Toward new small transports for commuter airlines

The article discusses the results of a survey of commuter airline operators and large and small airframe manufacturers conducted by the Small Transport Aircraft Technology Office of the NASA Ames Research Center. Attention is given to economic concerns of the operator and manufacturer, as well as social concerns of the passenger, community, and system. Discussion also covers research and technology opportunities for improving commuter aircraft, and provides a background of information on the commuter and short-haul local-service air carriers, regulations pertaining to their aircraft, and operations, overall airline interfaces, and facility requirements.