Passenger acceptance of VTOLs for UAM

Due to increased population density and traffic congestion in large cities, urban transportation will require a transition from ground vehicles to air vehicles. Urban air mobility (UAM) industry has focused on implementing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles as the aircraft of choice. The biggest challenges to implement VTOLs for UAM are perceived safety and level of comfort in a cabin environment. A good portion of the population have experienced air travel on large commercial planes and will expect VTOL UAM cabins to be similar to both jet cabins and automobiles. Noise, vibration, and perceived safety are a major concern since most VTOL designs utilize rotary blades for lift. The VTOL cabins require unique solutions for reducing airborne noise, damping structural vibrations, and limiting vertical drops. A review of current noise and vibration in VTOL cabins is presented with the identification of potential noise and vibration sources. Current and proposed approaches for reducing noise and vibrations in aircraft cabins, and how they may be applied to VTOL UAM applications, will be discussed.