What's Being Done?
Perhaps you've read or heard news reports of new aviation technology discoveries for "greener" flying. (links)
The worldwide aerospace industry, of which helicopter manufacturing is a part, really "gets it" when the public demands aircraft that are more environmentally-friendly. "Making it happen", on the other hand, takes a very long time, and for some very good reasons.
Engineers and scientists have always worked to meet the needs of the industry, from the Wright Brothers' mechanic Charles E. Taylor making engines powerful enough to lift the Flyer, to rockets and turbine engines and studies of aerodynamic efficiency.
Today, emissions, sound reduction, and quieter aerodynamic designs are getting greater attention as the science of power production has developed so well. Helicopters have more moving parts that airplanes, more sources of sound waves, and more complex mixing of sounds throughout the changing speeds of the aircraft and through different environmental conditions, very few of which are under the control of a pilot or heard by the pilot.
As science has developed, so has regulation. The process for designing and certifying aircraft is very complex and takes many years to complete. This is because the goal of the process is to build the safest possible aircraft, to reduce the risk to human life.
Add to this, the size of the helicopter market, which, while large and growing in recent years, is still a miniscule part of the aerospace industry, so in modern economies, resources for research, development, and manufacturing are typically prioritized to larger markets.
As a result, while science deciphers the complexities of powerplants and lift systems, it is a very long and slow process to get those discoveries into new aircraft and get the new machines to market. The cost of helicopters means that, especially for commercial operators, it takes many years for the investment to be worthwhile. It's not unusual to see well-maintained helicopters remain in service and go through periodic upgrades over 15 years or more, safely serving more and more pasengers.
In summary, technology is moving in the right direction, but it is not on a product renewal cycle like annual car models. Waiting lists for brand new helicopters are sometimes years long due to manufacturing limitations. Helicopter operators have to plan many years in advance and as much as we would like to have the latest technology on our machines today, it's just not going to happen for some time. Operators are pushing for it and manufacturers are slowly providing it, but the process can't economically move much faster.
Some links to up-to-date research in the field of aerospace:
- Agusta Westland on the Clean Sky Initiative
- Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center at the University of Maryland
- Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative (Europe)
- European Union News Release February 5, 2008
- Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (FAA)
- Eurocopter on the Clean Sky Initiative
- Pratt & Whitney Engines
- The Lindbergh Foundation works towards nature-technology balance
- Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence at Penn State