Flying Taxis May Be Coming To A City Near You

 From Wired: "‘Flying Cars’ Will Take Off in American Skies This Summer." Notwithstanding the title, the article is not discussing flying cars (vehicles that could be used both as aircraft or automobiles) but flying taxis that have VTOL or STOL capabilities allowing them to take off or land in small areas without the need of airport facilities. The article relates:

    Eight regions across the US, including New York and New Jersey, Texas, Florida, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, will take part in a three-year pilot program that will see new aircraft designs ferrying people and cargo around the country even before they formally receive full certifications from the Federal Aviation Administration.

    The companies building the tech say their aircraft are quieter, cheaper, and release fewer emissions than helicopters or airplanes. Some promise totally autonomous trips. Many involved in the project, including electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs, and ultra-short takeoff aircraft, require way less space to operate, landing and taking off outside of traditional airports and closer to where people live and work. The companies outline futures in which regular people can zip between neighboring cities in a matter of minutes, sailing above traffic and reordering the economy as they go.

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    Because eVTOLs are new, it has taken years for the companies that build them to receive full certifications from the federal government. The novel aircraft need new rules and safety standards, and have to go through several rounds of certifications before they can begin to carry paying passengers. None of the companies involved in the pilot projects have completed the full certification process.

    The pilot program “is focused on informing standards and future policy development and is not a mechanism to bypass certification requirements,” FAA spokesperson Donnell Evans wrote in a statement to WIRED. “Aircraft included in the partnership must already be going through the FAA’s formal type certification process.”

    The US aviation industry is trying to pull even with China, where the government has given homegrown firm EHang certifications to operate autonomous eVTOLs. The company says it will start by operating sightseeing flights in a few Chinese cities. Dubai plans to start providing air taxis in eVTOLs with Joby Aviation as early as this year.