Quietly: First test flight of an electric air taxi in New York City
From 2025, electrically powered air taxis will transport passengers between Manhattan and the major airports around New York - without emissions and very quietly.
Helicopters are loud and don't exactly stand out for their environmental compatibility. What's more, flights are extremely expensive. All this makes helicopters not necessarily the first choice when it comes to taxi services. Californian transport company Joby Aviator wants to change this and tested its quiet electric air taxi for the first time in New York City on Sunday.
The test flight took place in sunny weather at the southern tip of Manhattan. The air taxi took off from the Downtown Helipad, a helipad built directly into the East River. It flew a few laps over the river at a height of around 20 metres and then landed back on the helipad. According to Joby, this was the first ever flight by an electric taxi in New York City. You can watch the flight here:
Fully electric and 100 times quieter than a helicopter
The aircraft has already completed many test flights since 2017, but this is the first time it has been used in a major city environment.
The taxi does not fly autonomously - there is a pilot at the wheel - and it will not replace a normal taxi. But the approach is still interesting: with its six rotors, the aircraft looks more like a flying drone. They enable the device, which can carry up to four passengers, to take off and land vertically. For cross-country flights, the pilot can then tilt the rotors vertically so that the rotors function like propellers.
For the urban environment with its noisy backdrop, however, the volume of the Joby flying taxi is also exciting: according to press release, it was specially developed with "radical noise reduction" in mind and is said to be 100 times quieter than a normal passenger helicopter. The aircraft also scores points for its emission-free operation. It flies completely electrically, with one battery charge enabling a flight distance of up to around 160 kilometres.
Shuttle service between Manhattan and the airports
Joby wants to offer short journeys between NYC and the surrounding airports. By car, the journey from Manhattan to John F Kennedy Airport takes around an hour. By air taxi, it should only take seven minutes. This is why the major airline Delta Air Lines has started a co-operation with Joby. Their privileged passengers will be able to use the new shuttle service from 2025, when the air taxi is scheduled to go into commercial operation.
According to founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt, his company aims to make low-cost, quiet and emission-free flights the norm in Manhattan. Incidentally, Joby is also receiving support from the US Department of Defence. Apparently, the military is also interested in quiet aircraft - no surprise there.
Addendum: An earlier version of the article stated that the device had five rotors. There are actually six. Thank you for pointing this out.
Cover photo: Joby Aviation
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