The choice of V/STOL transportation for the Northeast Corridor

Abstract

Aircraft type, aircraft size, number of terminals, and degree of nonstop routing for a V/STOL transportation system in the Northeast Corridor are chosen by exploring a wide range of combinations. Helicopter and STOL aircraft from 20 to 200 seats are considered. From 15 to 20 total terminals were considered. Nonstop, one stop and two stop routings were used. A market model explores the response of a typical route to variations in these parameters. Demand response to the total trip cost, trip time, and frequency of service is measured by a modal split model. It is found that land costs and manoeuver times make STOL operations less attractive than VTOL. The system is found to be sensitive to indirect operating costs associated with ticketing and boarding. A small number of terminals is required. A 16 port system serving 10 cities using a 60 seat helicopter can carry 16% of the 1985 intercity traffic while charging the full costs to the user. The results were confirmed by a market by market analysis for the corridor.