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No one knows what your first trip in an air taxi will look like. But here is one possible scenario.

According to a Thursday announcement, Chicago-based United Airlines has partnered up with Archer Aviation to launch the "first air taxi route in Chicago," between O'Hare Airport and Vertiport Chicago, a helicopter facility located on the near west side.

When service begins in 2025, passengers will be able to travel between O'Hare International and Vertiport Chicago in about 10 minutes, the companies said.

Whether you're already a fan of all kinds of eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing) or just curious to find out more about the so-called air taxis, San Francisco is the place to be, this year.

Aircraft will take off and land vertically, and carry a single passenger between transport hubs, says capital's airports operator

Electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles have the potential to completely change the way we travel around cities.

The Biden White House has released a policy report on its priorities for developing new aviation technologies, like electric vertical takeoff and landing planes (eVTOL), autonomous drone services, air taxis, and other forms of advanced air mobility (AAM) to preserve what it says is US leadership in the aeronautical sector, "made possible by American ingenuity and bolstered by the federal government."

In just a few years, you may be able to hop in an air taxi that'll take you 100 miles in under an hour, and the Valley is positioned to be at the forefront of this possible revolution in urban air travel.

Maker of both hybrid and entirely electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) airplanes, Horizon Aircraft has revealed research on what backers of new craft development expect in the early phases of operation, which ranks much-anticipated air taxi services surprisingly low on that list.

Flying can reduce travel times for urban and regional trips by over 50 percent, but customer "hassle factors" will ultimately determine whether people fly or drive.

Companies offer emerging technology solutions for the urban air mobility market.

The city soundscape soon may be abuzz with a variety of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft ferrying passengers and cargo across dense urban centers high above the crowded streets below.

Alauda Aeronautics has unveiled the Airspeeder Mk4 – the first crewed version of its flying racing car.

EHang's EH216 AAV Completes Japan's First Passenger Carrying Flight Demonstration

There are seven FAA designated UAS Test Sites across the United States but only one features a 50-mile uncrewed aircraft systems corridor, where various tests can be performed to determine the operational and economic viability of a given drone operation in the short and long term. Managed by the Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance (NUAIR) at the Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York, operators can fly 50 miles without visual observers. This setup enables drone testing of all different types, which is further augmented by all of the existing infrastructure within the corridor.

Ohio University has been awarded a grant to investigate using unmanned aircraft in Appalachian Ohio for applications such as delivering packages to homes and transporting patients to hospitals and travelers to airports.

There's plenty of discussion about the electric vehicle infrastructure, new public transportation systems and micro-mobility. Along with that, McKinsey analysts have found broad consumer interest in air taxis worldwide, with business travel and time savings being the strongest reasons people would move to the skies.

Known as flying cars by some, air taxis (or flying taxis)   are technically known as EVTOL (electric, vertical take off and landing) aircraft. 

"For those of you old enough to remember, this is the Jetsons. This is the dream. This is what everybody would love to do."
This cartoon is what former Boeing CEO Phil Condit used to segway into the hot topic of Urban Air Mobility vehicles (UAM). A cartoon is an apt illustration of UAMs.

Blade Urban Mobility, best known for its ridesharing helicopter service, is getting a lift from RedBird Capital Partners.

It might take a while for air taxis to take off as manufacturers ramp up production and public officials figure out how to regulate and plan for them, panelists said during a Friday discussion at the CES trade show in Las Vegas.

The last few years have brought labor shortages, supply chain issues, and geopolitical turmoil.  These shifts necessitate major changes in the way that industry thinks about operations: and even the most traditional industries are adopting new technology solutions to become more efficient and more effective.

Two is better than one, and these US startups are combining the best of both worlds to build an entirely new, one-of-a-kind airplane that will revolutionize the industry.

To say that the development of electric aircraft that can take off and land vertically (eVTOLs) has exploded over the past years wouldn't be an exaggeration. Thanks to the Vertical Flight Society (VFS) we have the numbers to back that up. And they're truly remarkable.

NASA researchers recently completed a full-scale crash test of an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) concept vehicle at the Landing and Impact Research (LandIR) facility at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

Throughout 2022, NASA's held a series of tabletop discussions to determine how electric air taxis could be safely integrated into the national airspace, paving the way for passengers to eventually be able to travel quickly between cities via aerial highways.

Urban Movement Labs (UML) has published a guide for communities looking to include eVTOL aircraft in their mix of public transportation options. The public-private not-for-profit alliance, which is working with the city of Los Angeles, says that its publication Integrating Advanced Air Mobility: a Primer for Cities gives municipal and other government stakeholders an overview of the emerging advanced air mobility (AAM) technologies, as well as, "steps to consider during exploratory and initial planning phases, and considerations for the near future."

The Air Mobility Ecosystem Consortium (AMEC) is aiming to demonstrate the commercial and operational viability of Advance Aerial Mobility (AAM) in the UK.

Start-up air taxi developer Archer Aviation has unveiled its prototype four-seat electric aircraft. 

I had a great  conversation recently with Miquel Ros on his Allplane podcast. It was a couple of hours of good discussion across a range of aviation-related topics, and I encourage people to listen in here instead of just reading my gloss.
My projection of aviation refueling through 2100 with its broad error bars was central. We had a good discussion about the drivers of the projection.

Investors are pouring capital into start-ups racing to develop new electric aircraft that take off and land vertically like a helicopter but fly horizontally like an airplane. Major airlines are investing in some of these start-ups, betting that they will one day zip passengers between airports and city centers much faster than cars or public transit.

It's year five, or maybe 10, of "drones are going to revolutionize transport," and so far we've got very little to show for it. Maybe it's time to put these foolish ambitions to rest and focus on where this technology could actually do some good, rather than pad out a billionaire's bottom line or let the rich skip traffic.

United Airlines is going beyond its investments in shorter-range electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis with companies like Archer and Eve Mobility, and preparing to reinforce its relationship with a Swedish maker of battery-powered planes that will operate on its regional US routes.

Archer Aviation will provide a safe, reliable, cost-effective, and quiet alternative ridesharing service that will integrate seamlessly into the existing transportation networks of cities.

With the Pacific Air Show in Southern California this weekend, here's a look at some aviation projects NASA is developing.

Sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, maybe you've dreamt of a world where you could simply fly over the gridlock.
Investors, startups, and aviation bigwigs have all put billions of dollars toward making that vision a reality with electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) ventures. Five of these companies have gone public via SPAC in the last 18 months, with valuations ranging from ~$2 billion to more than $6 billion.

Miami, Los Angeles, Orlando, Pittsburgh and other U.S. cities have started planning for urban air mobility, but most have not. While that delay could prove challenging as air taxi services begin operating, it is an opportunity to ensure that policies are consistent throughout the U.S. to make rolling out eVTOLs easier, said Suzanne Murtha, vice president of connected and automated vehicle technology at AECOM.

Lilium says the coming air-transport revolution will start with individuals who can afford the new electric aircraft.

Advanced Air Mobility, an emerging new aviation technology that will revolutionize short-distance air transportation by using electrically powered, vertical-take-off-and-landing aircraft (eVTOL), offers the Atlantic County region a significant opportunity to build and strengthen New Jersey's research and development capabilities according to a study by Deloitte Consulting, LLP. The study, A Strategic Roadmap for the Development of Advanced Air Mobility, was commissioned by the National Aerospace Research & Technology Park (NARTP) in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. According to Deloitte, the growing AAM sector is projected to create more than 25,000 jobs and $152 million in annual state tax revenue for New Jersey over the next 15 years.

The Ohio Department of Transportation is testing its uncrewed traffic management system that would allow drones to operate at low altitudes beyond the operator's line of sight.

Around the world, pressure is increasing on regulators to develop and refine concepts of operations to accommodate the future capabilities new types of aircraft, such as eVTOL aircraft and autonomous drones. Many in the aviation industry envision an advanced air mobility future, where such aircraft transport passengers and cargo around big cities from vertiports.

As the number of drones grow, so do concerns about how to keep airspace safe for both crewed and uncrewed aircraft. Ohio is pioneering technology to do just that.

Governors Kevin Stitt and Asa Hutchinson joined together to position the Oklahoma-Arkansas region as a national hub for advanced mobility (AM) with the support of partners Tulsa Innovation Labs and Runway Group. The collaborative effort to support the growth of the AM industry, including drones, electric and autonomous vehicles, battery manufacturing, and transportation and logistics solutions, will create new research and testing space, support local AM startups, attract new companies, and convene industry corporations to test and scale new technologies. 

On August 3rd, the White House hosted a Summit on Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). While AAM was the focus of the Summit, discussions also centered around more traditional Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) issues, in addition to Counter-UAS issues in light of the Administration's Counter-UAS Action Plan. AUVSI was honored to be able to attend this historic event and thanks the Biden Administration, and specifically the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), for organizing this Summit and inviting key industry stakeholders to share their views. Below are AUVSI's top takeaways from the Summit

Organizers of the North American International Auto Show today announced an all-new "Air Mobility Experience" will join the Sept. 14-25 auto show lineup, bringing science fiction to reality over the skies of Detroit and Windsor.

Deloitte's report, Advanced air mobility: Disrupting the future of mobility, by John Coykendall, Matt Metcalfe, Aijaz Hussain, and Tarun Dronamraju, examines the current state of advanced air mobility (AAM) – a market dominated by electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft companies.

"The logistics industry is the leader of the pack when it comes to using drones."
That's according to a recent article in the American Journal of Transportation. The article describes how uncrewed technology has been embraced by companies involved in warehousing, port management, transportation, and other logistics-focused operations.

Urban electric aircraft have been a fun topic for several years, yet we also don't really actually have any urban electric aircraft on the market. One day? One of the things that perk up my ears in this field is when a major automaker gets behind a product or buy a startup. After all, automakers are in the business of making and selling millions of complex, heavily regulated, consumer vehicles. On that topic, news this week is that Hyundai Motor Group is more focused than ever on developing "commercial urban and regional air vehicles and surrounding market." The latter indicates that even if Hyundai Motor Group isn't developing the vehicles, it is developing components of the vehicles.

Today at the Farnborough Air Show, the UK government officially announced its Project Skyway, the largest and longest network of drone superhighways in the world.