The Harrier Jump Jet operated by the U.S. Marines is an example of a VOTL aircraft. Unlike helicopters, however, VTOLs have multiple rotors and fixed wings.
Like fully autonomous cars, allowing ride-hailing aircraft to fly within cities would likely require new legislation. He said that creating and executing three-dimensional plans is vital and the company would obviously look at all the possibilities.
Holden was at a conference in Nantucket and told Recode in n onstage interview the ride-sharing company was seriously looking at using VTOl for short-haul flying taxis in cities. Just imagine the common hobby drone today but bigger and able to carry a full grown human. But Holden predicted that the technology could be ready for takeoff within the next decade and said it was another method Uber could use to accomplish its goal of eliminating private car ownership.
The revolutionary cab company pulled ahead of its rivals in the car industry and Silicon Valley with its ambitious experiment - a fleet of cars laden with lasers, cameras and other sensors - but no human hands on the wheel. As noted in Aviation Week last month: "The single-passenger vehicle is being developed by A3, Airbus's Silicon Valley outpost, under Project Vahana, launched in February".
Of course, there are a multitude of regulatory and safety issues to overcome - simple drones are freaking people out, so imagine this thing landing in your neighborhood on a regular basis.
Uber has never lacked for ambition, at least in the driverless future it envisions. Systems would have to be put in place as to keep aircraft from crossing paths, and with how tight airport security is in the U.S., what kind of guidelines-if any-would be placed upon boarding smaller aircraft in congested areas to eliminate threat?
Source: Jeff Holden: Uber Could Use Flying Cars Within a Decade
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