Imagine a flying taxi landing on the rooftop landing pad of your luxury Santa Barbara home!
According to a story in the Robb Report, leaders at Uber, the popular ride-share network, are looking to the future, and they see a world where flying taxis solve our urban transit problems.
Earlier this year, the company hired a longtime NASA engineer with a focus on new aviation technology, to lead that effort. The company hosted the first-ever Uber Elevate Summit, a three-day conference that brought together 72 industry experts to hash out ideas toward creating a viable urban transit network using small aircraft that can take off and land vertically.
The company plans to have two demonstration projects up and running by 2020: one in Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas, and one in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Both projects will leverage local partnerships with real-estate companies like Sotheby’s to create rooftop landing pads that provide air-taxi service to nearby destinations. The small aircraft will have seats for two to four passengers plus a pilot. Uber plans to eventually provide fully autonomous aircraft, which will be monitored by a remote operator able to take over control if and when needed.
There are many challenges ahead to make the vision a reality: the aircraft need to be quiet, to avoid annoying neighbors in densely populated cities; they need to be safe, reliable, and efficient; and preferably they will be powered by batteries, to be emissions-free. They should cruise at 150 mph, and be capable of flying at least 60 miles nonstop. Is the vision achievable? As I mentioned earlier, Uber is aiming to have them up and running in the demonstration cities by 2020.
What do you think about flying taxis? Would you utilize this service? Would you consider building your own flying taxi landing pad at your new home in Montecito, Hope Ranch or any of Santa Barbara’s upscale communities? I can help you find the perfect home for that. I can also help those who are considering selling your home here. Please call me at 805.886.9378 or email me at Cristal@montecito-estate.com.