flying

The startups and investors that have sent hopes soaring for “flying cars” could be in for a rough landing, in more ways than one.Hundreds of companies, new ones and legacy aviation players alike, are working on such vehicles—also called air taxis or eVTOLs (short for electric vertical take off and landing). Five such startups have gone public in the past 12 months. They are trying to shape a near future in which taking a flying cab is an economically viable alternative to taking a terrestrial one. The biggest stumbling…

If Elfy succeeds, the aircraft of the future might be electric, environmentally friendly, more quiet, and able to fly shorter routes from more locations. In this 260-metre-long research tank, a model of the hull is towed at different angles to find the optimal shape. Credit: SINTEF A Norwegian company is now developing a small electric seaplane that can transform local passenger traffic on a large scale. The design of the…

Companies such as Archer Aviation, whose eVTOL aircraft is seen here, are working on electric-powered aircraft that take off and land vertically like helicopters. As urban traffic gets more miserable, entrepreneurs are looking to a future in which commuters hop into "air taxis" that whisk them over clogged roads.…

A lot of personal flying machines are in the works right now, but this one from Washington-based startup Zeva Aero surely features one of the most extraordinary designs yet. The Zeva Zero aircraft comprises a large black disc with eight rotors attached and resembles a “vertical flying saucer,” Reuters reported this week. A video (below) shows the electric-powered Zeva Zero acing its first untethered test flight earlier this year. Current test flights are crewless and remotely operated, but the team hopes to fly it…

The inaugural drone flight from the Coventry vertiport carried a six-bottle pack of prosecco. A pop-up urban port for delivery drones—and one day, potentially flying taxis—launched Monday in Britain, lifting a box of prosecco for a brief celebratory test flight hailed as groundbreaking. Air-One, a…