All crazy for Urban Air Mobility!

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After attending the most important events on the aviation scene this semester, namely the aviation Forum in San Diego and the air show in Le Bourget, we are even more certain that we are on the right track.

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In fact, at both events, the focus was on urban air mobility, flying taxis in the city that will soon help us move around while skipping traffic in big cities.

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Although we have been talking about it for years, seeing how much of the ecosystem has turned to this sector makes us realise how it could really represent a revolution for transport. Enthusiasm is at an all-time high, and the various players are battling it out with announcements about who will start the taxi service first, where it will be and at what world event. Some manufacturers have also already announced that they have orders for several thousand eVTOLs. This is a debate that is taking place all over the world and that gives a sense of how much energy and hope there is in this sector. A great deal of investment has been made. Of the various manufacturers, several have received around 1 billion in funding, others a little less, but in general 70% of the investments have gone to the manufacturers of flying taxis

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In Paris it was possible to see them all. We at The Edge Company were also there with our booth. It was also very interesting to see how, although the purpose is the same, everyone has interpreted the flying taxi concept in a different way: some as a small plane with propellers that can be steered, others built a sort of helicopter with a large fixed structure and many small rotors. Some put the propellers under the cockpit, some on top... in short, there is no lack of imagination! Also of great interest was the sequence of panels that followed one another for four days, dealing with various topics, some of them thorny: from the certification of the aircraft, which some announced will take place in the first quarter of 2024, to the start of the transport service, to orders. But the panel that interested us most was the one with the CEOs of all the companies. The moderator, whom we also met at the aviation forum in San Diego, Sergio Ceccutti, asked the key question: several billion have been invested in building the aircraft, but very little in infrastructure and safety, only 120 million. How will they fly without it?

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No one has been able to respond. This must make people realise that it is undoubtedly much more attractive to invest in and produce an aircraft, however small it may be, but without an infrastructure network it will be very difficult to fly it. We need controlled 'roads' in the city skies where these flying taxis can perform their service safely.

According to Easa, which has conducted surveys, one of the main obstacles to be overcome for the service to start is the perception of safety. By this we mean both the safety of the people on board the eVTOLs and the citizens living in the cities where urban air mobility will be implemented.

In fact, it is easy to imagine yourself like in the film Blade runner or the great-grandchildren cartoon where you get into your eVTOL to go to work, but then in reality who would really fly without a safety net both on the ground and in the taxi?

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Investment in the construction of vertiports is starting, but they will not be simple to develop and operate. They will need surveillance from unexpected and sudden obstacles. There will be a need for a system that, without harmful emissions, is able to monitor the landing areas but also the flight areas of eVTOLs. EASA and NASA are writing the rules, but the industry will have to take care of this so as not to risk having these beautiful electric devices grounded due to lack of passengers or non-compliance with regulations.

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Optimism is the engine of innovation, and we at The Edge know that! But one must always consider the worst-case scenario. Even the small submarine Titan had already made several dives, but in the end due to an error - perhaps a human one in the design of the construction features - it imploded. It caused quite a stir, but had no collateral damage except to the passengers of the Titan itself. But what if it was an eVTOL that had a problem instead? It is not possible to think that nothing could happen simply because they were built to perfection. They do not have to move in a sterile environment, in a vacuum, but in a highly trafficked and urbanised environment. An environment where the unexpected is always just around the corner. And it can be very costly.

So here's the key: after investing billions in companies that build flying taxis, we will have to start investing in the 'roads' they will have to travel, otherwise the risk is that they will all be grounded.

Urban Air Mobility has now catalysed worldwide attention. From the aviation forum in San Diego to the Le Bourget air show in Paris, Urban Air Mobility was almost the only topic discussed, and at both events there were panels taking stock of the situation. The certifications of aircraft, the progress of orders, the number of aircraft that will be available in 10-20 and 30 years.

After returning from the AIAA in San Diego, we went straight to #LeBourget, where we were in the Urban Air Mobility pavilion. This is the hot topic, what everyone is talking about and what big players are focusing on: the new way of getting around the city. The attraction seems fatal: partly because those who live in mega-cities see the mirage of being able to get around in a shorter time, and partly because, to be honest, it seems that Hollywood has come within everyone's reach. Inevitably, therefore, at both major events there was much talk and discussion of Urban Air Mobility: great prospects, great investments, but still few certifications and few clear rules.

Billions have been invested in building electric flying vehicles called eVtol. In the landscape there are startups like Volocopter and joint ventures like Archer and Eve. In Paris at the Urban Air Mobility show in Hall5 they were all there. Each one making visitors dream of climbing onto a roof of a building and boarding to go to the office.

Already both Easa and FAA are issuing regulations.

Here is a short video of the noncooperative obstacles an eVtol may encounter in a vertiport. starting with the simplest birds, as an example.