NASA begins air taxi tests to relieve traffic congestion | Advance with the electric vertical take-off and landing plane

The American space agency Nasa started testing a Electric airplanes with vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL, in English) which will serve as an air taxi to relieve traffic congestion and provide faster service to users.

NASA has announced that tests with the Joby Aviation Company’s eVTOL began last Monday near Big Sur, Calif. And will last until September 10.

In the future, these planes could serve as air taxis for those in cities and surrounding areas across the country, as another mode of transportation for people, NASA detailed in a statement Tuesday.

Drone delivery

In addition to air taxis, The planes could function as parcel delivery drones and medical transport vehicles.

The agency will collect information on how the vehicle moves, its sound and its communication with drivers.

This is the first time that NASA has tested an eVTOL aircraft as part of the federal agency’s National Advanced Air Mobility Campaign (AAM).

The objective is to collect acoustic and vehicle performance data. In addition, it is a step towards the possibility in 2022 of performing more complex flight tests with other vehicles in the industry.

This test will help identify gaps in current US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations and policies to help integrate these types of aircraft into the national airspace system.

The event campaign to promote airspace mobility in the country will take place in several locations over several years.

NASA Advances The Transportation Industry

This is “an important strategic step in NASA’s goals to accelerate the AAM industry schedule,” said Davis Hackenberg, NASA’s integration manager for this mission.

“These test cases will help fill the gaps in current standards for the benefit of industry progress in integrating AAM vehicles in the airspace, ”added Hackenberg.

The team will also test NASA’s airworthiness and flight safety processes to approve participants to travel as part of the campaign.

The national AAM campaign is managed by NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility project, which plans to be a major player in the development and validation of transportation solutions.