Skyryse Helicopters and a Glimpse into Urban Air Travel
Imagine that you and your friends go out for a night on the town. By the time you are well and tired, it seems as though everyone else simultaneously had the same idea. With everyone around you clamoring to call an Uber or Lyft, you and your friends take one look at the gridlocked streets and agree that the roads are just not the way to go tonight. However, the skies look clear and traffic-free, so why not take a helicopter across town? While this may seem like the start of a very odd joke, it’s a future that Los Angeles-based startup up Skyryse is looking to bring to the present and a reality that is closer than you might think.
“Skyryse is on a mission to get people where they want to be quickly, affordably and safely.”
Skyryse, Our Vision
While this may be enough to start stirring up the questions in your mind, here’s another twist to Skyrise’s plans for urban travel: fully automated flight. In mid-December Skyrise held a demonstration highlighting a helicopter that took off, flew for fifteen minutes, and then landed, all fully automated.
The demonstration showed a lot of what Skyryse has in mind for making urban air mobility a widely adopted norm for traveling short distances. For one, Skyryse unveiled its Skyryse Flight Stack, which “comprises of technology that automates flight in [Federal Aviation Administration]-approved helicopters, safety and communication systems, and a network of smart helipads to ultimately create a new transportation system.”
“Unlike other companies building autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft from scratch or only for the military, Skyryse refits existing consumer-grade, dependable and certified aircraft and technologies with software and hardware innovations.”
PRNewswire.com
Simply put, Skyryse isn’t building new aircraft, it’s taking what already works and adding a little bit of spice. The company’s goal is to develop a fully autonomous VTOL flight system that can be installed in both legacy and future helicopter models, as well as helipads capable of communicating with the outfitted aircraft information such as changing weather conditions or low-flying objects. Skyryse aims to become the first fully operational air taxi service available to the public that doesn’t break the bank.
Now, you may be thinking that a self-flying helicopter is a ride on which you would rather not be a passenger but have no fear. Passengers on aircraft in Skyryse’s fleet are accompanied by a trained and certified pilot who oversees the flight system and can take over the controls in the event of an emergency or potential malfunction. While this does leave open the potential for awkward conversation, it does add an extra layer of safety and checks on the autonomous system.
I personally think this sounds incredible, if it can–no pun intended–get off the ground. Why not take to the skies to avoid the mad rush of cars and congestion of city streets? And why not use already available aircraft to do it? It all makes sense and seems pretty logical. However, we all know that logic does not always guarantee success.
My main concerns surround public perceptions and pricing. For perception, I am curious about the projected amount of time it will take before there is enough demand to justify a supply. How long will air taxi companies have to advertise and ultimately wait before enough people know about and trust their autonomous aircraft? As for pricing, the concerns and questions are probably pretty clear. How is this going to be affordable for everyone, and when? It has been reported that Skyryse plans to release the details of how it will achieve affordable pricing at some point this year. I for one am looking forward to the day when I can hop in line at a helipad and quickly fly across town, all without breaking the bank.