This is what the future of air taxi sounds and looks like.
Test eVTOL
NASA officially began to fly test the all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL), aircraft made by California-based Joby Aviation. This is in hopes of creating a new type of city-to-city transportation.
As part of the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), National Campaign, the space agency will use the aircraft to collect data and perform measurements to develop future airspace concepts.
NASA will also inform the Federal Aviation Administration about possible gaps in regulations and policies regarding the use of air taxis within cities and other areas of the country. This is a crucial step towards integrating flying taxis into the future transportation system.
Quiet Landing and Takeoff
It will be crucial to assess whether the noise level of air taxis when they take off will cause them to blend in with background noise or wake up whole cities blocks. To measure the sound of Jobys' eVTOL, the space agency will use more than 50 microphones.
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JoeBen Bevirt (founder and CEO of Joby Aviation), stated that from Day 1 we had prioritized creating an aircraft that is low in noise and blends into the natural environment. We believe that aviation should have a low acoustic footprint to make it a part of daily life without compromising the quality of life. We are excited to fly with NASA to demonstrate this profile.
The aircraft can travel 150 miles at a top speed of 200 mph. The vehicle appears to be relatively quiet in flight tests. Bevirt can be heard expressing his excitement about the technology in the video as the aircraft takes off behind him.
According to NASA, its AAM program is expected to provide efficient and affordable passenger and cargo transport, as well as a system that can be used to deliver packages and medical transport vehicles.
Joby hopes to obtain full Federal Aviation Administration certification by 2023. He claims that he has already flown more than 1,000 test flight.
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This is what the future of air taxis looks and sounds like. Startups like Joby, which have key regulatory partners, have the potential to bring about a future where we can fly from one city to another without being hampered by busy airports or city traffic.
READ MORE: NASA Starts Air Taxi Flight Testing With Joby [NASA]
More information on air taxis: Car with Pop-Out Wings Aces Test Fly
