I toured United's new flying taxi. It's flashy and futuristic, but I'm not sold.
was among the first to see United and Archer's new futuristic air taxi, Midnight.
was among the first to see United and Archer's new futuristic air taxi, Midnight.
The "Jetsons"-like transport is planned to shuttle people between Manhattan and nearby airports.
Midnight is a helicopter-airplane hybrid, but it's quieter, electric, and priced like an Uber Black.
A new taxi is coming to town — but I'm not yet sure if I want to hitch a ride.
United Airlines and the California-based startup Archer Aviation have invested billions of dollars to turn New York City's skies into a commuter lane with a new electric aircraft called Midnight.
The futuristic flying taxi is a helicopter-airplane hybrid, but without the polluting noise and emissions. The goal? To make the trek around Manhattan and its nearby airports more bearable without breaking the bank.
At a swanky event in Manhattan this month, Business Insider was among the first to see Midnight adorned in its United livery and get a sense of what these "Jetsons"-like trips would be like.
I thought the event seemed overly flashy for something trying to sell a new mode of transportation to the average traveler. Jimmy Fallon randomly showed up to say he hoped to fly Midnight to the Hamptons one day.
Maybe the grandeur was the point, but with an uptick in helicopter crashes, the steep price point, and the still pending certification, I'm not convinced about the venture. And I'm not sure it'll ever be affordable for the average Joe.
But with United's $1 billion backing, this futuristic air taxi is nothing to dismiss.
Midnight is an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, meaning it takes off and lands like a helicopter but flies like an airplane and has both wings and propellers.
Six rechargeable batteries power Midnight's propellers, which sit on top of Midnight and tilt to support both vertical flight and forward propulsion.
The wing generates lift and glide to enhance efficiency: "Without it, you'll always be consuming so much energy," Archer VP of design and innovation Julien Montousse told BI.
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