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Airline view of Skycar air taxi service    simplified August 2001

Skycar compared to commercial jet  Specifications

  • 1/2 speed: 300 vs. 600 miles per hour
  • 1/4 time on the ground for loading, taxi, etc. 
  • 1/20 length of flight    up to 500 miles vs. 10,000 miles
  • 1/80 maximum passengers in vehicle   5  vs. 400
  • Fly-on-demand is a strong possibility
  • 1/4 Cost per passenger seat ($100k)
  • 1/2 Fuel usage per passenger mile 
  • No aisle, food, restrooms, stewardesses
  • 2.3X more passengers per take-off weight 
  • Vertiport rather than congested, expensive airport
  • Skycar is environmentally green
  • Skycar is at least 10,000 quieter
  • At least as safe   fewer accidents

Potential Skycar Routes: between cities in US and around the world

Fastest travel on trips of 40 to 500 miles will be by Skycar   added 06/06/01

distribution_flight_legs.gif (33700 bytes) 80% of US flight legs are shorter than 900 miles
Skycar usage could significantly reduce airport congestion 
and increase airplane utilization on longer, more profitable flights.

 

 

market 2001.gif (29410 bytes)Market for Skycars recomputed June 2001 
phase 1= 52,000   phase 2=122,000  

 

50 seat aircraft costs for 200 and 300 mile flight legs
The largest source of direct operating cost is the aircraft itself     added 06/06/01

Lower cost to fly Skycar than jet on flight legs shorter than 500 miles added 06/03/01

Americans do not travel by air much if round trip is <500 miles added 06/02/01

US airport traffic congestion would be reduced by 40-60% 
if flight legs <500 miles could be eliminated (from J.F.K. airport data)  added 5/31/01

Operational costs for 300 Mile air taxi

cost_300mile.gif (57869 bytes)Costs for 300 mile trip - updated August 2001

Ideas for introducing a Skycar

Skycar saves time

Small airports will be good locations for initial Skycar operation.  added 07/01/01
"98% of the U.S. population lives within a 30 minute drive of one of over 5,000 public-use landing facilities."  
Bruce Holmes of NASA as quoted on page 42 of Atlantic Monthly June 2001
Reminder: only the top 30 or so largest airports are congested.

Evaluation of Skycar and its market potential
- by 4 students at Vanderbilt University added 10/24/00

FAA Airport 2001 Executive Summary added 06/06/01