Evaluation of the air transport efficiency definitions and their impact on the European Personal Air Transportation System Development

The large US SATS (Small Aircraft Transportation System and EU supported EPATS (European Personal Air Transportation System [4, 5]) projects target to develop and introduce new transportation system based on the newly designed small and smart aircraft mostly personal used in completely redesigned and rebuilt airport and ATM systems. Introduction of such innovative system can be characterized by innovation diffusion process. The diffusion of innovation is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of social system. The penetration of the new innovative system into society and economy can be characterized by “S” curve. In case of earlier time of diffusion, when only the relatively small number of users, called innovators and early adaptors are applying the new system, the evaluation of efficiency of the new system plays a determining role. Generally, it seems the efficiency can be defined and applied for evaluation of the new technology easy. However, the efficiency means different meaning for different group of people, like designers, operators, users, owners, stakeholders, or simple “neutrals”, namely for those who does not belong no one from the named groups. So, the new system must be evaluated with use of different terms, different methods, as technical or energetic efficiency, benefits, etc. This short paper tries to summarize the different definitions of efficiency and their use for evaluating the EPATS and their impacts on the EPATS development process.