Shape the Future of Flight at CES 2019

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The scene is mid 2020’s, a fleet of on-demand, quiet VTOL aircraft are whisking passengers over traffic and across urban landscapes. As innovators, Bell is advancing the art of aviation and as long-time leaders in vertical lift, Bell is developing new concepts of mobility to make moving people and products more efficient and effective.

The concept of Urban Air Mobility is a new challenge for aerospace designers in the sense that the operator and avionics suite is no longer well-defined. While there are challenges that face on demand mobility, there are also great opportunities.

Future operators will very likely look different than today’s pilots in terms of training requirements and familiarity with traditional avionics. OEMS and Authorities recognize the seriousness of commercial pilot shortages in both fixed wing and rotorcraft, reasons include the high cost for both operations and training as well as curriculum and hour requirements are too demanding.

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Bell’s Future Flight Control simulator is starting with a blank sheet of paper to determine how non-commercial pilots would control an aircraft. The simulator will gather data from users who complete the three-module simulator. The first will begin with more traditional rotorcraft flight controls and by the third and final, users will experience a less intuitive flight control ecosystem. The simulator will gather data to solve some of the questions Bell has today:

  • What interfaces are intuitive?
  • What experiences and abilities contribute to learning?
  • What actions are intuitive?
  • What strategies support operations by non-traditional pilots?
  • What information does the operator require?
  • How will the vehicle and operator interact with the urban traffic network?
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The goal is to include future operators early in the design process to guide both the physical interfaces and the behind the scenes software to ensure a safe and easy to operate vehicle. The results of this study have the potential to influence all VTOL aircraft and flight control systems for in future aircraft.

Bell invites you to take the journey with Bell to shape the future of flight:

About Bell

Thinking above and beyond is what we do. For more than 85 years, we’ve been reimagining the experience of flight – and where it can take us.

We are pioneers. We were the first to break the sound barrier and to certify a commercial helicopter. We were a part of NASA’s first lunar mission and brought advanced tiltrotor systems to market. Today, we’re defining the future of advanced air mobility.

Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas – as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., – we have strategic locations around the globe. And with nearly one quarter of our workforce having served, helping our military achieve their missions is a passion of ours.

Above all, our breakthrough innovations deliver exceptional experiences to our customers. Efficiently. Reliably. And always, with safety at the forefront.

About Textron

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

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