Page 6 - World Airnews Magazine April 2021

FEATURE

first urban air mobility vehicles to operate what makes sense for them,
without a safety pilot onboard. I think the and when they will bring
public will demand that as well. And who new models online. I do

is better trained to fly at low altitudes, in think there could be several
congested airspace, that the rotorcraft on the horizon, and I expect

pilots who do it every day? Leonardo will deliver the first
of the new TH-73A training
WAN: IN YOUR ANALYSIS OF THE helicopters to the U.S. Navy.
GLOBAL HELICOPTER MARKET
WHICH MODEL – IF ANY HAVE WAN: ARE THERE ANY
SHOWN ANY IMPROVEMENT AND VTOL INNOVATIONS
WHY? IN THE HELICOPTER
JV: I can’t say that we’ve been tracking the INDUSTRY THAT HAI IS
improvement or decline of any particular AWARE OF THAT WE

models. As a result of the pandemic, many SHOULD KEEP OUR EYES

companies put off purchases of all kinds OPEN FOR?

until the pandemic situation stabilised. JV: Keep looking way up! As I

They were able to support their operations write this, NASA and the Jet
with their existing fleet of aircraft, which Propulsion Laboratory are

probably made economic sense. Now, as getting closer and closer to

we’re coming out of the pandemic, I think launching the Mars Helicopter. It’s amazing think of the technological opportunities

you’ll see the market for newer aircraft to think that the first controlled flight on that will exist here on earth!

begin to recover. another planet comes just 100 years after I wouldn’t be surprised to see some Ad-

WAN: DO YOU KNOW OF ANY NEW the first accepted helicopter flight! NASA vanced Air Mobility companies reach some

designed the Mars Helicopter to fly in the

MODELS THAT ARE DUE TO BE thin atmosphere of that planet, which is advanced testing phases this year, perhaps
even carrying people. The other stage we
LAUNCHED THIS YEAR? the equivalent of flying at 100,000-feet still need to see built out is the infrastruc-

JV: There were several models we thought here on earth. Obviously, no earth-bound ture for AAM, but it appears companies
we might see last year, but the nature of helicopter can currently meet that and regulatory bodies are waiting to see

the pandemic slowed the certification standard, so they had to design a rotor how the aircraft technology develops, and

process across the span of manufacturers. system that spins at around 3,000 rpm. If what logistical requirements are necessary

It will be up to those companies to decide this proof-of-concept works on Mars, just to support those aircraft. Q

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World Airnews | April 2021
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