for a day' that's a bargain. :eek:
Moggy
By: - 7th December 2005 at 07:16 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thanks SteveO. The Cartercopter design is exactly what i had in mind for a city to city or town to city airborne bus service.Link this with other public transport services and i think airtaxi's/busses cold work.
By: - 7th December 2005 at 15:07 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Question: Do you think a VLJ can outperform a turbo-prop or piston aircraft in terms of cost? I don't think so. And I doubt that there is e real demand. Because no matter what airplanes are there to come, you always need
- a pilot (certificated, waiting and getting hungry)
- an airstrip with proper clearance, not just a crop field
- ATC unless you restrict yourself to sunshine-taxi
The biggest cost would be the owner-cost of the aircraft, so that everything except VLJ or conventional prop drops out (especially this CH-45 thing).
The most realistic option would be a conventional prop with optimised operation cost (single-hand IFR, low-maintenance engine, minor maintenance). Everything else is unrealistic at least in central Europe (incl UK). Feasible and practical maybe in remote areas with less ATC-issues and less regulation-happy authorities.
By: - 9th December 2005 at 06:52 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hi Schorch,i'll open up by admitting i don't know what VLJ stands for, could you enlighten me please.On that note i would say that i do not expect any aircraft with VTOL or VSTOL capabilities could out perform a conventional turboprop or piston aircraft on operating costs,however it is the VTOL/VSTOL capabilities that make the air taxi a possibility.
Reguarding operating costs ,the Groen Bros Hawk 4 has lower operating cost to a similar helicopter(i would imagine that means Bell jet ranger)whilst having a negligable take off distance of 25feet.It also has higher max speed.
I will conceed that the Cartercopter CH 45 may be a little large to be a viable taxi/bus service in that it would need larger areas to land and take off but i see it as better design concept to tilt rotor.I believe it could still be a useful commutor tool into airport hubs though.
My second confession is I do not know ANYTHING about the ATC side of life.I know it's a necessity and I also know i would prefer my pilot (not that i have one)to have the use of their services.This question was posed in the origonal thread though.
Finally , I'm with you on your last point about regalution.Should any of these ideas have any credibility I would imagine the main obsticale would not be one of finance or demand ,it would be that of trying to gain the necassary regulations .We in Europe do not seem to like pioneering ideas.
By: - 9th December 2005 at 08:04 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Sorry for the ENIGMA-talk. VLJ means Very Light Jet.
I generally doubt the necessity and even if there is a demand I wonder why nobody is servicing this with existing planes. We have at the moment business aircraft that could actually fit in the category "air taxi".
If considering the time saved by using air taxi instead of conventional air service, car or railway you will have only minor savings but higher costs. These costs are only acceptable for high raked executives.
And please lets accept that high ranked executives normally don't have their office somewhere in the countryside. I would say the VLJ or top-class turbo-props and piston props are here to stay for long.
By: - 10th December 2005 at 11:16 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Gentleman,
When I saw this post I was thinking about the Bell 609. Would that work?
http://www.bellagusta.com/air_ba_main.cfm. Here is the web page for the 609.
Dan
By: - 10th December 2005 at 11:27 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Gentleman,
When I saw this post I was thinking about the Bell 609. Would that work?
http://www.bellagusta.com/air_ba_main.cfm. Here is the web page for the 609.Dan
Nice...like it, but not sure it would be suitable for city locations (i.e london) unless it was used for tall skycrapers that had helipads on the top... :D
By: - 10th December 2005 at 11:38 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
With current fuel prices, I don't think many can afford it.
Posts: 66
By: hopefully1 - 1st December 2005 at 16:45
I read recently on a bbc news site of a group wanting to develope an air taxi service for major cities.They wanted to use a 5 seater jet craft developed for this purpose. Is this a credible idea or just folly ,how would it fit in with other aviation? Could air traffic control cope with multiple small craft along side comercial traffic? Are there any similar concepts working anywhere in the world