Air taxi's may take off sooner than you think.
First-time
American visitors to the United Kingdom are always unnerved to see cars driving
on the “wrong” side of the street, even though they’ve seen it in the movies
many times. Actually getting behind the wheel over there can be daunting,
especially since that wheel, and all the controls, are on the wrong side of the
car. Fortunately, most of the world—about 70%—drives on the “right” side. But
why do nearly a third of the world’s drivers still drive on the left?
In Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte had
something to say about driving on the right, while Conestoga wagons drove the
decision over here. As to the Brits, well…
We’ve all seen them in the
movies—creaky, cloth-covered wagons, pulled by horses or oxen, carrying a
family and all its worldly goods as the wagon train headed west, looking for a
new start on the American frontier. They were Conestoga wagons, developed by
Pennsylvania carpenters and blacksmiths to carry goods to market in the 18th-century
colonial metropolis of Philadelphia. The early wagons didn’t have a seat up
front; they had a “lazy board” that extended out of the side. But often, the
wagon driver walked alongside the horses, pulling levers and ropes to keep the
team on course. And since most people are right-handed, he would walk on the
left side of the wagon. That meant, of course, the wagon itself was on the
right side of the road.
The first major highway in the U.S.
was the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Road, opened in 1795, and one of
the rules written in the charter required all traffic to stay on the right. In
1804, New York became the first state to dictate traffic to stay on the right
side of the road. A century later, Henry Ford put the steering wheel of his
hugely popular Model T on the left side of the vehicle, because horse-drawn
wagons and carriages had been driving on the right side for a long time. Ford
wanted his drivers to be close to the middle of the road.
In Europe, foot traffic on roads was
on the right, with the left side of the road reserved for carriages and those
on horseback, which meant the upper class. During the French revolution, the
government ordered all traffic to be on the right, as a way to help equalize
the classes in society. A few years later, Napoleon’s armies, marching on the
right, rolled through continental Europe, enforcing the right-side French
tradition on everybody else. Except in England, of course, where riders had
been riding on the left, as they preferred to keep their right hands toward
oncoming traffic, to wave a greeting or maybe a more unflattering gesture, and
occasionally wield a sword or pistol.
In New York City, traffic drives on
the right, of course, but there’s lots of it, and that can cause a problem when
people want to get to the airport. It typically takes an hour or more to drive
from midtown Manhattan to JFK International Airport or vice versa…but what if
you could fly? Well, sometime next year, you’ll be able to find out.
Joby Aviation has already tested its
electric air taxi and plans to put it in service by mid-2025, following FAA
certification. The ALIA-250’s flight from JFK to the Downtown Manhattan
Heliport will take seven minutes. The four-passenger craft recharges in five
minutes, so by the time a new group has boarded and strapped in, it’ll be ready
to take off again, vertically like a helicopter, but producing only one-tenth
the noise and virtually no emissions.
What will it cost? Early estimates
are that one-way fares will be about the same as using an Uber black, or about
$200 per seat. Blair Air Mobility, the company that is bringing the air taxi to
the Big Apple, has ordered 20 of the aircraft, with plans to expand landing
sites throughout the New York metro and eventually bring the air taxi to other
major American metro areas.
Your trip in 2024 or even next year
may not include an air taxi ride, or a drive on the left side of the road, but
maybe it will. Give us a call, and we’ll get you out there!
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