GabyResearchers note that new aviation technologies, such as air taxi Drones and advanced air mobility (AAM) could soon triple air traffic. This will be particularly noticeable in urban areas, where people will face noise and other issues from transportation that seems to have come straight out of the pages of futuristic novels.
“Traffic jams” in the air could become a reality.
As noted by the publication Cosmosmagazine According to forecasts, by 2050 there will be around 37 million passenger flights by air taxis. This will lead to significant changes in the management of airspace, as well as to noise and discomfort that people on the ground will experience.
Electric drones for delivery are already operating in some states of Australia. Now, the industry is trying to bring to life science fiction ideas about passenger urban aviation, planning electric planes that will fly between rooftops and urban transport hubs (airports, train stations). However, these new aviation technologies must first overcome real-world challenges related to regulation, planning, noise, and safety.
The development of air taxis will create more flights, routes, and landing spots. Air transportation of thousands of people and/or cargo will take place at low altitudes within or across densely populated urban areas. The idea of air taxis, often referred to as futuristic, is expected to gain popularity within this decade. However, along with it, many unresolved issues also arise.
Regulation movement air taxi – from task « from zero with a tail »
As noted by Professor Sarah Bice from the Australian National University, before the industry and governments get too carried away with the idea of a futuristic future, many issues regarding regulation and the safety of modern aircraft need to be addressed. Considering that these trends involve a completely new use of a shared resource – the sky – Ms. Bice states that this will pose a serious challenge for humanity, which wishes to turn the dream of having air taxi services into an everyday reality.
Marianne Richards, a transportation expert with 38 years of experience in public service, has gained extensive knowledge and expertise in planning ports, airports, and freight networks at all levels of government. She explains that the responsibility for aviation is divided among three bodies: those that provide regulatory advice, those that directly regulate safety, and those that manage airspace.
The planning of air taxi, drone, and other new aviation technology operations should be covered by a range of strategies and roadmaps, partnerships, and frameworks. Ultimately, government or local authorities will be responsible for decisions regarding landing sites and infrastructure (vertiports). It is also necessary to develop an environmental impact assessment process for these modes of transportation and their vertiports, similar to what is done for large land developments.
The problem of noise from air taxis and other VTOL vehicles.
The deployment of new technologies, such as drones and air taxis, will inevitably lead to noise issues, given their low flight altitude and proximity to residential areas where they will operate. Currently, there is very limited research on how urban residents perceive noise from UAVs.
However, these experiments revealed that the noise from small electric aircraft “is more irritating than the noise from road vehicles when present at the same volume.” It is also noted that noise pollution associated with the widespread use of UAVs will be a critical issue from technical, regulatory, and public perspectives.
The reaction to small trials in Europe has been neutral or positive. However, the full-scale development of urban air mobility is likely to raise serious concerns among residents, especially when several thousand flights are conducted daily in one area.
Acoustic engineer and senior lawyer at the Australian consulting firm Marshall Day Acoustics, Alex Morabito, says that the main way to combat aircraft noise is through land use planning around airports. Appropriate noise buffer zones are established for aircraft, which are included in local planning schemes to prevent or limit certain types of noise-sensitive developments nearby.
However, this does not apply to existing developments, such as buildings, schools, or parks. That is why Mr. Morabito points out that this planning is not suitable for air taxis. Innovative aerial technologies will require new standards for managing expected noise levels due to the high volume of flights at low altitudes in built-up urban areas.
Safety aerotaxi and other challenges
Turbulence and wind gusts are the main causes of aviation accidents. Researchers note that these factors affect aircraft of all sizes. At the same time, air taxis and drones face a higher risk of turbulence and collisions due to the large number of lightweight aircraft in the air, low-altitude flights, and the complexity of urban buildings and infrastructure.
The risk of collisions is also increasing as more vehicles attempt to navigate in challenging conditions. Researchers say that to eliminate the risk of accidents, turbulence should be a key factor in the certification of aircraft and the design of vertiports.
The challenges associated with launching air taxis in terms of community involvement, planning, noise, and safety are immense, but this is just the beginning. Among other issues that need to be addressed are social justice, environmental impact, harmful emissions, privacy, and security.
Ms. Bais believes that governments will need to intervene to facilitate discussions on issues related to airspace access, visual amenities, noise, safety, and regulations in this new industry. She adds that the public has the right to express whether it needs these changes at all and should have the opportunity to say “no.”
