What it's like learning to fly an electric air taxi

Electric air taxis could be taking to the skies regularly before the end of the decade. Yahoo Finance had the opportunity to experience this cutting-edge technology firsthand in an air taxi flight simulator. Joby Aviation (JOBY) says their air taxi could get passengers in New York City to JFK airport in under seven minutes for under $200 a seat.

For the full episode of Next exploring the future of electric air taxis, tune into Yahoo Finance on Monday April 15 at 10 a.m. ET.

If you’re going to future-proof your portfolio, you need to know what’s NEXT. In this series, Yahoo Finance will feature stories that give a glimpse at the future, and show how companies are making big moves today that will matter tomorrow. For more on our NEXT series, click here, and tune in to Yahoo Finance for more expert insight and the latest market action, Monday through Friday.

Video transcript

MADISON MILLS: It's not a flying car and it's not a helicopter. It's an electric air taxi. Joby Aviation says that their aircraft could take consumers all the way to the airport by next year. So I went for a ride inside Joby's air taxi simulator to learn more about what the technology has in store. Take a look.

- We're going to take off. All I want you to do is pull back with your right hand. That will make you go up. There you go. Now you're flying.

MADISON MILLS: I'm flying. We're not actually flying. We're in a flight simulator from Joby Aviation, which is used to train traditional pilots how to fly this battery-powered aircraft. These aircraft are called eVTOLs, which stands for electric vertical take-off and landing. Joby says someday their electric air taxi will get Manhattanites to JFK in under 10 minutes for the cost of an Uber X.

- So we take off vertically. We fly and then we transition our propellers, if you will. They are straight up and then they'll transition forward. And it does it all automatically. When I fly, all I'm doing is saying, what speed do I want? It decides what level of tilt to do, so it's very simple.

MADISON MILLS: Joby plans to launch commercial flights for passengers next year. The Federal Aviation Administration thinks that's possible, but 2028 is a more realistic timeline for a scaled competitive market. Either way, depending on where you live, you could get to the airport via eVTOL by the end of the decade.

And Seana, what was so interesting about reporting this piece is not only figuring out that the technology really is there and it could be launching as early as next year as long as they get certification, but also the details we dig so much in the piece into the business behind these air taxi companies, and just how hard it is to really make a profit when you've got a big thing that you're trying to launch into the sky off of battery powered-- a battery-powered aircraft. It's the same challenges that you see with electric vehicles. You have with an aircraft, but it's got to get up to the sky.

SEANA SMITH: Yeah, you would think eventually it would start taking market share from airlines, from car companies here eventually once they are approved and they are up in the sky. But I got to ask you, what was it like flying it?

MADISON MILLS: It was fun.

SEANA SMITH: Even though it was a simulation, I think it would still be a little bit nerve-wracking.

MADISON MILLS: It's so cool because the whole screen, like, wraps around you. So you can't-- it doesn't seem like it's not happening. And they have things where it feels that way.

SEANA SMITH: Is it hard?

MADISON MILLS: Of course I was bad at it. But the whole point is that it's not hard, you know, it's so easy, but I was like I raked it back and she was, like, OK, you need to relax.

SEANA SMITH: I'd do the same. Yeah, exactly. It always makes it look easier.

MADISON MILLS: Exactly. You should do it next time you're here. We'll do a group trip. But be sure to tune in on Monday at 10:00 AM Eastern for that full episode of NEXT, that is on the business of electric air taxis.