Statement of Problem

Since 2009, the number of companies studying electric propulsion for novel aircraft configurations has steadily grown, with the Vertical Flight Society (VFS) leading efforts to support electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for a broad range of potential future use cases, since 2014.

In 2016, Uber published its Elevate white paper that jumpstarted a global trend for the development of Urban and Advanced Air Mobility (UAM/AAM) programs that resulted in the design, development and funding of numerous all-electric, hybrid-electric, and alternative fuel VTOL aircraft. Initially, many aircraft designers around the world focused on a piloted, 4-passenger, short-haul VTOL aircraft with the thought that Uber would steer their massive 100-million land-based riders to become airborne passengers. However, times changed, Uber Elevate was sold, and many aircraft designers in various stages of their investments and configurations turned their revenue focus to hauling freight. This is a significant change in that freight and parcel delivery have different mission roles, design configuration, and operational requirements than those for primarily accommodating passengers in the UAM/AAM roles. In addition, introducing UAM/AAM vehicles into the transportation supply chain includes several fundamental requisites, including interoperability with current multimodal carriers and additional compliance with FAA or maritime-based regulations, as well as specific infrastructure, operational and maintenance requirements.

Objective

Highlight: to bring global awareness to transformative VTOL aircraft for logistics operations.

To establish a diverse group of professionals experienced in logistics and supply chain operations for the purpose of developing guidelines and information supporting the introduction of these emerging technologies and transformative piloted and autonomous VTOL aircraft into logistics operations for moving freight, parcels, and passengers. Consideration includes, but is not limited to, traditional intra-supply chain operations, intermodal carriers and associated manifests, route selection and power alternatives, aircraft configuration and performance, emerging technology TRL/MRLs, regulatory certification and requirements, compliance validation, terminal staging, warehousing, infrastructure, container standards, and competitive cost analysis.

Value to the Vertical Flight Society

Highlight: Increased membership, branding, revenues, prestige, and market expansion.

The VTOL industry is facing a transformation that is not only changing how aircraft are built, certified, operated and powered, but are also facing dramatic changes in intermodal transportation. Transformative VTOL aircraft not only require interoperability with multimodal carriers for true door-to-door service, but they also transform operational infrastructure for refueling, recharging, maintenance, and terminal design and location. These factors bring together many diverse businesses and industries with a new vested interest in vertical flight. The Logistics Task Force provides VFS with the opportunity to expand its membership base to these new organizations by offering a single source for expertise and support in all the diverse, critical logistic and related requirements for the VTOL industry to expand into transformative transportation. As the premier society for vertical flight advancements, VFS is in the best position to extend their offerings by providing educational materials, symposiums, collaborative work environments, and introductions to a global world of like-minded businesses, professionals, regulatory agencies, and the public.

Value to the VTOL Community

Highlight: provide viable logistics revenue models that can accelerate the development and deployment of VTOL OEMs, MROs, FBOs and Operators.

All parties with a vested interest in the transformative VTOL industry need a comprehensive and reliable source of information that can help them meet their business and operational goals in a safe, efficient, and cost-effective manner. Expanding the collaborative VTOL community to include non-traditional parties reduces risks, costs, and timelines associated with the global transportation transformation of which electric, hybrid, and alternative fuel VTOL aircraft play a critical role.

Member Composition

The following is a partial list of, but not limited to industries, businesses and associated organizations that can benefit from representation in the Logistics Task Force:

Contact

Individuals and organizations interested in participating in the Logistics Task Force, please contact:

Kaydon Stanzione, CEO

LogistiWerx, Inc.

Additional Background

The supply chain network is facing critical challenges that will change how the world ships, delivers, and receives freight and parcels. In 2021, with a significant segment of the global workforce working from home, the economy experienced a substantial increase in the purchase of deliverable goods. This increased demand, along with manufacturing and transportation workforce dislocations, resulted in unprecedented global supply chain disruptions that dramatically slowed shipment deliveries and caused worldwide shortages, negatively affecting consumer purchasing patterns and industry protocols. By mid-2021, major American ports became gridlocked with historic amounts of inbound cargo. Terminals lacked the bandwidth to effectively process incoming cargo, leading to continually extended wait times. Container ships were relegated to anchor outside ports for days or weeks. Compounded by a continuing global labor shortage, this cargo surge spread inland as rail and trucking services struggled under the increased load and inland warehousing became overwhelmed.

In the US alone, Accenture estimates that 94% of Fortune 1000 companies are continuing to experience supply chain disruptions. In the face of additional multi-country disruptions, global supply chains are also experiencing these failures. IT systems, often over-reliant on legacy technologies, are inflexible, expensive, and slow to upgrade and support. This lack of flexibility is also inhibiting supply chain partners in addressing customer demands for personalization and customization. These disruptions and failures have underscored the need to accelerate the adoption of agile systems and processes that enhance the value chain transformation to manage uncertainty and build resilience for managing future challenges more flexibly. The industry is currently building new systems and protocols to provide both resolutions for these current issues along with robust resiliency to avoid them in the future.

Current and future VFS members participating as partners in the air transportation component of the supply chain will require an understanding of every supply-chain transaction from order placement through final delivery destination, as well as the new systems, solutions and protocols going forward. The transformational shift in logistic supply chains is in large part due to the emerging development of VTOL aircraft that must meet noise and safety regulations for operations in unprecedented geographic and urban areas. These aircraft will dramatically change how goods are transported since they will reduce, and even eliminate, multi-modal transfers from origin to destination. The figure below provides a representative example of how these transformational aircraft will offer faster delivery times and reduced supply chain touch points, which create logjams and increased shipping costs.