The following story comes up with this interesting piece from Canterbury, New Zealand about 'flying taxis':
Aviation company Zephyr has unveiled Cora, which is designed to be a pilotless air-taxi.
In a quiet corner of Canterbury, a new type of autonomous, electric "flying car" has been secretly tested since October. Its creators hope a flying taxi service could take to the skies in New Zealand within six years.
[...] The vehicle, which has been in development for eight years, can take off and land vertically, much like a helicopter. It is electric-powered and will be flown by self-piloting software – with human oversight from the ground. It has a range of about 100 kilometres and can hit speeds of 150kmh. The prototype can carry two passengers.
The New Zealand trial is seen as an opportunity for the country and Canterbury to establish itself as a hotbed for the research and development of cutting-edge technology, which the Government sees as a key area for growth.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the programme was about "sending the message to the world that our doors are open for people with great ideas who want to turn them into reality". Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said the project was "a great example of our commitment to be prepared for the future".
[...] Cora is being developed by California-based Kitty Hawk Corporation, which is reportedly funded by Google co-founder Larry Page. The New Zealand operator is called Zephyr Airworks.
[...] Both [Kitty Hawk chief executive Sebastian Thrun and Zephyr Airworks boss Fred Reid] are convinced this new type of vehicle is the future of transport. Reid said the concept would be commonplace "10 or 20 years from now".
[...] Reid said there was "a really good shot of doing this in the relatively short future", and was striving to have limited services operating in New Zealand in the next three to six years.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday March 14 2018, @10:37PM (1 child)
So, a very expensive vehicle with a pretty limited range, a long reload time, meaning low availability, a lot of noise, a lot of constraints on allowed paths ... Limited usability and high price.
You may want to check the dictionary again for the word "taxi". "Limo" may be closer.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Wednesday March 14 2018, @10:57PM
So to start out it might be more like renting a helicopter. It might work out fine for places like New Zealand that has a fairly low population density (less then 20 per km^2, compared to say NYC that has about 10k per km^2) or it might be the reverse - many people high density better to take a helicopter then to take the care -- until everyone does it and then getting a ride in the air will suck to.
(Score: 2) by letssee on Wednesday March 14 2018, @10:49PM (1 child)
Yay, a vehicle even more energy inefficient than a regular car. Just what we need to prevent another ice age /s.
(Score: 1) by west on Thursday March 15 2018, @12:34AM
i see what you did there. and i agree
(Score: 3, Interesting) by leftover on Wednesday March 14 2018, @11:02PM
Although I have been anticipating flying cars for my whole life, it is clear that the vehicles themselves are only a smallish part of the picture. Competing against (ground) taxis in their accustomed role seems like the last market I would want to approach. Why not island-hopping in any of the areas composed of mostly islands? Fjord crossings rather than the long way around? Making a trip from one VTOL site to another seems like it should beat water taxis handily. Much faster and more likely to be close to actual intended origin and destination. It could be lifestyle-altering for 'ordinary' people in these circumstances. (If any billionaires want one, they will simply buy it. No business opportunity there at all.)
Where I live, Ohio, the only such situation would be between Port Clinton and Put-In Bay replacing the old Ford Tri-motor run. Short season, plus the flyers would have to be capable of operating in weather conditions too rough for the ferries. Meh. Another thing I won't see.
Bent, folded, spindled, and mutilated.
(Score: 1) by Acabatag on Wednesday March 14 2018, @11:29PM
In a quiet corner of Canterbury,
From what I have seen, these things are large quadracopters. Quiet? I would guess they are insanely noisy.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 14 2018, @11:35PM
The basic idea is essentially the F-35B without wings.
Takeoff and landing are strictly vertical, except for emergency landings. Stall speeds are too high to consider horizontal takeoff and landing to be safe.
In horizontal flight, it's a lifting-body. The jet engine gives enough power to go as fast as an airliner. Control is via the thrust-vectoring engine and via bleed air going out to the side vents.
(Score: 1, Redundant) by realDonaldTrump on Thursday March 15 2018, @01:08AM
You've heard of Boeing, right? Very big company. American. 100%. And they're testing their prototype of the flying car. So interesting! But the VERY BIASED Editors rejected the story about that. Because America. Because Donald J. Trump!!!!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 15 2018, @03:45PM (1 child)
This thing can carry two passengers, or one USian adult.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 15 2018, @06:25PM
* yawn *
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Thursday March 15 2018, @08:44PM
The "air taxi" already exists [wikipedia.org]. This article is talking about pilotless ones - that's the novelty.
This sig for rent.