V/STOL Concepts in Short Haul Air Transport

The relative merits of aircraft designed to field length ranging from 0 ft to 3,000 ft are assessed with respect to direct operating cost, indirect operating cost and V/STOL port amortization combined into a total ticket cost for profitable space and other concessions. Tilt wing, V/STOL turboprop STOL and turbofan STOL aircraft operations are examined. The aircraft are of 90 passenger capacity and an average stage length of 200 miles is assumed. A daily traffic flow of, from 500 arriving passengers at a suburban terminal, to 12,000 at a city terminal is considered. It is concluded that: (1) ticket cost will not be greatly influenced by the number or length of runways or vehicle type for suburban operations alone; and (2) number and length of runways has a considerable impact on ticket cost for close-to-city center operations; there being a distinct advantage for aircraft with less than 1,000 ft takeoff and landing distance.