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Up, up and away!
An “air taxi” company operating completely electric helicopters completed its first test flight Monday between JFK Airport and Midtown — hoping to pave the way for a “Jetsons”-like future for New Yorkers.
The drone-like Joby Aviation aircraft made the voyage from the Queens airport to Manhattan in roughly 15 minutes, landing quietly at a Hudson Yards heliport run by subsidiary Blade, a company that currently offers gas-powered helicopter commuter flights.
“You’re watching the dawn of a new era of air mobility, urban air mobility,” said Rob Wiesenthal, CEO of Blade.
“Today what you witness is the very first flight, A-to-B flight, between one of our routes, JFK Airport to Blade Lounge West, in an electric, emission-free and quiet aircraft: the Joby S4,” Wiesenthal said.
“It’s the first of its kind.”
Joby Aviation is one of several aerospace companies working with the Port Authority and Federal Aviation Administration a part of a three-year pilot program to test next-generation aircraft that could be used as air taxis.
The companies have pitched ferrying passengers from Manhattan to places such as JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports in as little as 5 minutes, rather than the 40 to 120 minutes it can take driving.
Blade, which was recently purchased by Joby, currently offers helicopter flights to New York City-area airports starting at $195 per seat.
Those flights also take roughly 5 minutes, according to the company.
But the new Joby aircraft differs from a traditional helicopter in that it is all electric.
The aircraft promise zero-emission flights that are far more quiet than traditional helicopters, which have been a source of irritation for New Yorkers who’ve flooded 311 with tens of thousands of noise complaints about cacophonous choppers.
The Joby craft produces about 45 decibels when airborne, according to the company — about half that of a traditional helicopter.
Four passengers plus a pilot can ride in the electric craft, which can fly at speeds up to 200 mph, the company said.
“It’s the first company ever to transition the aircraft so it can take off like a helicopter and then fly on wing like a plane. [It’s] silent in overflight, quiet in take off and landing, and then again like a helicopter,” Wiesenthal said.
“This is the future of how people are going to be moving around cities both in and around all over the centers.”
Wiesenthal said rides on the Joby aircraft would cost roughly equivalent to an Uber Black, the rideshare’s luxury tier.
A stand UberX ride from Midtown Manhattan to JFK cost roughly $142 on Monday afternoon, with an Uber Black ride tallying $193. A similar trip to LaGuardia cost $89 for UberX and $125 on Uber Black.
An Uber X rideshare to Newark Airport cost roughly $127, or $190 on Uber Black on Monday afternoon, according to the app.
The company has partnered with Delta Air Lines and Uber for what reps call a “seamless, end-to-end experience that connects ground transportation and air travel in a single journey.”
“This year, we will be flying both cargo and passengers, probably not for a fee,” Wiesenthal said.
“But the acceleration is really about government certification by the FAA, so they’re comfortable to have the public in there.”
The city’s heliports are currently being electrified in a project led by the city’s Economic Development Corporation.
“These historic Joby flights, linking our city-owned heliport to our airports, is proof that the future of advanced air mobility is no longer a Jetsons-esque fantasy – it’s already here,” said Jeanny Pak, interim president and CEO for the city’s Economic Development Corporation, in a statement.
English (US)