Competition is growing in the electric Vertical Take Off and Landing market, with 407 potential builders listed in eVTOL News. Vertical flight takes power, though, and with available batteries limiting range, most such vehicles can make only short hops. Alternatives that allow speedier, longer flights, in the form of electric Conventional Short Take Off and Landing (eCSTOL) aircraft are in development. Such craft offer the benefit of requiring less power for takeoffs and climbs, being more aeronautically-based than power-based. Airflow, for instance, claims operating costs for their eCTSOL craft is one-third that of an eVTOL or helicopter. We will look at three eCSTOL craft that seem to making headway at this time. The infrastructure (in two cases below) to support …
