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Comment by wffurr | Hacker News Reader

They can make a flying car, but they can't offer a map of legal pickup and drop off locations for their car drivers and users.

Presumably they will have to solve this problem for the aircraft, can't have those landing willy nilly in bike lanes and crosswalks.

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I'm a researcher working on exactly this problem. We are actively working on new technologies that will allow these air taxis to operate safely. The current concept is that there will be many "vertiports" scattered around a metro area, so you will have to walk/ground-Uber to a vertiport, take the air taxi to the vertiport nearest your destination and walk/ground-Uber to your destination. This is not a last-mile technology, and never will be within the currently planned regulatory framework.

Presumably they will have to solve this problem for the aircraft, can't have those landing willy nilly in bike lanes and crosswalks.

That's Uber we're talking about. I don't think they giva a fuck as long as it's not bad for business.

I do believe, however, that they can't just apply their brand of "regulatory arbitrage" when it comes to airspace usage.

Around here you're dicking with federal regulators and the military. Not a bunch of city government yokels that you can strongarm into submission.

The FAA gives a lot of fucks. They certainly aren't going to get away with their past shenanigans with when they move into the air.

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