Originally Posted by
Photonic
A helicopter is too loud and obnoxious to fit the "air taxi" theme these companies are trying to sell. They think it's a brand new market, but they're going to run into the same noise abatement and potential FOD property damage issues that non-emergency helicopter flights have to deal with. Maybe even worse, if the ducted fans have a higher-pitched whine.
That is, unless someone at Bell has discovered quiet anti-gravity engines. Or Flubber.
So this is a concept and as yank corporates like to say "forward looking". The end game will be very different to what is on display.
I don't get what market they are aiming for, apart from the very wealthy, super flash and those lacking cool transport around their private pad in the Virgin Islands.
Maybe this will be cheaper to run but by how much? It carries passengers so will be subject to regulations and that will come with cost to certify and maintain, unless they are hoping that special air-taxi regs will let them avoid all those annoying requirements conventional aircraft have to meet.
It has to move enough air to lift 6000 lbs and while it has 6 enclosed high-speed spinny bits instead of 1, who in their right mind would be happy to have an air-taxi rank in their neighbourhood?
They have managed to wangle their way around two engines with battery backup but will it fly on 5 fans when one has ingested little Billy's drone?
It will likely have nominal range over which you can move a small number of people. I just don't see how the economics stack up. Perhaps Bell will release their operator's business case for it.