The conventional helicopter and especially its turbine versions has long been viewed as beyond reproach, though here is one issue that eVTOL will never be susceptible to.
Whilst still an Airbus pilot I went to a conference at Cranfield attended by any number of sufferers from, and experts on... contaminated cabin air. Some of the best-known names associated with the campaign no longer appear in Google search for the simple reason that they've died prematurely.
At the time, those organising or airing the issue were made to feel about as welcome in the airline industry as the witches were in Salem.
The issue though was simply this. All airliners are pressurised, and the pressurised air is drawn from the compressor section of the jet engines. Should their oil seals leak then super-heated oil vapours containing neurotoxic chemicals are released into the air that we've all to breathe for a half-dozen hours or more.
Naturally pilots and crew were most exposed to the effects, but there were workers at the conference from oil-rigs, where turbine-powered systems did the air-conditioning.
As jet-aircraft are often in service for decades and involve budgets of billions, this was a lot easier to cover up than to fix, as we've come to learn with tobacco, lead in fuel and most recently global warming.
Now though even military helicopter pilots are suing the UK Ministry of Defence over the illegal effects of prolonged exposure to the emissions from turbine engines.
I've spent half a lifetime in aviation, and regardless of how shiny it appears from the outside, it's as corrupt as any other human endeavour.
Among our organisations and industries, crime syndicates are at least honest about what they do.
