Chinese Flying Taxi Sector Claims Global Lead Thanks To Regulatory Support (ft.com) 34
A Shanghai flying taxi company says that China's "low altitude" industry is edging ahead of western rivals, thanks to more supportive regulators, technological breakthroughs and cut-throat competition in the Chinese logistics sector. From a report: The total market created by electric vertical take-off and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft is forecast to be worth $1.5tn a year by 2040 in a base-case assessment by Morgan Stanley analysts, with potential customers across airlines, logistics, emergency services, agriculture, tourism and security operations. China's AutoFlight Group won airworthiness certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in late March for the design and parts for its unmanned CarryAll aircraft -- a global first for an eVTOL weighing more than 1 tonne being cleared by regulators.
Kellen Xie, AutoFlight vice-president, said that while the company is also seeking similar approvals in Europe, the CAAC has been "quite supportive" of the new industry. "They work longer hours... they are determined to actually speed up the process of bringing this new technology into reality," he said. EVTOL aircraft take off vertically, like helicopters, but then transition into fixed-wing mode for travelling at higher speeds, offering faster and more efficient transport than ground-based options. Analysts point to a labyrinth of regulatory and safety hurdles, but supporters say the technology could fundamentally reshape how humans travel and freight is moved, in a level of disruption akin to the introduction of mass-market cars and commercial airlines. Most eVTOL aircraft are still in the testing stages and vary widely in terms of how fast and high they can fly and how much weight they can carry.
Kellen Xie, AutoFlight vice-president, said that while the company is also seeking similar approvals in Europe, the CAAC has been "quite supportive" of the new industry. "They work longer hours... they are determined to actually speed up the process of bringing this new technology into reality," he said. EVTOL aircraft take off vertically, like helicopters, but then transition into fixed-wing mode for travelling at higher speeds, offering faster and more efficient transport than ground-based options. Analysts point to a labyrinth of regulatory and safety hurdles, but supporters say the technology could fundamentally reshape how humans travel and freight is moved, in a level of disruption akin to the introduction of mass-market cars and commercial airlines. Most eVTOL aircraft are still in the testing stages and vary widely in terms of how fast and high they can fly and how much weight they can carry.
we fly 996 FAA rules don't allow pilots to fly tha (Score:2)
we fly 996 FAA rules don't allow pilots to fly that many hours in an week!
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the faa regulation rules limit our pilots to much so we moved the tech to china.
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9 o clock to 9 o clock, 6 days a week.
AKA what china expects you to work - near constant slavery hours with no time to raise family or even handle most of your own daily needs.
Flying Guinea pigs (Score:1)
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Xi is out-Zuckerberging the USA: he moves fast and breaks people. Dictators have an R&D "advantage" when it comes to safety testing. It's one of the reasons the Soviets got their nukes up and running so quick once they swiped our blueprints: glowing people couldn't vote the glow-spreaders out.
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PS, the US was sloppy with radiation safety also, but not the the extent of the Soviets.
Thanks (Score:2)
For not calling them flying cars. 90% of eVTOL concepts are not flying cars, yet "journalists" insist on calling them that.
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Lower safety standards (Score:3)
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You nailed it!
We've had VTOL passenger transport for decades now, in the form of tried and proven technology: helicopters.
Right now a bunch of startups are trying to reinvent the industry by claiming "carbon zero" and "autonomous" when we know:
1. the market is *very* limited (ie: where are all the helicopter-based flying taxi services?)
2. the tech isn't ready (current battery tech isn't up to the task)
3. we don't trust autonomous sytems on the road so why would be trust them in the air?
4. regulators are st
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3. we don't trust autonomous sytems on the road so why would be trust them in the air?
Because (a) we have infinitely more experience with this than with cars; the level of automation in aircraft is amazing; (b) the operational environment is in many ways much simpler than things on the ground. However, that's not really a recipe for "flying cars" (which actually, nobody wants) and as you point out: those are just called "helicopters".
There will be heliport-to-heliport super short hops by autonomous electric helicopters coming online pretty soon. Very small market, even if they artificially p
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In controlled airspace you would be right... but these things are being pitched as suburban/urban commute options operating at low altitude where there's no ATC. That means they have to deal with birds, the GPS-shielding effects of tall buildings, wind tunnels created by the same tall structures and a whole lot more.
The automation of air-transport at 30,000 feet is a whole lot different to transport at a few hundred feet over a busy metropolis and where there may be buildings higher than t he craft itself
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Oh they're real all right, just ingest one of those feathered CIA spy drones into your ducted fan and see how real they are. I hear that bird framework is made of titanium so that's not going to mesh well with the carbon fiber propellers of these VTOL aircraft.
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In the land of journalism, buzzword compliance is not optional. There are ads to sell, dammit!
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Seeing lots of these stories lately (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm wondering if it's coincidence, or if this is preparation for an upcoming concerted push in Congress to neuter US safety regulations.
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In practice they're getting neutered by Boeing anyways.
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There we go: whichever politician(s) runs up the debt* has to be a Boeing Flying Car test-pilot.
* By spending too much and/or not taxing the rich
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rinse it out (Score:2)
Chinese Flying Taxi Sector is the name of my 3rd ep where i explore the intersection between old school jungle and modern minimalist ranchhouse
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Chinese Flying Taxi Sector is the name of
...a jazz fusion band?
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No need here (Score:2)
I would think there is more of a demand for flying taxis in the mega-gigantic-super-humongous cities - and China has lots of those. In my part of the world there is no reason to fly short distances. None – especially given the added risk with this new technology.
This is frightening (Score:5, Interesting)
With that level of cavalier attitude in driving, I can't possibly fathom stepping into a flying taxi in China.
Heck, I wouldn't do it in America either based on how people drive here, but China is existentially bad.
no pilot flying (Score:2)
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It's the landing that I'm much more worried about. For
OH NOES NOT THE EXOTIC HELICOPTERS!1 (Score:3)
Mr. President, we must not allow an exotic helicopter gap!
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Mr. President, we must not allow an exotic helicopter gap!
Many people ask me, What about the future? Well, rest assured, we will be there...
"It's the bees and the spiders, Mr. President!"
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As if USA mfgs don't get support (Score:1)