Air Taxi’s to Ferry People across US Cities by 2020s

Traffic has been a major issue for the cities in the US like Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta and Houston, as it takes hours for a few miles drive during rush hours. To solve this issue the innovators have been working for years towards a potential solution, an aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing features. To be precise, the flying cars, which resembles the combination of an airplane and a helicopter with a touch of drone. If everything goes as planned it is going to be a reality for American cities by the mid of the 2020s.

During a technology show, the most anticipated example of air taxi, Bell Nexus, an urban air mobility vehicle is exhibited. According to its creators Bell Helicopter, the idea behind the technology is simple. Instead of idling in a traffic jam a commuter could order a flying taxi to shuttle them across town from above, bypassing the congestion and traffic below.

Robert Hastings, Executive vice president of strategic communications at Bell says, “We believe a very successful project would get an aircraft certified and manufacturable by the mid-2020s. The technology, for us, is not extremely difficult”.

Uber has already partnered with Bell Nexus, which says its fleet of air taxis would be able to travel 150 to 200 mph, allowing the company to ferry the passengers across metropolis such as Los Angeles in few minutes instead of hours.

Robert Hastings adds, “It won’t be like an Uber that you order and it comes to your driveway. We believe this will be for short hops across a metropolitan area. Getting to the Dallas/Fort Worth airport from the suburbs can be an hour-and-a-half drive, and we think these aircraft can make the same trip in eight minutes”.

Hastings also said the company believes the Bell Nexus is more than just a commuter aircraft. To carry cargo from one side of town to the other, the aircraft could be put to use. The Bell Nexus has seats five passengers excluding the pilot. Larger versions of the aircraft can accommodate eight to ten people.

Hastings said from inside it look like an internet-connected cabin, which is designed to be plush and comfortable, which provides wide views of the outside world. The 6,000-pound aircraft is powered by a hybrid electric propulsion system with six tilting fans. Those fans would allow the vehicle to take off vertically and cruise at high speed when they are positioned at 90 degrees. The fans are being tested in a wind tunnel and the company is confident that the flight controls can be designed to operate autonomously.

Now the biggest challenge is in building infrastructure and permission including navigating regulatory issues and certification challenges from the Federal Aviation Administration and persuading cities to allow overhead air traffic. According to experts, FAA won’t issue the certificate for vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for commercial transportation until they are proved to be safe. Once they get the permission a new wave of alternative transportation is likely to emerge quickly not just for the US but also for the whole world.