News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Lilium achieves first main wing transition for all-electr... by DennisP on Sunday June 12, 2022 @01:54PM (#31716620)
It used to mesh a lot better, when general aviation was much bigger than it is now and we had lots of tiny airports. Maybe we could get back to that. VTOL makes it a bit easier.
Re:Lilium achieves first main wing transition for all-electr... by nradov on Sunday June 12, 2022 @05:14PM (#31718344)
If you have even a tiny airport with a real runway then you can operate fixed-wing aircraft (possibly electric powered) without the extra cost and risk inherent to VTOL. Lillium and their competitors in the e-VTOL space are trying to create a new market for urban air mobility by bypassing airports and building new heliports, but even if they can solve the technical and legal challenges it's unclear if the economics will work.