It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...a taxi? Next time you need to hail a cab, maybe look to the skies.
OK, that may be a bit premature. While flying cars aren't quite available yet, electric air taxis may be moving closer to a reality in the tri-state.
Blade Air Mobility and Beta Technologies have successfully completed the first test flight over the greater New York City area. The ALIA-250 trial run took place Tuesday at Westchester County Airport.
Developers say that the electric aircraft can carry up to six people. It takes off and lands vertically like a helicopter, but with one major difference: Its all-electric propulsion system makes a tenth of the noise.
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That would be welcome news for those concerned with noise pollution, especially in New York City.
"This is a historic moment for Blade, New York and the urban air mobility industry," said Rob Wiesenthal, Chief Executive Officer of Blade. "This demonstration is a big milestone in our transition from helicopters to electric vertical aircraft, and we are pleased that our partners at BETA have designed the right aircraft with the requisite range, capacity, and noise profile, for use in our key markets, including our homebase of New York City."
Two years ago, Blade agreed to purchase 20 of the aircraft models, and plans to deploy them on routes between its terminals in the U.S. It was not immediately clear when the aircrafts would be released for passenger use.
