eVTOL: A Distracting Novelty

Another initiative, another layer of complexity. The Utah Department of Transportation, collaborating with entities in Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, and Oklahoma – a truly impressive collection of agencies – is now pursuing electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing aircraft, or eVTOL, as if managing existing infrastructure isn't challenge enough. While the Marsac Building discusses potential job creation and future passenger transport, I observe only additional airspace to monitor and increased strain on the already overburdened Heber City Municipal Airport. They propose testing across the western US, including in wildfire-prone regions; as if the fire crews aren’t inconvenienced enough already. This “uFLY” pilot program, a three-year endeavor, will likely necessitate temporary closures of SR-224, further disrupting access to Guardsman Pass, and undoubtedly spawn a new category of restricted airspaces over Deer Valley. The whole exercise is perfectly illustrative of a problem well-solved with a bypass, eschewed in favor of a costly, experimental spectacle. Consider the increased demands on High Valley Transit, a system already stretched thin during peak season. The asphalt-black slurry of our existing roadways requires immediate attention, not fanciful airborne solutions. The faded municipal beige of the planning documents suggests a detachment from real-world practicality.