ENGINEERING: China has a two-ton electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft; what does the USA have?

Sunday, August 10, 2025

https://interestingengineering.com/transportation/china-evtol-offshore-rig-delivery

World’s first two-ton electric cargo aircraft cuts 10-hour trip to under 1 hour

  • This Chinese heavy-lift drone is a game changer for offshore missions.

Updated: Aug 04, 2025 08:42 AM EST

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China has completed what it calls the world’s first offshore oil-platform cargo mission by a two-ton electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft.

The unmanned V2000CG CarryAll took off from the coastal city of Shenzhen on Sunday, carried fresh fruit and emergency medical supplies across open water for 58 minutes, and touched down 150 kilometers (about 93 miles) away on a China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) platform.

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From ten-hour boat runs to one-hour drone hops

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Taken together, the advances point to a logistics sector on the verge of rapid change. Long-haul trucking and maritime shuttles remain indispensable for bulk freight, but heavy-lift eVTOLs offer a new middle ground. They are faster than ships, cheaper and cleaner than helicopters, and can reach small landing pads or parking-lot “vertiports” that fixed-wing aircraft cannot.

The Shenzhen-to-rig mission is expected to become regular sorties carrying maintenance parts, food, and medical kits. At the same time, the sale of the first fully certified V2000CG CarryAll signals the beginning of commercial deployment for large-scale eVTOL operations in real-world logistics environments.

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I’ve often thought that the Gooferment, private industry, or some tech mogul could spark innovation here in the USA by offering something like “Nobel Prizes” for a SPIRO (Specific, Performance or results, Involvement or support, Realistic, Observable) achievement.

I’m not sure that the dollar amount would be as motivating as the prestige of winning it.

Someone should give DJT4547 a list of what would be EPIC HEROIC accomplishments.  Like the various awards that are given out, for BEST of something.

“Some men see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not.”” — RFK

“Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country” — John F. Kennedy inaugural address

Use the “bully pulpit” to inspire action.

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TECHNOLOGY: Could everyone get access to the better data?

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/robot-balloons-capture-nyc-sized-areas

12-pound US robot balloons capture NYC-sized areas in jaw-dropping details

  • These autonomous balloons operate at altitudes ranging from 60,000 to 85,000 feet.

Updated: Nov 28, 2024 07:36 AM EST
Mrigakshi Dixit

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As per Space.com, a single balloon can capture the same amount of data as 800,000 drones in a single flight.

Moreover, the balloons can map large disaster zones in detail within hours, rather than weeks.

“Many insurance companies are still relying on aerial data collection methods from the 1950s to assess 2024’s climate risks,” said Rema Matevosyan, CEO of Near Space Labs. 

“When you consider that only six percent of the $250 billion in losses from Hurricane Helene may be covered by insurance, it becomes clear that outdated risk assessment methods are creating a domino effect: poor data leads to inadequate policy pricing, which leads to carrier losses, which ultimately forces insurers to abandon entire markets—leaving homeowners stranded and unable to secure mortgages,” Matevosyan added. 

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While I don’t pity the “poor” insurance companies, it makes sense that better data can help EVERYONE properly assess risk.

My personal experience with “federal flood insurance” is dismal.  

In the case of shore house, I carried the required policy even after the mortgage was paid off.  When there was a flood, I wasn’t covered because it wasn’t my primary residence.  So why did I pay those premiums for all those years?  “You made a mistake” was their response.  Luckily, all I lost was an outside hot water heater; my neighbor’s house, which was 4 inches lower than mine, had a ¼ of a million dollars in repairs.  It literally killed him when he was ripped off by contractors.

In the case of my primary residence, I paid flood insurance for decades.  When the flood hit, my neignborhood was three feet ABOVE the high water mark.  Asking about that was another exercise in stupidity.  “You’re in the flood plain.”  Revise the map.  “No, it’s set by the Federal Government.”  Argh!

So maybe if  had access to better topology, some politicians and bureaucrats could accurately assess my risk,

Argh!  Sure as soon as pigs fly.

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TECHNOLOGY: Save 10% in airline fuel with a smoother ride?

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/turbulence-solutions-aviation-industry-free?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

Turbulence Solutions to make ‘whole aviation industry turbulence-free’

  • Austrian startup Turbulence Solutions aims to eradicate turbulence for everything from light aircraft and air taxis to the largest commercial airliners.

Chris Young
Published: Dec 09, 2023 10:49 AM EST

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With this in mind, the Turbulence Cancelling system could result in “up to 10 percent of fuel savings,” Galffy continued. If applied across the aviation industry, this could also lead to a significant reduction in carbon emissions.

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If I was Big AirTravel, then I’d be REAL interested in the money savings.  Passenger comfort isn’t the bottom line.

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