Future Flight Social Insight Podcast

As the skies become more crowded who gets priority? For example, how do hang gliders make themselves electronically visible to larger aircraft to avoid collisions? Is government, at national and local levels, prepared for more drones? And does the UK need a new regulator?

In the past the public has been asked their opinions on new technologies once they have been launched. The Future Flight Challenge Social Science Insights project has taken a different approach, in which public consultation has been conducted before these new kinds of drones and aircraft take to the air. What does the public think?

People with all kinds of disabilities, visible and hidden, or who are from marginalised communities can feel uncomfortable or in danger when using public transport. Could personalised electric aviation be a solution? And can air travel be redesigned to make it easier for people with disabilities?

The Future Flight Challenge has funded several projects to explore the technical and social aspects of using drones in sectors such as delivering drugs for the NHS, monitoring pollution and managing traffic. Which examples might have advantages over existing surface transport solutions? And could there ever be a dedicated skyway along which drones and evTOLs could travel?     

People who live in transport deserts, where there are no or very few buses and trains, and don’t have access to cars can be excluded from taking jobs or courses, or from social events. Could new forms of aircraft make it easier for communities in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, in the Lake District or rural Devon, or even in some parts of big cities with no public transport, to get to work...

Within a decade we may see more drone deliveries of goods and electric vertical take-off and landing low flying aircraft. How have the opinions of the public been incorporated into the Future Flight Challenge and influenced the direction of innovation?