Air taxis and the hard landing of reality

Technical progress sometimes fails because of technology, sometimes because of arrogance, sometimes because of misjudgments, sometimes because of money. Because everything doesn't always work out, it's important to try a lot, to show courage and not to point the finger at those who didn't make it. Maybe a second attempt will be successful. The rewards of drive have still been greater than the costs of hesitation. Now, nomen est omen, pitfalls appear out of the blue that evade the best planning.

The fact that the Munich makers of the Lilium air taxi failed was no real surprise given the overly complex system. The fact that other start-ups also have to abandon their lofty plans, even though the technical basis itself looks functional, is rather sad.

Other regions are showing that they are taking the matter seriously, such as Dubai, where the world's first vertiport has now been built next to the international airport. It serves as a take-off and landing site for electrically powered vertical take-off aircraft, i.e. eVTOL. The construction proves, of course, that the idea of ​​a vertical take-off aircraft landing everywhere was a complete nonsense from the start, too dangerous, too loud. It is not for nothing that only rescue helicopters are allowed to carry out external landings in this country and they are well shielded.

With the hot spots, with the warmongers, with the threat of attacks, the general conditions suddenly change fundamentally. China has just implemented a no-fly zone around Beijing. Almost all flight activities are prohibited within a radius of 300 kilometers, apart from scheduled flights and rescue missions. Private drones are no longer allowed to fly. Because a small plane crashed into a house. Honest? Or because the danger situation has changed? The dreams from the air seem to land on the ground of unpleasant facts.