Will intercity travel in the future say goodbye to the congestion of high-speed trains and expressways and allow direct takeoff from rooftops? In the "This Is China" program broadcast on March 9, Ren He, a distinguished expert from COMAC and director of the Expert Committee of the Shanghai General Aviation Association, gave a clear answer. He also revealed the development advantages and future possibilities of China's low-altitude economy, making the seemingly sci-fi air travel within reach.
During the program, the host Jie He asked questions around "How China's rich application scenarios contribute to industrial development." Ren He combined China's national conditions and clearly divided the optimal travel methods for different distances: choose airplanes for distances above 800 kilometers, high-speed rail for 300-800 kilometers, small planes for 100-300 kilometers, and cars for distances below 100 kilometers. The most potential among them is the low-altitude economy adapted to intercity transportation of 100-300 kilometers.
Ren He emphasized that the new energy low-altitude aerial vehicle (eVTOL), as the core carrier of the low-altitude economy, has a range limited to more than 200 kilometers, but this distance precisely meets the needs of intercity travel of 100-300 kilometers. It does not need to bear the high cost of airplanes and high-speed rails, and it also gets rid of the congestion of ground transportation, taking into account economy and speed. The most prominent core advantage of air transportation lies in the huge underdeveloped resource of airspace – unlike ground roads, which are non-renewable and easily saturated, airspace can be reused and can release huge potential through scientific layering. If we take the low-altitude airspace below 3,000 meters as an example, whether it is layered planning based on intervals of 20 meters or 200 meters, a considerable number of "air lanes" can be divided, which can fundamentally avoid the congestion problem of ground traffic and achieve a qualitative improvement in travel efficiency.
What is even more surprising is that the low-altitude take-off and landing site can be completed with only a few hundred thousand yuan, without occupying a large amount of land resources, and is extremely flexible. Specifically, it only needs to build a 13-meter-diameter platform on the roof of the building (equivalent to the size of a standard basketball court), without the need for large-scale transformation of the roof space. It only needs to build a simple gantry frame to meet the safe take-off and landing needs of eVTOL aircraft. Taking megacities like Shanghai as an example, with dense population and strong demand for intercity commuting, it is completely feasible to deploy hundreds or even thousands of such rooftop landing sites. Ren He even boldly imagined that in the future, it is not a fantasy to deploy a landing site in each community, so that low-altitude travel can truly enter the homes of ordinary people.
Faced with the host He Jie's question "Can this be realized?" Ren He gave a firm answer in the affirmative. He emphasized that as long as the "communications, navigation, and surveillance" (communication, navigation, and surveillance) systems are improved, and safe operating rules for low-altitude flights are established and improved, so that every aircraft flies in strict accordance with traffic rules and avoids test flight zones and no-fly zones, this seemingly sci-fi travel method "will definitely come true."
