Are Flying Cars Ready for Take-Off?

The story

It’s not every day you hear members of Congress testifying about The Jetsons, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Back to the Future, but it happened today.

The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing on urban air mobility, where it heard from five experts on the state of flying car technology, and the issues that might arise as it becomes a part of our society.

What it is

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) defines urban air mobility (UAM) as “a safe and efficient air transportation system where everything from small package delivery drones to passenger-carrying air taxis operate over populated areas, from small towns to the largest cities.”

There are various models of UAM under development. Uber Elevate is a flying taxi project that aims to send UberAir vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft through Los Angeles, Dubai, and Dallas-Fort Worth as soon as 2020. The company is working with NASA and Bell to make the project a reality.

Terrafugia has several “practical flying car” models in development, with its first product, the Transition, slated to enter the market in 2019. Its next-generation concept is the TF-2, a VTOL aircraft for cargo and passenger loads.

Hurdles

While it’s easy to get swept up in the exciting prospect of summoning a flying taxi to whisk you past traffic to your destination, there are many challenges to be addressed before that can be a reality, as today’s hearing revealed.

Some of the barriers to UAM operations include safety certification of autonomous vehicle systems, community noise impacts from vehicle operations, cyber-security protections, and safe airspace integration with traditional airline operations.

All five of the experts at the hearing agreed that managing these challenges will require collaboration between industry, regulators, and communities.

The matter of vehicle autonomy arose multiple times during the hearing. Dr. John-Paul Clarke, co-chair of the 2014 National Research Council Committee on Autonomy Research for Civil Aviation, explained that training individual operators to the level of a commercial pilot would be very expensive. Furthermore, remote control by a human operator would be susceptible to communication loss, which would threaten remote operation. Autonomy protects against that.

Clarke went on to explain that creating properly functioning autonomous vehicles requires that you teach them how to think, not what to think. He likened it to raising children, which briefly gave us some uneasy premonitions of the vehicles’ teenage years.

The promise

While there is much to sort out before you can literally fly above the fray, the companies testifying before the committee envision a future of mass transit wherein you can use flying cars to get you wherever you need to go for the same price you’re paying for Uber now.

What’s more, to quote Uber, “it’s closer than you think.” The capabilities will be in place within the next five to 10 years. We just have to figure out how to make it safe, quiet, affordable, and convenient.

What do you think?

How should regulators tackle the challenges associated with UAM? If you were forced to choose, which vehicle would you want: the Batmobile, The Jetsons’ aerocar, or James Bond’s AMC Matador coupe? Hit Take Action to tell your reps what you think, then share your thoughts below.

—Sara E. Murphy

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / Chesky_W)