Why not a full-size multi-rotor automated drone that can carry 4 people and luggage?
The answer to questions like these is almost always "power density and safety".
Uber’s Flying Taxi
41–46 of 46 posts
Re: Uber’s Flying Taxi
#42> Use that expertise to build a tilt-rotor commercial plane. They have, it's called the AW609. And like its predecessor V-22, it has crashed and killed the occupants early on and is nowhere near commercial readiness. Uber's estimates of commercial VTOL flight on an untested airframe by 2023 is total garbage, and they have to know it. The US military has sunk $50 Billion dollars into this problem over the last 30 year…
Uber's new slogan: We can kill you on the ground, we can kill you in the air. It sounds like the typical corner-cutting Uber.
Sarcastic humor, but the fact of the matter is that Uber has a history of ignoring inconvenient laws, and the FAA really doesn't approve of "move fast and break things" in their jurisdiction.
Re: Uber’s Flying Taxi
#43> Use that expertise to build a tilt-rotor commercial plane. They have, it's called the AW609. And like its predecessor V-22, it has crashed and killed the occupants early on and is nowhere near commercial readiness. Uber's estimates of commercial VTOL flight on an untested airframe by 2023 is total garbage, and they have to know it. The US military has sunk $50 Billion dollars into this problem over the last 30 year…
> The US military has sunk $50 Billion dollars into this problem over the last 30 years and still aren't there.
I suppose by "this problem" you referred to tilt-rotor technology. If so V-22 is combat ready, and has been deployed since 2007. Not sure what "still aren't there" means.
The next generation, Bell V-280 is in active development and already made the first flight [0]
Re: Uber’s Flying Taxi
#44> A private pilot’s license takes a minimum of 40 hours of flying time Wow, you can get a pilot's license that quick? In Germany you need 30h of driving just to get a regular car license. No large trailer or truck.
That's for a lightweight plane that costs a lot less than your car/truck.
Getting to fly a huge Boeing/Airbus takes years.
Re: Uber’s Flying Taxi
#45My guess is that there would be no pilots. Given they are attempting to get rid of drivers, getting rid of pilots in VTOL seems like an easier proposition with a large added weight advantage.
I think fully autonomous flight is a solution, but I also think it's further away than people imagine. For airplanes at least, the trickiest segments of flight are takeoffs and landings and even with today's advanced avionics suites, pilots are still in control for those portions of flight. The other big factor is the passengers. Even if technology for fully autonomous passenger flight is available in the next 10 yea…
This is already happening and with testing in Dubai. http://www.ehang.com/ehang184
https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.zdnet.com/google-amp/art...
No idea why I have been downvotes above. Great to see intelligent conversations is rewarded with down votes here.
Re: Uber’s Flying Taxi
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
DJI drones have been able to navigate back to their takeoff point and land automatically for a while now. Landing's much easier for a multicopter than for a fixed wing aircraft.
Ours went haywire and crashed into a pond onetime when we used the Return to Home feature. YMMV
I didn't say I'd ride on one personally. :P Just that the basics are solved, and reliability is a Simple Matter Of Engineering.