Main Menu

Uber elevate

Started by Eclipse, October 29, 2016, 08:48:13 PM

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Eclipse

http://medium.com/@UberPubPolicy/fast-forwarding-to-a-future-of-on-demand-urban-air-transportation-f6ad36950ffa#.tmv8pct6r

"On-demand aviation has the potential to radically improve urban mobility, giving people back time lost in their daily commutes. Uber is close to the commute pain that citizens in cities around the world feel. We view helping to solve this problem as core to our mission and our commitment to our rider base. Just as skyscrapers allowed cities to use limited land more efficiently, urban air transportation will use three-dimensional airspace to alleviate transportation congestion on the ground. A network of small, electric aircraft that take off and land vertically (called VTOL aircraft for Vertical Take-off and Landing, and pronounced vee-tol), will enable rapid, reliable transportation between suburbs and cities and, ultimately, within cities."

Whitepaper: http://www.uber.com/elevate.pdf (also attached for posterity)





As with film cameras, 10-15 years ago, now is not the time to be a cab driver.
Uber is definitely wining this game, for any number of reasons, not the least of which is cost.

I was pretty shocked to see how many hotels and apartment buildings have helipads in downtown LA.
due to an only recently changed code requirement that all high-rises have a flat roof and helipad for fire evacuation.
http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/city-eliminates-helipad-requirement/article_44d2760c-4810-11e4-ba5e-cf746009cf79.html



Considering its horrible traffic issues, and the rise of Uber, LA is primed to see this take shape. Regardless, the most successful
ride-sharing service is now publicly advocating the idea, which means others are also planning the same things,
just letting Uber blaze the trail.

Initially this could actually seriously increase the need for commercial pilots, though I wouldn't jump on that bandwagon
knowing that the idea was to eliminate me as soon as feasible.  Either way, like it or not, this is coming, or at least the big boys are going to
take a shot.



[attachment deleted by admin]

"That Others May Zoom"

RogueLeader

Shortly thereafter this takes effect, you will be seeing the congestion of the skylanes.  I don't look forward the the inevitable crashes and collateral damage from falling debris that used to be called a plane.
WYWG DP

GRW 3340

Eclipse

All part of the risk of innovation - there will be plenty of "first crashes", "first fatalities", and "first incidents", just like with
street vehicles and regular aircraft.

Heck, Uber sent my drivers all week to the Third Street Tunnel, which is solid concrete from end-to-end >under< my hotel, and when the car
got under the entrance, ended the ride.

As to congestion, it'll be much less of an issue as the sky has 3 dimensions (or axes if you prefer), so the kinds of things
that cause congestion (human idiocy, accidents, etc.) won't be as much of a factor since you can go "over or around" things in a way you
can't on surface roads.

It's almost certainly going to have to be managed by AI as well, which means that, like the ATC system, in 90% of the cases things will work very well,
and when it's down or confused, the whole darn things will grind to a screeching halt.

Even if the plan was to only allow flight over existing roads (which sounds like the kind of short-sighted plan a bureaucrat would come up with),
that would effectively double+ the area people have to travel within, eliminating some volume issues immediately.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC0eMziqOIw

"That Others May Zoom"

RogueLeader

So we get either the Chaos that is the skylanes of Nar Shadda or the controlled Chaos of Coruscant.  Great. 
WYWG DP

GRW 3340

Eclipse

One good thing, LA's downtown is well ahead of the curve in the "dystopian wasteland" department, so the path has been paved...

"That Others May Zoom"

Luis R. Ramos

#5
New York City has gone the other way.

After a B-25 crash into the Empire State in 1944 or 1945, another crash involving a helicopter into the city, a mid-air between a Super Connie and DC-8 in Brooklyn in the '60s, a 737 crash in Far Rockaway in the Boro of Queens in 2009, a 2006 Cirrus airplane crash in Manhattan piloted by a NY Yankees pitcher, and several other helicopter accidents including a mid-air between a small GA and a helicopter in 2009 no airplane can fly above the city including all five boros. And who can forget Sully and the Hudson?

Commercial flights are still allowed to JFK and LGA. Tourist helicopter flights are limited over the East River. The only helos authorized over the city are Police and News. Even airplane flying over the Hudson River between the city and New Jersey is severely restricted.

However now and then I see a seaplane over Queens I am pretty sure is trying to follow the East River and Long Island Sound...
Squadron Safety Officer
Squadron Communication Officer
Squadron Emergency Services Officer

etodd

Quote from: Luis R. Ramos on October 29, 2016, 09:55:59 PM
New York City has gone the other way.

After a B-25 crash into the Empire State in 1944 or 1945, another crash involving a helicopter into the city, a mid-air between a Super Connie and DC-8 in Brooklyn in the '60s, a 737 crash in Far Rockaway in the Boro of Queens in 2009, a 2006 Cirrus airplane crash in Manhattan piloted by a NY Yankees pitcher, and several other helicopter accidents including a mid-air between a small GA and a helicopter in 2009 no airplane can fly above the city including all five boros.

Huh? I have a friend who circles over New York City and the area quite often in a Skyhawk shooting aerial photography. Its quite busy with small GA air traffic.
"Don't try to explain it, just bow your head
Breathe in, breathe out, move on ..."

Eclipse

Isn't there a heliport right on the edge of Manhattan people use to get to and from the major airports?

Daley tried to restrict GA flying around the Chicago Metro area after 911, but was challenged and the restrictions were lifted.

Also, for those who found the white paper TL:DR, note Uber assumes a ten-year development.


"That Others May Zoom"

Live2Learn

#8
Quote from: Luis R. Ramos on October 29, 2016, 09:55:59 PM
New York City has gone the other way.

After a B-25 crash into the Empire State in 1944 or 1945, another crash involving a helicopter into the city, a mid-air between a Super Connie and DC-8 in Brooklyn in the '60s, a 737 crash in Far Rockaway in the Boro of Queens in 2009, a 2006 Cirrus airplane crash in Manhattan piloted by a NY Yankees pitcher, and several other helicopter accidents including a mid-air between a small GA and a helicopter in 2009 no airplane can fly above the city including all five boros. And who can forget Sully and the Hudson?

Commercial flights are still allowed to JFK and LGA. Tourist helicopter flights are limited over the East River. The only helos authorized over the city are Police and News. Even airplane flying over the Hudson River between the city and New Jersey is severely restricted.

However now and then I see a seaplane over Queens I am pretty sure is trying to follow the East River and Long Island Sound...

The argument could be made that nearly every crash you've listed was due to human error.  From the B-25 flying through fog into the Empire State Building to Cory Lidel's Cirrus crash into the condo, the human pilot (or pilots) were not up to the tasks demanded of them.  Not saying AI is perfect, but darn near all of the crashes involved well know pilot errors, including failed See & Avoid. The exception to known problems was  the airbus co-pilot who snapped the vertical fin in 2011. That structural failure has since resulted in SAIB CE-11-17 which cautions pilots against ham handed and elephant feet control movements.

Luis R. Ramos

I did not say there were no heliports. There are--in the East River, which borders Manhattan on the East side, there may be another on the Hudson in the West. I am not sure...

Squadron Safety Officer
Squadron Communication Officer
Squadron Emergency Services Officer

RRLE

Quote from: Luis R. Ramos on October 30, 2016, 10:39:23 AM
I did not say there were no heliports. There are--in the East River, which borders Manhattan on the East side, there may be another on the Hudson in the West. I am not sure...

There are three helipads in Manhatten. A google search for "New York City helipads" yielded:

Downtown Manhatten Helipad - off the southern tip and off the FDR Drive. Mostly used for tours to Lady Liberty.

East 34th street heliport - the "celebrity" helipad

West 30th street heliport - west side, open 24 x 7




Luis R. Ramos

#11
Find all the heliports you like.

The point is... not a single one is in the middle of the city!

The Celebrity helipad is three to four blocks from the East River, not over the middle of the city.

The Downtown Manhattan Heliport is 100 or 50 feet on the East River on a pier, not in the middle of the city.

The West 30th Street Heliport is about 50 feet on the Hudson River on a pier, not in the middle of the city.

My point is, as I stated at the beginning, flying is restricted over New York City instead of LA which appears to be encouraged!

I have lived in the city for about 14 years. So I think I know a little bit about this area...
Squadron Safety Officer
Squadron Communication Officer
Squadron Emergency Services Officer

Luis R. Ramos

All the accidents I listed, except the one with Sully at the controls were pilot error.

They were enough to restrict flying over the middle of the city. So much that with all the high rises, the rooftops are always obstructed with air conditioners, water towers, antennas, and other stuff. Not conducive to evacuation by helicopters like in LA.

A fact that prevented many from being rescued during 9/11...
Squadron Safety Officer
Squadron Communication Officer
Squadron Emergency Services Officer

Luis R. Ramos

#13
There was also another heliport in what was known as the Pan Am Building, now the MetLife Building. This is 45th Street, and it could be considered the middle of the city.

There was service to other airports. Shortly after Pan Am ceased operations, a helicopter landed, one of the wheels collapsed, the rotor hit the floor and one of the blades snapped off hitting a waiting crowd and fell, killing another person. Between 5 and 4 people died. Helicopter service was suspended. No more flights over the city.
Squadron Safety Officer
Squadron Communication Officer
Squadron Emergency Services Officer

PHall

Quote from: Luis R. Ramos on October 30, 2016, 03:06:19 PM
There was also another heliport in what was known as the Pan Am Building, now the MetLife Building. This is 45th Street, and it could be considered the middle of the city.

There was service to other airports. Shortly after Pan Am ceased operations, a helicopter landed, one of the wheels collapsed, the rotor hit the floor and one of the blades snapped off hitting a waiting crowd and fell, killing another person. Between 5 and 4 people died. Helicopter service was suspended. No more flights over the city.

No more flights over the city?????  Better tell NYPD, the Coast Guard, the Air Force and the Marines.

Luis R. Ramos

PHall, I know you can read, but it appears your reading is selective.

I quote from that very same message. 

Quote
The only helos authorized over the city are Police and News.


We were discussing commercial flights, and general aviation.

The topic is Uber Flights.

There was no reason to address military or rescue.

More so when I preempted them by stating Police!

But we already know you want to always be among the difficult ones!

Or you like to see yourself in posts...
Squadron Safety Officer
Squadron Communication Officer
Squadron Emergency Services Officer

RogueLeader

Can we all just chill and keep it professional?
WYWG DP

GRW 3340

docsteve

Can we all just look at a N.Y. TCA chart to see how it's done?
Steve Sconfienza, Ph.D.
former captain

Eclipse

#18
Obviously we're not discussing police or other emergency / government traffic.

Most of NYC is Class B controlled airspace with an ADIZ.

Since 2010 (and earlier since 911) there have been moves to restrict flying in the downtown NY area
some successful, some not.

Earlier this year, legislative actions were begun to restrict the number of flights per year out of the Pier 6 Heliport
beginning in 2017, and tourist flights are now restricted to over-water flying (both of which are in response to noise
complaints on the beaches and nearby areas, not because of security issues).

One of the (many) distinctions between the two coasts in this case is that LA / CA tends to be a car culture and
driving / owning a car is considered essential, whereas NY is more of a public transit / taxi kind of place with car ownership
being much less "important".   This varies below the high level, of course, but that's the general rhetoric.

Also on the Left Coast are other variables that may impact adoption - Las Vegas, for example, is about a 3-hour drive from LA, and
they have been threatening high-speed rail between the two for over 40 years, with one plan by the Chinese being only recently scuttled
due to requirements that the trains be built in the US.  There is a >lot< of money at both ends of the line, and something viable
will almost certainly get funded, with VTOL commuter craft or similar not having the same manufacturer restrictions since it
would be all private money.

China, especially, will likely be a major proving ground for these ideas as they have all the manufacturing, plenty of space, and
few of the environmental and safety restrictions that the US has (not saying that's "good", it just "is").

"That Others May Zoom"

Luis R. Ramos

Believe me, Eclipse to me cars and other traffic cause much, much more noise in NYC than airplane traffic.

I grew up in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico almost under one of the approaches to the Munoz Marin International Airport.

I am bothered more by the almost continuous noise of emergency vehicle sirens, people honking their horn for almost everything. Was not bothered by the sound of the PRANG airplanes and others on their landing approaches.

And at some time the PRANG had F-104, Starfighters, with their own unique landing howl...

Sounds of airplanes taking off might be different!
Squadron Safety Officer
Squadron Communication Officer
Squadron Emergency Services Officer