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We view UAM as infrastructure – not just meaning our vertiports. It means the network of vertiports connected to each other with a fleet of new generation air vehicles servicing between them and all the subsystems required for the operation.
We see this as infrastructure that allows tackling not only the mobility problem, but also the city growth problem by providing transportation means without the need to build physical mobility infrastructure.
Varon Vehicles is leading an ecosystem of global urban air mobility stakeholders targeted towards implementing its first transportation system network in Latin America, starting at a chosen location in Colombia
It will probably consist of 2 to 4 vertiports connected to each other via permanently reserved airspace volumes and a fleet of new generation Vertical Take-Off and Landing air vehicles (VTOL) servicing between them, with all the required subsystems for the operation, to offer freight transportation services at first and eventually passenger transportation in conjunction with Transportation Network Company (TNC) partners.
Despite being a US company, Varon Vehicles Corp has identified several advantages in implementing first in Latin America instead of in the US or Europe, which essentially mean faster implementation and lower costs. This is evermore relevant now with global post COVID budget situations.
While most in the aerospace industry agree that an operable maturity level in urban air mobility in the US will be achieved near the year 2035 given the complexity of the design approach being undertaken, Varon Vehicles is targeting to have its first operating system in about 5 years.
The company has taken a simplistic approach for implementation in Latin America to get UAM operation started sooner, at a radically lower cost and with the exact same levels of safety to allow knowhow acquisition.
Some of the biggest barriers for UAM worldwide are the lack of regulation frameworks and the technical complexity that arises from interaction of UAM air vehicles with existing aircraft. So the company’s simplistic approach has to do mostly with a simplistic view for airspace integration to get implementation started. In other words, building simple paths connecting the company’s vertiports over the city sky without getting involved with existing aircraft.
This view, which is being worked with the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority, calls for permanently reserved airspace volumes linking vertiports, to keep all other aircraft and drones away from UAM air vehicles for safety. These airspace volumes are intended to be
kept within uncontrolled airspace, which means very low altitudes – around 500ft above ground.
Within those airspace volumes, fixed virtual lanes are defined and predetermined with appropriate buffer zones to separate and allow for safe orchestration of air vehicle traffic servicing between our vertiports. This architecture means that Air Traffic Control is not burdened with UAM air vehicles and the existing aeronautics infrastructure does not need to be touched. It also means that many of the technological barriers of integration with existing aircraft is overcome by simply not interacting with them.
It also means that the low flight altitudes are more comfortable for regular people, which increases public adoption. The downside is scalability, which will later pose a challenge. Once more routes and larger amounts of air vehicles are required, systems will have to be implemented to allow for growth, probably increasing automation of route allocation, vertiport take-off green lights and fleet management.
It is Varon Vehicle’s virtual summit. Skyscraper will be held on November 18, 19 and 20 of 2020 and then again in November of each year. It will convey conclusions from the previous work during the company’s Think Tanks and material being worked will be exhibited.
The Think Tanks are a series of short virtual sessions that Varon Vehicles is carrying out starting August 2020 to push forward implementation of its first infrastructure network in Latin America. In each Think Tank specific conversations are held between participants of the Varon Vehicles ecosystem around the different subjects pertaining the company’s implementation activities.
“We believe people should have more time for what is valuable in life. We believe in moving faster, safer, greener. We believe in the highest technology and the best of our innovative minds serving the purpose of healing people’s deteriorated quality of life”
In 2020 Think Tanks, we will be discussing the main subjects pertaining to the conceptual design of the Varon Vehicles Infrastructure Networks. This includes conversations about the value of Latin America for the global Urban Air Mobility industry and stakeholders, the specific requirements for air vehicles, our vertiports design and operation, and about our airspace integration architecture and regulations among other very relevant subjects. Anybody can register and there is no cost. We have UAM industry, aeronautics, mobility, urban planning people and investors as well as the general public attending our Think Tanks.You say Skyscraper is an effort to push forward implementation of your first infrastructure network. What can you tell us about this implementation? We have a very defined plan for implementation of our first infrastructure network in Colombia. Right now, we are entering what we call our “construction” phase which is set to last about 5 years. This means not only having an operational air vehicle fleet in place but also the vertiports, sub systems for operation of this first infrastructure network and all the operational models. That is why we’re working with global UAM companies and experts, to collaborate in our efforts towards implementation. The end purpose is to operate this first infrastructure network and acquire the knowhow about the new Urban Air Mobility business to be able to scale up from there and expand not only to other business cases but also to other cities of the world. Skyscraper will be held on November 18, 19 and 20 this year. The virtual summit will convey conclusions from the previous work during the Think Tanks and interesting material will be exhibited. All information about Skyscraper and its Think Tanks, can be found on the link below.
Varon Vehicles Corporation is developing a very confined and controlled transportation system.
It
consists of a series of vertiports connected to each other via well defined and permanent virtual lanes
through which their air vehicles will fly,
without adding a burden on air traffic
control. Each vertiport will service a specific area and they will be placed both inside and outside existing urban
structures to generate city growth without the need for construction of physical mobility infrastructure.
Varon Vehicles is leading an Urban Air Mobility ecosystem that brings together global stakeholders from the world’s Advanced Air Mobility community to work on the unique requirements for Latin America, targeted towards placing into service their disruptive transportation systems.
