An aircraft body modeled after an air taxi with weighted test dummies inside is being prepared for a drop test by researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The test was completed June 26, 2025, at Langley’s Landing and Impact Research Facility. The aircraft was dropped from a tall steel structure, known as a gantry, after being hoisted about 35 feet in the air by cables. NASA researchers are investigating aircraft materials that best absorb impact forces in a crash.
NASA/Mark Knopp
As the aviation industry works to design air taxis and other new electric aircraft, there’s a growing need to understand how the materials behave. That’s why NASA is investigating potential air taxi materials and designs to best protect passengers in the event of a crash.
On June 26, 2025, at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, researchers dropped a full-scale aircraft body modeled after an air taxi from a tall steel structure, known as a gantry.
The NASA researchers behind this test and a previous one in late 2022 investigated materials that best absorb impact forces, generating data that will enable manufacturers to design safer advanced air mobility aircraft.
Image Credit: NASA/Mark Knopp
在弗吉尼亚州汉普顿的NASA兰利研究中心，研究人员正在为一架仿照空中出租车制造、内部放置配重测试假人的飞机机体进行坠落测试做准备。该测试于2025年6月26日在兰利的着陆与冲击研究设施完成。测试中，研究人员使用一座被称为龙门架的高大钢结构，将飞机机体用钢缆提升至约35英尺（约10.7米）高度后释放。NASA正在研究在坠机情况下能最佳吸收冲击力的飞机材料。
图片来源: NASA/Mark Knopp
随着航空业不断推进空中出租车和其他新型电动航空器的设计，对于了解相关材料在实际状况下的表现需求也日益增加。正因如此，NASA正在研究空中出租车的潜在材料与设计方案，以便在坠机时为乘客提供更好的防护。
2025年6月26日，在NASA兰利研究中心，研究人员利用“龙门架”将一架全尺寸的仿真空中出租车机体从高空坠落，以测试其性能。
这次测试及NASA在2022年底进行的先前测试，旨在研究哪些材料能够更有效地吸收冲击力，从而为制造商提供关键数据，以设计出更安全的先进空中交通器。
图片来源: NASA/Mark Knopp
