Hybrid power will make helicopters safer and more productive

SCORES OF ELECTRICALLYVTOL powered vertical take-off and landing (e) aircraft are under development, heralding a future where air-taxis whisk people from one place to another. Provided their batteries are charged up using renewable power, these new flying machines will also travel in a green, planet-saving way. They therefore appear to be the nemeses of noisy, fossil-fuel guzzling helicopters. But not quite yet. As with all forms of electrically propelled flight, weight—and therefore range—are issues. In the interim, however, a touch of electrification looks likely to make conventional choppers not only safer but also more useful.The idea is to turn them into hybrids so that, like hybrid cars, they are powered by a combination of an electric motor and a combustion engine (a jet turbine, in the case of most commercial helicopters). This will make them a bit greener, by improving fuel economy and thus reducing emissions, as happens in a hybrid car. But helicopter hybridisation brings other benefits too, especially when it comes to safety.