What is it about?
This study uses advanced computer simulations to understand how wind gusts near urban vertiports affect the performance and noise of electric vertical-take-off-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft rotors. By modeling gusts and turbulence produced by nearby buildings and applying them to a scaled rotor, the work shows how unsteady airflow slightly alters thrust and increases certain noise tones. These results help engineers predict how eVTOL vehicles will sound and perform in real city environments.
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Photo by Hyundai Motor Group on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Urban air mobility will depend on safe and quiet operation of eVTOL aircraft near buildings and landing pads. Realistic gust effects have rarely been included in previous noise simulations. This research combines large-eddy and detached-eddy simulations with acoustic modeling to quantify how urban gusts change noise spectra and loading on rotors. The findings improve future noise-prediction tools and support certification and design of quieter eVTOL systems.
Perspectives
This paper marks a step toward bridging high-fidelity aerodynamics and acoustics for real-world eVTOL operations. Working with NASA and university collaborators allowed integration of building-flow simulations with rotor-noise modeling. I hope this study encourages broader adoption of realistic gust modeling in rotorcraft research to make future urban flight both efficient and quiet.
Vadim Voropayev
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: High-Fidelity Simulations of Vertiport Gust Effects on eVTOL Rotor Noise, July 2025, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/6.2025-3001.
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