X7 Cruising Altitude & Speed?
Has anyone seen or heard anything about what the optimal cruising altitude will be for the X7?
With the majority of its flight being similar to a conventional aircraft, I wondered what the ideal cruising altitude would end up being. I imagine it will be somewhere in the 5,000–10,000 ft range, (most likely around 7,500 ft) but obviously will vary depending on the trip/mission/use.
I’m asking because while the primary focus of the X7 has been for defense and emergency services, the prospect of eventually expanding into regional transport and an air taxi, similar to other VTOL companies like JOBY and Archer, is enticing.
My biggest question is how comfortable of a ride will it be at those altitudes and speeds? Will the rich people that do air taxi's want to take an X7 over a helicopter or something like Joby/Archer?
One of the biggest selling points of the X7 is its speed. But increased speed while cruising at 5,000–10,000ft often comes with increased turbulence. Most conventional prop planes tend to cruise around 100-180 knots at 7,000–8,000 ft, which is an ideal sweet spot for maximizing speed, reducing turbulence, and increasing fuel efficiency. And if you've ever flown in a small prop plane, they aren't the most smooth rides.
The next question then is, if the X7 cruises within similar altitudes and speeds as an air taxi, does it really provide a significant advantage over helicopters and other pure eVTOLs in the air taxi market?
The law of diminishing returns comes into play if the X7 doesn't utilize its max speed (250 knots) over longer trips. If it's a short, cross city trip, then its biggest advantage over competing VTOL aircraft may not be significant in the air taxi market.
To be clear, I’m still all in on HOVR. Their primary focus is still military/emergency services. But this is just something I’ve been thinking about with the X7’s potential future in the air taxi market. Many people on this subreddit have talked about its future as an air taxi, so I’d be interested to see if anyone has heard Brandon talk about this or seen anything that referenced the optimal cruising altitudes, speeds, etc.