{"id":13939,"date":"2021-02-22T22:57:47","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T05:57:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=13939"},"modified":"2021-02-22T22:57:47","modified_gmt":"2021-02-23T05:57:47","slug":"longer-aerial-commutes-affordability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/longer-aerial-commutes-affordability\/","title":{"rendered":"Longer Aerial Commutes to Affordability"},"content":{"rendered":"

Exurbs and Extended Range<\/h4>\n

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) may be only a small part of electric aerial transport in the next decade.\u00a0 \u00a0Longer-range vehicles may enable longer aerial commutes to affordable country homes. Cities are becoming too expensive for most families, and examples abound of commuters traveling over 100 miles to and from work.\u00a0 Two years ago in San Francisco, for instance, the cheapest home (a true \u201cfixer-upper\u201d) was listed at $699,900, a sum that used to include significant acreage and servants\u2019 quarters.\u00a0 A \u201ctypical\u201d home price in SFO is over $1,400,000.\u00a0 As a result, workers travel from places like Manteca, 76.4 miles downtown to downtown and one hour, 35 minutes in a car on a good day.\u00a0 Manteca\u2019s homes average less than $400,000.<\/p>\n

During the 2019 Sustainable Aviation Symposium at UC Berkeley\u2019s Pauley Ballroom,<\/a> Susan Dell \u2018Osso, President of River Islands Development LLC,<\/a> talked about Planning Sustainable Communities for California\u2019s Future. She didn\u2019t sell condos and single-family dwellings, but, \u201cCited the untenable commute times that affect people who work in the Bay Area but have to live in the Central Valley. She explained that just three small airparks could serve the entire 5,000 acre community of River Islands near Tracy, California.\u00a0 If such airparks were served by electric aircraft, pollution caused by long automotive commutes could be a thing of the past.<\/p>\n

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1940’s light aircraft were designed for grass runways and rural settings. Today’s electric craft could perform on runways or farm fields<\/p><\/div>\n

William T. Piper, President of Piper Aircraft, saw such a future with craft such as J-3 Cubs and Aeronca Champions linking small towns in rural areas, and regional airports bringing goods and commerce to the areas served.\u00a0 Ms. Dell \u2018Osso\u2019s vision includes master planned communities with affordable housing, \u201cgreen\u201d buildings, resource conservation, quality education, and jobs creation and \u201cgame-changing transportation innovation\u201d showcasing the \u201cbenefits benefits of disruptive technology in transportation systems to tie large areas together.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Commute distances from River Islands development. These would all be shorter by air, saving even more time.\u00a0 Relaxation factor would be enhanced enormously over grueling highway commutes<\/p><\/div>\n

This fits Piper\u2019s vision with cleaner, less costly operations (avgas was 25 cents per gallon in the 1940s, and closer to $5.00 in 2021).\u00a0 A no-wind, well-leaned trip in a Cessna 150\/152 would consume $25.00 each way on the daily commute, and all the concomitant costs for maintenance, licensing, etc.\u00a0 Given that traditional aircraft are subject to weather delays, winds, and other forces of nature, a self-flying or shared electric commuter vehicle would be preferable for costs and reliability.<\/p>\n

Expanded Horizons<\/h4>\n

Perhaps reflecting Piper\u2019s never-realized future, planned developments like River Islands, or designated facilities such as Lake Nona herald the medium-distance commute that fits neatly with the range and capabilities of Lillium<\/a>, Dufour Aerospace\u2019s aEro 3<\/a>, Jaunt\u2019s Rosa<\/a>, and Joby\u2019s certified machine<\/a>.\u00a0 All can meet regional range requirements and are faster than the light aircraft promoted by Piper and others in the 1940s.<\/p>\n

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Swiss-built Dufour Aerospace’s aEro 3 could emulate rural flying of 1940s with greater safety and speed<\/p><\/div>\n

Beyond that, a quick aerial trip from work to home (perhaps even with a rooftop to doorstep ease) would cut drive times in half, enabling more and better home life, and the enjoyment of a an environment (physically and spiritually) being healed by conscious decisions.<\/p>\n

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Jaunt Journey, much like other modern designs, includes autoflight and communications systems to enhance safety<\/p><\/div>\n

We\u2019ll do an entry soon on the longer-range eCSTOL (electric Conventional Short Take Off and Landing) aircraft that will enhance transportation over 300- to 600-mile journeys.\u00a0 \u00a0The market is heating up and designers are advancing the technology.<\/p>\n