The possibility of air taxis filling North Texas skies gets closer and closer to becoming a reality with each passing day.
The University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton has partnered with Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technologies and multiple other national organizations to test out possible routes of travel for a new generation of drone technology, known as Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft, otherwise known as e-VTOLs.
The organizations tested a simulated pathway between Hillwood’s AllianceTexas Flight Test Center in Justin and UNT’s Discovery Park in October 2022. This test flight also provided data for standards in airspace management, flight operations for drones, as well as vehicle-to-infrastructure communications.
Kamesh Namuduri, an engineering professor at UNT and one of the project’s leaders, hopes to see this technology brought to cities in the metroplex, such as Plano, Frisco, and Dallas.
Keven Gambold, CEO of Unmanned Experts Inc., told The Dallas Express that the next phase in the development of e-VTOLs is to urge for the adoption of a new type of landing pad known as “vertiports” for future autonomous aircraft.
Gambold met with leaders of Beta Technologies, one of the companies producing these new aircraft, and remarked on the innovation of the new technology in terms of safety features and how quiet the systems are.
“If they are that quiet, you can fly them downtown. If they are that safe, you can fly them through the city,” said Gambold. The CEO claims that implementing this technology opens up new opportunities for farm-to-market deliveries, live flights, emergencies, and more.
Gambold likened the prospect of e-VTOLs to popular science fiction aircraft found in Star Wars and the Jetsons.
“We are looking at a brand new phase of aviation,” said Gambold.
Namuduri told The Dallas Express that while the focus for implementation is in cities, the project aims to provide access to this technology in rural and tribal areas as well.
“We want to make sure these facilities are accessible to everyone; everyone from all walks of life, in all areas.”
Namuduri hopes that this technology can also be used to get people to hospitals quicker than current methods.
Gambold said that certification of these new aircraft and infrastructure are setting the pace for overall development.
The CEO said these crafts have not yet been approved for widespread use by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), noting that China is only a short time away from approving a similar program, whereas it might take years in the United States. Gambold also said that China currently dominates the global drone market.
“We are building the flight infrastructure, and the ground infrastructure, and the software,” said Gambold.
Namuduri noted that some UNT students are aiding in the development of this software.
Over the years, the possibility of using drones for commercial purposes like taxis has become more and more likely, with some entities working on creating advanced aircraft to accomplish this.
Wisk, an aerospace manufacturer, announced “Generation 6,” “the world’s first all-electric, autonomous, four-seat eVTOL … air taxi designed for passenger transport,” in October 2022.
Generation 6 can travel at a maximum of 4,000 feet in the air and cruise at a maximum of 138 miles per hour. The company had been developing airborne taxi models since 2011, having created five previous models.
This program expansion comes as concerns in North Texas persist regarding the use of drones not only by corporations but by government law enforcement agencies as well.
Currently, the Dallas Police Department’s (DPD) general orders permit the use of drones weaponized with lethal capabilities if approved by the police chief, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.