Robb Report - 08.2019

GUTTER CREDITS

ROBBREPORT.COM 107

struggling to hire people to fly their big

jets, how are you going to find someone

to take the wheel of your airborne jalopy?

An obvious response is to invoke auton-

omy: Just program a computer to fly the

thing. But we’re a long way from entrust-

ing computers with command of ground-

based vehicles, let alone ones hurtling

around above homes, hospitals and

schools. Nor have we worked out a sys-

tem whereby all these contraptions could

whip past one another without colliding.

So while everyone loves the vision of

hopping around in a zippy, non-polluting

air taxi, the estimated $1 billion or more

that has been invested in the field so far

has almost certainly been squandered.

This is not to say that all futuristic avi-

ation visions are dumb. Exciting advances

are unfolding right now, just not in the

way the entertainment industry has led

us to expect. While the public’s attention

was focused on flying cars, engineers were

beavering away on tilt-rotor vehicles such

as the V-22 Osprey. These take off straight

up like helicopters, then swing their

rotors 90 degrees to turn into airplanes.

They’re not quiet—they make a tremen-

dous racket. They’re not environmen-

tally friendly—they burn old-fashioned

greenhouse-gas-generating fossil fuel.

But they’ve cracked the tough nut that

air taxis can only dream of. They can fly

from here to there as efficiently as an air-

plane and land just about anywhere like a

helicopter—i.e., they actually work.

he US Marine Corps has been

operating the Osprey for more

than a decade, and it’s still one

of the most sci-fi things you’ll

see on a flight line. Now the general public

can get in on the action, too. Earlier this

year, production began on the Leonardo

AW609, a civil tilt rotor that can carry nine

passengers at a top speed of 300 mph. The

first deliveries are expected next year.

Priced at $25 million a pop, the

AW609 is not a joyride for the everyman,

but it has areas of demonstrable utility,

such as ferrying oil and gas workers out to

offshore drilling platforms. It’ll be useful

for search-and-rescue missions and for

medical evacuation, too. And then there’s

the sheer sex appeal. The aircraft’s unique

profile will make it a must-have for private

customers with a taste for the dramatic.

Michael Bloomberg, who regularly pilots

his own helicopter and who likes to flit

from Manhattan to Bermuda for weekend

getaways, is reportedly on the waiting list.

The AW609 has been a long time com-

ing. Its roots date to the ’90s; the first pro-

totype flew in 2003. The process has been

slow because creating and perfecting a

new type of aircraft is an arduous under-

taking. Though the Osprey proved the tilt

rotor was viable, Leonardo still ran into

all kinds of unforeseen challenges.

The glacial pace of the AW609’s

development casts a clarifying light on

the prospects for flying cars. Science-

fiction writers effortlessly assign to their

machines whatever astonishing perfor-

mance they feel like. Real-life engineers

struggle with countless compromises

in the step-by-step slog from the draw-

ing board to the flight line. If, after 60

years, no flying-car inventor has managed

to achieve even the earliest steps, it’s a

sign that the conceptual flaws are proba-

bly insurmountable.

But that’s not to say that the fantasy of

the flying car will yield no practical ben-

efit. As the battle against climate change

becomes more urgent, aircraft designers

will face increasing pressure to replace

fossil fuels with greener energy. The kind

of free-floating imagination that has fed

the flying-taxi movement is precisely

what’s needed to devise the next genera-

tion of aviation power plant—be it hybrid,

electric, hydrogen or some solution we

haven’t even dreamed of.

Based on past experience, what the

inventors of the future come up with

will be quite a bit different from what the

futurists of today imagine. But they’ll be

plenty cool in their own way.

The Moller Skycar lifted off in 2003—

only briefly, while attached by a

tether to an overhead crane.

The Skycar

gets airborne—

sort of—in 2002.

The military’s V-22

Osprey proved tilt-rotor

technology works.

Leonardo’s AW609 tilt rotor

can carry nine passengers and

will be priced at $25 million.

T

V-22

OSPREY: SHAWN THEW/EPA/SHUTTERSTOCK

The Future We Want...

ROBBREPORT.COM 107

strugglingtohirepeopletoflytheirbig

jets,howareyougoingtofindsomeone

totakethewheelofyourairbornejalopy?

Anobviousresponseistoinvokeauton-

omy:Justprogramacomputertoflythe

thing.Butwe’realongwayfromentrust-

ingcomputerswithcommandofground-

basedvehicles,letaloneoneshurtling

around above homes,hospitalsand

schools.Norhaveweworkedoutasys-

temwherebyallthesecontraptionscould

whippastoneanotherwithoutcolliding.

Sowhileeveryonelovesthevisionof

hoppingaroundinazippy,non-polluting

airtaxi,theestimated$1billionormore

thathasbeeninvestedinthefieldsofar

hasalmostcertainlybeensquandered.

Thisisnottosaythatallfuturisticavi-

ationvisionsaredumb.Excitingadvances

areunfoldingrightnow, justnotinthe

waytheentertainmentindustryhasled

ustoexpect.Whilethepublic’sattention

wasfocusedonflyingcars,engineerswere

beaveringawayontilt-rotorvehiclessuch

astheV-22Osprey.Thesetakeoffstraight

uplikehelicopters,thenswingtheir

rotors90degreestoturnintoairplanes.

They’renotquiet—theymakeatremen-

dousracket.They’renotenvironmen-

tallyfriendly—theyburnold-fashioned

greenhouse-gas-generatingfossilfuel.

Butthey’vecrackedthetoughnutthat

airtaxiscanonlydreamof.Theycanfly

fromheretothereasefficientlyasanair-

planeandlandjustaboutanywherelikea

helicopter—i.e.,theyactuallywork.

heUSMarineCorpshasbeen

operatingtheOspreyformore

thanadecade,andit’sstillone

ofthemostsci-fithingsyou’ll

seeonaflightline.Nowthegeneralpublic

cangetinontheaction,too.Earlierthis

year,productionbeganontheLeonardo

AW609,aciviltiltrotorthatcancarrynine

passengersatatopspeedof300mph.The

firstdeliveriesareexpectednextyear.

Pricedat $25 million a pop,the

AW609isnotajoyridefortheeveryman,

butithasareasofdemonstrableutility,

suchasferryingoilandgasworkersoutto

offshoredrillingplatforms.It’llbeuseful

forsearch-and-rescuemissionsandfor

medicalevacuation,too.Andthenthere’s

thesheersexappeal.Theaircraft’sunique

profilewillmakeitamust-haveforprivate

customerswithatasteforthedramatic.

MichaelBloomberg,whoregularlypilots

hisownhelicopterandwholikestoflit

fromManhattantoBermudaforweekend

getaways,isreportedlyonthewaitinglist.

TheAW609hasbeenalongtimecom-

ing.Itsrootsdatetothe’90s;thefirstpro-

totypeflewin2003.Theprocesshasbeen

slowbecausecreatingandperfecting a

newtypeofaircraftisanarduousunder-

taking.ThoughtheOspreyprovedthetilt

rotorwasviable,Leonardostillraninto

allkindsofunforeseenchallenges.

TheglacialpaceoftheAW609’s

developmentcastsaclarifyinglighton

theprospectsforflyingcars.Science-

fictionwriterseffortlesslyassigntotheir

machineswhateverastonishingperfor-

mancetheyfeellike.Real-lifeengineers

strugglewithcountlesscompromises

inthestep-by-stepslogfromthedraw-

ingboardtotheflightline.If,after60

years,noflying-carinventorhasmanaged

toachieveeventheearlieststeps,it’s a

signthattheconceptualflawsareproba-

blyinsurmountable.

Butthat’snottosaythatthefantasyof

theflyingcarwillyieldnopracticalben-

efit.Asthebattleagainstclimatechange

becomesmoreurgent,aircraftdesigners

willfaceincreasingpressuretoreplace

fossilfuelswithgreenerenergy.Thekind

offree-floatingimaginationthathasfed

theflying-taximovementisprecisely

what’sneededtodevisethenextgenera-

tionofaviationpowerplant—beithybrid,

electric,hydrogenorsomesolutionwe

haven’tevendreamedof.

Basedonpastexperience,whatthe

inventorsofthefuturecomeupwith

willbequiteabitdifferentfromwhatthe

futuristsoftodayimagine.Butthey’llbe

plentycoolintheirownway.

The Moller Skycar lifted off in 2003—

only briefly, while attached by a

tether to an overhead crane.

The Skycar

gets airborne—

sort of—in 2002.

The military’s V-22

Osprey proved tilt-rotor

technology works.

Leonardo’s AW609 tilt rotor

can carry nine passengers and

will be priced at $25 million.

T

V-22

OSPREY: SHAWN THEW/EPA/SHUTTERSTOCK

The Future We Want...