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posted by Fnord666 on Sunday June 23 2019, @08:54PM   Printer-friendly
from the missing-the-witty-repartee dept.

Aeroports de Paris (ADP), Airbus and the RATP regional transport announced at last week's Paris Air Show that

the Olympics afforded the perfect opportunity to bring into service futuristic Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) machines, and that they would launch a feasibility study.

The goal is to offer airborne taxies to tournament sites straight from the airport. Welcome indeed considering the typical commute by train or bus into town from Charles de Gaulle of an hour plus.

ADP has until the end of the year to choose a site for a "Vertiport" capable of hosting taxis from one of 10 aerodromes in the region around Paris.

The idea is to have the venue ready in 18 months, requiring infrastructure investment of some ten million euros ($11.3 million), says [ADP Group's executive director general Edward Arkwright]. He adds the project will test out the link "via an existing helicopter corridor".

Ideally, the service would see the taxis take off every six minutes.

Two prototype taxi models have already been built - "The single-seater "Vahana" and the four-seater variant 'CityAirbus'."

The battery powered taxis will be automatically piloted, use an existing helicopter corridor, and include anti-collision detection.

Deloitte estimates the size of the airborne taxi market at some $17 billion for the United States alone through to 2040.

So would you fly one or take the train at the Olympics?


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  • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Sunday June 23 2019, @09:42PM (11 children)

    by fustakrakich (6150) on Sunday June 23 2019, @09:42PM (#859165) Journal

    That means they'll be so quiet you won't hear them sneaking up behind you, right?

    --
    La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 23 2019, @09:59PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 23 2019, @09:59PM (#859169)

    Hindsight is 50/50.

  • (Score: 2) by EvilJim on Sunday June 23 2019, @11:24PM

    by EvilJim (2501) on Sunday June 23 2019, @11:24PM (#859183) Journal

    just like the dreaded Prius, silent and deadly, a term also used to describe certain farts.

  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday June 24 2019, @12:06AM (8 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday June 24 2019, @12:06AM (#859191) Journal

    Listen to a remote controlled quadcopter, it's far from what anyone would call silent
    I see no reason for which a scaled up version would be quieter.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Monday June 24 2019, @01:26AM (7 children)

      by fustakrakich (6150) on Monday June 24 2019, @01:26AM (#859204) Journal

      it's far from what anyone would call silent

      :-) Gee! Ya think?

      --
      La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday June 24 2019, @02:16AM (6 children)

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday June 24 2019, @02:16AM (#859213) Journal

        Calling Poe, repeat, calling Poe.
        Poe, help me here!

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
        • (Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Monday June 24 2019, @07:46AM (5 children)

          by Pslytely Psycho (1218) on Monday June 24 2019, @07:46AM (#859286)

          "Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."

          Edgar Allan Poe

          --
          Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
          • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday June 24 2019, @10:31AM (4 children)

            by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday June 24 2019, @10:31AM (#859301) Journal

            Wrong Poe. I'm looking for the law-full one, not the nevermore one.

            --
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
            • (Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Monday June 24 2019, @11:14AM (3 children)

              by Pslytely Psycho (1218) on Monday June 24 2019, @11:14AM (#859309)

              But Edger is so much more Poe-etic!

              --
              Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
              • (Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Monday June 24 2019, @11:17AM (1 child)

                by Pslytely Psycho (1218) on Monday June 24 2019, @11:17AM (#859310)

                AAAARG!!!

                Edgar not Edger....Why do I not see the error until I press submit!

                --
                Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
                • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Monday June 24 2019, @06:38PM

                  by fustakrakich (6150) on Monday June 24 2019, @06:38PM (#859455) Journal

                  Because it wasn't there. There's a glitch in the system, or it could be an intentional attack on our sanity by the admins..

                  --
                  La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
              • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday June 24 2019, @11:43PM

                by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday June 24 2019, @11:43PM (#859539) Journal

                Yes, but... I'm not saying he's outright illegal, but he's surely not lawful.

                --
                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford