Skyport for eSTOL
View Patent ↗An urban air mobility building-top skyport for landing, loading and unloading, servicing, and parking short field takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft, which includes a rotatable flight deck having at least one runway on which aircraft takeoff and land; a rotatable lower deck immediately below the flight deck and including an aircraft taxiway surrounding an enclosed central terminal with an elevator bank; and first and second aircraft ramps connecting the flight deck and the lower deck on which to taxi aircraft between the flight deck and the lower deck. A battery-swap station robotically replaces depleted batteries with fully charged batteries without the need for aircraft to cease moving at slow taxi speeds at any point during the process.
1. A building-top skyport for landing, loading and unloading, servicing, and parking short field takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft, comprising:
a rotatable flight deck having at least one runway on which aircraft takeoff and land;
a rotatable lower deck immediately below said flight deck, said lower deck including an aircraft taxiway surrounding an enclosed central terminal with an elevator bank; and
first and second aircraft ramps connecting said flight deck and said lower deck on which to taxi aircraft between said flight deck and said lower deck.
2. The skyport of claim 1 , further including a battery-swap system for changing plane batteries.
3. The skyport of claim 2 , wherein said battery-swap system includes at least one robot having a manipulator arm configured to unplug an aircraft battery and replace it with a charged battery.
4. The skyport of claim 3 , wherein said battery-swap system is an array having a plurality of recharging and holding bins in which batteries are stored and charged.
5. The skyport of claim 4 , wherein said at least one robot has first and second arms, each with a rotating manipulator, configured such that one arm removes a battery and the other arm replaces it with a charged battery.
6. The skyport of claim 5 , wherein said first and second arms operate under programmed motion sequences with speed synchronized with a plane in service, replacing one battery on one side of the aircraft first and then a second battery on the other side of the aircraft thereafter, thereby ensuring that the aircraft always has at least one operable battery installed during the battery-swap process.
7. The skyport of claim 4 , wherein said at least one robot moves in a loop on an overhead gantry.
8. The skyport of claim 1 , wherein said taxiway is a reversible one-way circuit.
9. The skyport of claim 8 , wherein said ramps are separated approximately 90 degrees around said one-way circuit in relation to one another.
10. The skyport of claim 1 , wherein said taxiway is a one-way circuit.
11. The skyport of claim 1 , wherein said lower deck is enclosed and climate controlled.
12. The skyport of claim 1 , wherein said central terminal is surrounded by terminal gates configured for one-way, nose-in/nose-out movement of aircraft to and from said gates.
13. The skyport of claim 1 , wherein said flight deck measures approximately 90 meters by 90 meters.