Aircraft that do not require airfields introduced in the USA

April 11 2021 16

A large American company United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS), which specializes in express delivery and logistics, has unveiled its latest electric aircraft developed by US startup Beta Technologies. About this innovative Technology, which does not need airfields, according to the report of the American TV channel ABC News on April 9, 2021, which called it - "the future of cargo transportation."

It is noted that the vehicle can make vertical takeoffs directly from storage sites and land at distribution centers. This will allow customers to receive their orders even faster.

In the storyline, UPS wants to connect agricultural settlements and small towns, touching on areas that typically take longer to ship. The company plans to start operating these aircraft from 2024.

The ultra-quiet aircraft, which outwardly has the features of not only an airplane, but also a helicopter and a quadcopter, develops a speed of up to 274 km / h. At the same time, the impact on the environment is minimal. This development is going to use not only UPS, but also other companies, as well as the Pentagon.

When you start to do without manual work, the efficiency of the whole process increases.

- clarified the director of IT and technical issues of UPS Juan Perez.

These aircraft are incredibly effective over short distances, are inexpensive and, in terms of the army, can easily replace expensive ground transportation.

- added the head and founder of Beta Technologies Kyle Clark.

The shown device is capable of flying about 400 km, the battery is charged in 50 minutes. Beta Technologies claims that over the next few years, their development will become fully autonomous (unmanned and robotic). The main task of the company is the transportation of people, therefore, a certain experience is gained on the parcels.

We have already flown millions of hours and have commissioned thousands of devices. Our goal is that when we get to passenger traffic and put six people on our plane, it would be as convenient for them to make local regional flights as possible.

- summed up Kyle Clark.

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123

+5

April 11 2021 09: 57

What they can think of, just not to build roads.
beeper

+1

April 11 2021 11: 11

Everything went to this in the development of aircraft!
An interesting design solution for the VVP (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) electric craft at a new technical level.
Indeed, even in the first gyroplanes, aircraft designers tried to combine a "helicopter" takeoff from a place and further horizontal flight "like an airplane" ...

If it is possible to reliably provide autonomous unmanned control, then the main contradiction, which often led to accidents of similar manned aircraft, will be resolved.

This is a contradiction between, to automatism, accumulated, in many respects dissimilar skills of piloting a helicopter and an airplane, which the pilot of the VVP apparatus should in every possible way (at the level of reflexes !!!) possess, during takeoff and landing, he is forced to instantly "functionally rebuild" - consciously "forget" some reflexes and unmistakably "remember" - use others! This requires from him the highest concentration of attention, complete self-control and extraordinary mental capacity!

Not every pilot, even the most seasoned and experienced, can do this without an accident. Especially after a flight at night or in difficult weather conditions, as is the case with the American Osprey VVS, the accident rate of which is quite high due to this "human factor".

So, the unmanned version of the presented transport-passenger electric plane promises tempting prospects in the future!

P.S. Something, and the heads of American engineers are "well cooked" (the project and the massive construction of naval transports of the "Liberty" type, the epic of the creation and operation of the high-altitude super-high-speed reconnaissance aircraft SR-71 is the clearest example!) And generous targeted funding of their projects gives, as we can see, its significant results!
1. Old Skeptic
  
  +3
  
  April 11 2021 20: 36
  
  1) All electrolytes can be discussed only when sufficiently capacious batteries appear. In the meantime, these are empty projects.
  2) SR-71 is a rather unfortunate project. Interesting, from a technical point of view - of course, but from the point of view of operation, very unfortunate.
  Let me explain:
  1-expensive special.
  2-very interesting but capricious engines, (hence the problems in operation)
  3 bombers of them could not be made, but in the career of a scout, he put an end to the MiG-25 (at least with regard to the advice).
  
  In short: a suitcase without a handle.
  And due to the nature of capitalism, this very interesting and promising project did not receive further development.
  1. beeper
    
    +3
    
    April 11 2021 21: 20
    
    Thank you for your feedback, Old Skeptic!
    This is exactly what was meant - non-trivial conceptual approaches and interesting design and technological solutions (including "high-combustible" special fuel with a separate "pyro-mixture" - the details of the operation of the "birds" are no less interesting, innovative engines for them, too, "in progress", nevertheless modified "to an acceptable condition" ...) embodied in titanium (by the way, from Soviet supplies of this metal) "Drozdy" and its forerunners.
    I first learned technical details about the SR-71 strategic reconnaissance aircraft in the second half of the 1970s, from the East German air magazine "Weathervane-Review" ...
    Our record Soviet interceptor "MiG-25" is, according to its "reciprocal" concept, a completely different aircraft, outstanding in its own way and also very interesting, both in design and technological solutions, and in combat use ...
    But in this Article, it is about the American design and its creators - it is NOT at all shameful to learn from talented engineers, creatively perceiving their advanced ideas and findings!
    IMHO
    1. Old Skeptic
      
      +1
      
      April 12 2021 01: 10
      
      Sorry, but in this design, I do not see anything talented.
      For example: how this wunderwafe solved the problem, from the high drag, from the horizontal lifting screws. I did not notice the rotary device, and without it in level flight, these propellers would be unnecessary ballast.
      A quadcopter with wings has long been a commonplace.
      And the economic efficiency of this project is very, very doubtful until the problem of the power of the electrical apparatus is solved.
      I'm afraid that this "startup" is another way to increase capitalization. Witnesses of the sacred "Mask" rule.
      I am already allergic to the term "startup".
      
      And in general, electroquadrocopters, in my opinion, this is a dead-end branch.
      When the engine is turned off, these devices fall immediately.
      They have neither a gliding wing nor a rotor autorotation. Turning off only one engine leads to an instant up-swing and uncontrolled (even theoretically) fall.
      Security is just a paragraph.
      1. beeper
        
        +1
        
        April 12 2021 13: 33
        
        It’s you in vain to drink the Old Skeptic!
        There are many interesting engineering solutions and the concept of application is interesting!
        The fact that the designers of the apparatus (having flown millions of hours on thousands of their micro-quadcopters!) Boldly "scaled", as you put it, the "banality" - a quadrocopter with wings, says a lot about them!
        A practically "tandem" aerodynamic scheme was applied due to the developed tail unit (which, by the way, is made so that it is not "shaded" by the main wing either at positive or negative "angles of attack"!).
        The "rods" for fastening the lifting screws are organically integrated into the overall structural structure of the airframe and, the edges of the main wing extended in front of them, allow to obtain a guaranteed "forward alignment" at any load of the cargo-passenger cabin.
        A high aspect ratio wing with high aerodynamic quality will allow you to glide to the ground in the event of a stop of the lifting and pushing propellers.
        If one of the lifting screws suddenly stops during takeoff and landing, then (IMHO) a critical roll (with a quadrocopter scheme) will not occur immediately, but since this will a priori occur at a low altitude, then, in the worst case, they will be the first to touch ground or wing tips, empennage and rods, which, breaking, will extinguish the speed and part of the fall energy, or parts, landing gear struts, breaking from impact on the ground, partially shock the passenger cabin, as is the case with helicopters ... the weight of the loaded apparatus is not that great.
        
        And the reserves for improvement are also good initially, for example, the front lift engines can be made forward-turning in the future and they will perform the functions of pulling screws in horizontal flight!
        But with such an arrangement, all four lifting screws can be (developing the original design) "rotated" in the transverse plane, allowing the apparatus to slide to the right and left, or turn practically in place - "on the tail"!
        There is potential in the development of wing mechanization.
        
        These are just the first samples that will still be improved in the process of testing and operation!
        The "energy" of this electric airplane already allows you to cover 400 kilometers of distance!
        So, Old Skeptic, the "branch" is by no means a dead end and, in general, the design ideas of the unforgettable Bert Rutan, the international "guru of ultralight aircraft", the famous creator of the "Voyager" - the record "round-the-world aircraft" are clearly visible in the development!
        
        Artyom76
        
        0
        
        April 12 2021 14: 40
        
        I agree with you only in part - in order to get something, you need to constantly invent something, experiment, then new technologies and new vehicles will appear. But in particular about this device, I agree more with the Old Skeptic - this device is a dead-end branch in the absence of a normal power source. It is rather a bold experiment and a toy for "rich Buratin". Her success is very limited, like Tesla (auto). In the conditions of Alaska (since we are talking about the United States), this miracle will fly by in half, in winter it will have to be stored in heated hangars and in this regard they are much inferior to small traditional aircraft with internal combustion engines. And given the climate and seasonality of the region - the use of it 3 months a year - is definitely not in the hands of couriers. In general, mass character does not smell here.
        
        And so by the way, all "irons" broadcast the end of the carbon era, and did anyone consider the reserves of rare earth metals - in particular, lithium itself? It even became interesting to myself, just by hearing that there are not so many countries producing such a rare metal, unlike oil and gas producing ones ...
        
        beeper
        
        0
        
        April 12 2021 16: 02
        
        Artyom 76, so in fact, "not lithium alone" ... a terrible thing, these lithium batteries - "bomb on board"!
        Now progress is striding by leaps and bounds!
        The "heap is small" of all already known physical and chemical effects is not yet used in technology, but how many more
        
        .... we have wonderful discoveries
        Prepare the spirit of enlightenment
        And the experience of the son of errors difficult,
        And genius, the paradoxes friend
        And the case, god is the inventor.
        
        and after all, as the history of technology shows, "a holy place is never empty" ...
        So, in terms of the development of science and technology, I am optimistic - everything that a person is capable of and has the courage to create in his own imagination is feasible in principle (this is how our human mind is arranged that a priori unrealizable to us will never occur to us, since everything that was, what is and what will be, is already in the "bins" of the Universal Mind, and we all, our Souls, its particles and with it are inextricably linked!).
        
        To be honest, I don't even bother with these "fashion trends" about the alleged "end of the carbon era" and other voluntaristically inspired "tunberg" or "covid" psychoses, behind which are some "transnational" beneficiaries!
Sergey Latyshev

0

April 11 2021 17: 30

We have already flown millions of hours and have commissioned thousands of devices.

is an American startup. If not lying, of course.

Our Skolokovo has something similar, interesting ...
1. Old Skeptic
  
  +2
  
  April 11 2021 19: 56
  
  You know.
  I was always amused by "gullible idiots" incapable of critical thinking.
  How many hours per year? ANSWER: 8 760 h.
  How much is a million hours? ANSWER: 114 years old.
  How many cars were shown in this ad?
  
  Turn on your brain. Don't you think that something is wrong here?
  1. sludge
    
    0
    
    April 11 2021 21: 17
    
    And judging by the video, the airfield is still needed
    1. Old Skeptic
      
      +1
      
      April 12 2021 01: 41
      
      And judging by the video, the airfield is still needed
      
      No - in the video of testing the airframe, without lifting screws. It is assumed that in flight, these propellers are disabled and he flies on the main engine.
      Delirium - used in flight, one engine out of five, and four are just ballast. (F-35 concept).
      There is already a problem with energy and the struggle for light weight, dragging four more engines in vain.
      Great fucking startup merican.
  2. Sergey Latyshev
    
    0
    
    April 11 2021 23: 23
    
    This is another question.
    
    And the video gives the answer. The anonymous smishniks simply lied in translation ...
SASS

-1

April 11 2021 19: 17

Quote: Sergey Latyshev
“We have already flown millions of hours and put into operation thousands of devices.” - this is an American startup. If not lying, of course.

Our Skolokovo has something similar, interesting ...

No dear, only the owner has it.
Petr Vladimirovich

0

April 12 2021 22: 03

I recommend to my colleagues to do aircraft modeling.
Visual, 3 D, FPV, who will get what ...
BoBot Robot - Free Thinking Machine

+1

April 18 2021 22: 52

Do they have cars that don't require wheels?