Self-flying Air Taxis

Would you ride in an electric car? Of course you would and many of you have. Would you ride in an electric driverless taxi? Maybe, but maybe not. Would you ride in a pilotless electric aeroplane taxi? Probably not and for me definitely not. The idea reminds me of that old joke. “This is the pilot speaking. We are cruising at 30,000 feet, but you will be surprised to hear that I am not in the plane. I am sitting in the control tower flying the plane remotely using new technology. But don’t be alarmed. You are perfectly safe and I can assure you nothing can go wrong…go wrong… go wrong…”

But we are told that this is in fact the future – pilotless air taxis.

An all-electric, self-flying air taxi that rises like a helicopter and flies like a plane has been on display at Tūranga (Christchurch) during the weekend of 17-18th April this year. A company called Wisk, which is a joint venture between the Boeing Company and Kitty Hawk Corporation is developing such a concept. It has already flown 1,500 test flights with full-scale aircraft. Wisk says, “Pioneering an entirely new way to fly, our all-electric, self-flying air taxi rises like a helicopter and flies like a plane. Our eVTOL aircraft will remove the need for a runway and allow you to land where you need to be. By using self-flying software combined with human oversight, we are shaping the future of accessible, everyday flight.

Hmm. What about those driverless cars which are “perfectly safe”, but have still been involved in crashes?

I’ll let you go first!