People have been talking about air taxi but apart from uber, no one has been able to provide practical experience. Singapore got their first glimpse of a flying taxi on Tuesday, however fleeting, with a public demonstration of what its designers hope could become a new way to get around urban centers far above congested roads.
Al Jazeera reported that the company maiden flight above Singapore Marina Bay lasted about two minutes, a minute short of the advertised three-minute test run – perhaps because the thunder had begun to rumble. It was manned by a pilot, although future flights are expected to be fully autonomous.
The air taxi maker, German aviation start-up Volocopter, has previously conducted public demonstration flights in Germany, Dubai, and Finland.
Volocopter CEO told Reuters “[This] is an important milestone for the introduction of urban air mobility, simply because we give people the image in their mind and the opportunity to see how the vehicle behaves in the air, and how quiet it is in full flight”.
The company is one of several companies developing a drone equivalent to traditional helicopters, and proponents say electrically powered air taxis offer a safer, quieter, emissions-free alternative.
