Drone Taxis

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  • June 13, 2019 10:31 am at 10:31 am #1741868
    Captain™
    Participant

    Uber is launching Uber Copter in July, with helicopter flights from JFK to Manhattan to test out constant aerial activity over a densely populated area.
    This is in preparation for the eventual launch of Uber Air, which will consist of VTOL drone taxis.

    Would you fly on one of these drones, or would you only fly on them if there will be a pilot onboard?

    Captain™

    June 13, 2019 4:08 pm at 4:08 pm #1742128
    LOTR92
    Participant

    #1 YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    #2 I’ll wait and see how many crash.

    June 13, 2019 4:08 pm at 4:08 pm #1742101
    Goldilocks
    Participant

    I would definitely not be one of the first customers! Not even one of the first thousand customers.
    If gains popularity, and gets to the point where it’s been in business for 5-10 years, with many riders and an excellent safety record, I would then love to try it out.

    June 13, 2019 5:09 pm at 5:09 pm #1742286
    Captain™
    Participant

    You don’t need to worry about flying on a drone just yet. Uber is planning on launching Uber Air in 2023 with pilots on all of the aircraft, in a few cities like LA and Dallas. In 2026 they will expand to more cities, and by 2028 they plan to start the process of adding drones to the fleet.

    Uber is also working with companies to develop skyports, and NASA is working to develop a traffic system for drones like Uber Air and Prime Air.

    Captain™

    June 13, 2019 5:09 pm at 5:09 pm #1742330
    lakewhut
    Participant

    Why’s it any less safe than driving in Manhattan? I trust robotics more.

    June 14, 2019 7:36 am at 7:36 am #1742432
    Captain™
    Participant

    @lakewhut
    Whether robots are safer than humans is a big debate.
    On the one hand, most plane crashes are caused by pilot error.
    On the flip side, there have been many incidents in where planes would have crashed if not for the pilot thinking out of the box.

    The recent helicopter crash in Manhattan is an example of a crash caused by pilot error. The pilot was not instrument rated and was not allowed to fly in limited visibility. He waited for 2 hours for the weather to clear up and in the end he went for it, causing him to crash. A drone would not have crashed in that situation.

    But what would have happened to the plane by the “miracle on the Hudson” if it would not have had a pilot on board. Would it have went for the Hudson or tried to go an airport.

    Pilots go through training to react correctly if the engine fails. Do you go for the highway, beach, soccer field, or any other place. it is dependent on many variables, and usually just common sense. If there is traffic on the highway, don’t land there. If there are kids playing ball on a field, don’t land there.

    Each case is different, and the big question is, are people ready to put there lives in the hands of a drone that will only do what its programmed to do?

    Captain™

    June 14, 2019 10:23 am at 10:23 am #1742463
    DovidBT
    Participant

    a drone that will only do what its programmed to do

    And often programming is faulty, Or unexpected hardware problems can occur.

    Consider the recent issues with the Boeing 737 MAX.

    In the case of a ground vehicle, there’s always a fallback option to shut off the engine and stop. That wouldn’t work very well for an aircraft.

    June 16, 2019 2:10 pm at 2:10 pm #1743007
    👑RebYidd23
    Participant

    Captain, what about human pilots who just happen not to be located inside the craft?

    June 16, 2019 2:10 pm at 2:10 pm #1743008
    👑RebYidd23
    Participant

    If it’s not safe, it is just as unsafe to be underneath it as inside it.

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