Unisphere investigated the impact of wind on flight performance using historic weather model data, which offers the flexibility to analyze any global coordinate and altitude, unlike traditional weather stations.
Four-dimensional flight simulations were conducted for selected routes in the San Francisco Bay area (e.g., San Francisco South to Livermore and Napa) and Chicago (Downtown to O’Hare Airport) over a four-year period (2020-2024), considering hourly variations and day/night cycles.
The analysis focused on approximately 35,000 simulated one-way flights per route, evaluating flight duration and calculating a wind factor to quantify headwind/tailwind effects.
Results demonstrate a significant influence of wind on flight time, especially for eVTOLs with lower cruise speeds, where even small wind variations can have a substantial impact. The study emphasizes that simulating the entire flight profile is crucial for accurate flight time prediction due to the complex interplay of wind direction and speed with altitude and along the route, rendering simple wind rose analyses potentially misleading.
Furthermore, the analysis reveals seasonal variations in wind influence, highlighting the importance of historical weather data for operational planning. The findings underscore the necessity of precise flight planning for early-generation eVTOLs with limited battery capacity, where understanding and mitigating wind effects is essential for optimizing route design, ensuring safe operations, and maximizing range.
The full study can be downloaded from unisphere’s website
