TAMPA, Fla., (WFLA) – The idea of a highway in the sky is no longer something of the future, it’s here.
On Friday, a historic flight was made from St. Petersburg to Tampa as two different air taxi companies flew in formation for the first time.
From the Albert Whitted Airport to Tampa International Airport, two electric aircrafts flying in formation took to the sky, one from Joby Aviation and one from BETA Technologies.
More than 100 years ago, Tony Jannus made history by flying the world’s first commercial flight.
That flight happened between St. Pete and Tampa; the same route Friday’s test took.
“More than a century later, here we are in Tampa Bay to usher in a new era of transportation,” said Governor Ron DeSantis.
Joby Aviation’s aircraft takes off like a helicopter, and the propulsion units pivot forward, and then, it flies like an airplane.
They are an air taxi service, that in a year or two could be taking passengers on commercial flights.
“Our goal is to be very equivalent to say an Uber XL or Uber Black. So, when you go on the app you can see how much does it cost for each type of transportation,” said Bonny Simi, President of Operations at Joby Aviation.
BETA Technologies initial focus in on medical, cargo logistics.
“Connecting rural America, bringing rural access to healthcare to a new level,” said Chris Caputo, Director of Flight Operations with BETA Technologies.
According to experts, this type of travel cuts down on costs since they don’t use fuel.
“We don’t have to worry about bridges; we don’t have to worry about roads and it’s very economical. The goal here is to make this that everybody can use this,” Simi said.
Experts also said this is a new, and safe, method of travel.
“This plane is insanely safe, the redundancy that is built into the aircraft, the simplicity of the architecture, the low operating temperatures of the electric engine make it inherently safe,” Caputo said.
Both Beta and Joby are awaiting FAA certifications before commercial passengers can climb on board.
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