April 24th, 2020 by Jo Borrás, Clean Technica
Quantum Air announced plans to launch what it’s calling a world’s first — an air taxi service using a fleet of 26 all-electric flying taxis to shuttle passengers between major points in the greater Los Angeles area. Quantum XYZ is claiming that these air taxi trips will replace hours-long car rides in LA’s notoriously bad traffic with “blissfully short” flights that last just a few minutes. And, maybe best of all, Quantum says its air taxi flights will be surprisingly affordable.
Bye Aerospace Electric eFlyer, courtesy Bye Aerospace
Unlike the drone-like, multi-rotor eVTOL concepts that seem to be coming out of the woodwork some days, Quantum’s air taxi service will utilize conventional, fixed-wing aircraft powered by lightweight, high-torque electric motors from Siemens. They’re built by Bye Aerospace, which has been developing the aircraft since 2014 in a bid to “breathe new life into the aviation industry” by lowering the costs usually associated with private, on demand air travel. George Bye, the CEO of the company, thinks his eFlyer aircraft can do it. “What we bring to aviation is … electric aircraft solutions to answer compelling market needs.” Bye says the eFlyer2 costs just $23 per hour of flight to operate compared, to $110 per hour for a conventionally-powered Cessna 172.
$23 an hour seems downright reasonable to me, especially considering what some attorneys and contractors charge on a per-hour basis to effectively do nothing while stuck in traffic on Los Angeles’ historically crowded highways, you know?
Quantum XYZ plans to officially begin operations sometime in 2021, under the name Quantum X. There’s no official word yet on what the average price of an air taxi flight would be, but the company’s CEO, Tony Thompson, wants it to be affordable. “Since the dawn of flight,” Thompson says in a statement, “point to point air travel has been a luxury available only to a privileged few. Quantum’s groundbreaking air taxi service will finally make point-to-point air travel widely available.”
What do you guys think? Would an electric air taxi service like this one work where you guys are? I could see this working in parts of Chicago or New York, but not really anywhere else. Maybe I lack imagination? Let us know what you think it would take to make this concept work — even if that’s an eVTOL infrastructure! — in the comments.
Source | Images: Quantum XYZ, Bye Aeropspace, via the Manual.
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Los Angeles, CA, Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Denver, CO – Jan. 6, 2020 – Quantum Air and OSM Aviation Group announced that Quantum has chosen OSM Aviation Academy as a preferred pilot training partner pursuant to a comprehensive agreement. A Quantum-branded pilot training program will be established at OSM Aviation Academy and the agreement includes a commitment by OSM to refer a steady supply of pilots trained to FAA commercial standards. Quantum Air has committed to providing tuition reimbursement for select OSM cadets.
OSM Aviation and Quantum have both placed large orders for the eFlyer all-electric aircraft from Bye Aerospace in Denver, Colorado. In total 160 zero-emission aircraft with significantly lower noise pollution and enhanced altitude performance will be delivered to the two companies starting at the end of 2021.
For student cadets in OSM’s Quantum-branded training program, OSM will use eFlyer aircraft. “Quantum’s partnership with OSM means that Quantum pilots will fly commercially in essentially the same aircraft in which they trained,” said Tony Thompson, founder and CEO of Quantum. “Quantum commercial pilots will be intimately familiar with their aircraft, setting a new standard for safety.”
“Air travel is instrumental in bringing people together both regionally and internationally. Since humans will always have the urge to explore this world, we need to find sustainable solutions to meet that need.” Said Espen Høiby, CEO of OSM Aviation Group. “Therefore, OSM Aviation is excited to join forces with Quantum Air to shape a greener and safer aviation industry in the years to come.”
“I expect to receive pilots from OSM who will already know Quantum’s aircraft systems inside and out,” added Scott Akina, Quantum’s Vice President and Chief Pilot. “And this will be no small part of the reason why Quantum will run the safest operation in the airline industry.”
George Bye, CEO of Bye Aerospace, said he is impressed with the collaborative partnership between OSM and Quantum. “Electric aviation, including our eFlyer family of electric aircraft, is the springboard for a movement that we believe will breathe new life into the aviation industry,” he said. “That includes implementing creative ways to improve effective, economic access to pilot training. The OSM-Quantum model, which focuses foremost on new professional pilot training safety, aligns perfectly with Bye Aerospace’s principles.”
• Quantum Air is set to become the world’s first all-electric airline, disrupting the regional air travel sector with an environmentally friendly and lucrative alternative for travelers.
• OSM Aviation and Quantum Air have both placed large individual orders of the eFlyer all-electric aircraft from Bye Aerospace in Denver, Colorado. In total 160 zero-emission aircraft with significantly lower noise pollution and enhanced altitude performance will be delivered to the two companies starting by the end of 2021.
About OSM Aviation: OSM Aviation is an innovative and global specialist in the employment, training and administration of aircrew, technicians and ground staff. The company currently employs 6000 pilots and crew members across the globe, serving its vast portfolio of international client airlines. (https://osmaviation.com/)
About OSM Aviation Academy: OSM Aviation Academy has trained and educated pilots since 1963 and is shaping the future of aviation by providing excellent education for the next generation of pilots. The academy has training locations in Norway, Sweden and the United States of America.
About Quantum Air: Quantum Air will fundamentally reshape the economics of regional aviation by launching an urban air mobility revolution. Their mission is to change the way people travel through cutting-edge aeronautics, made available to the general public in a cleaner, safer and more exhilarating way than ever before. (https://flyquantum.com/)
For press inquiries contact: stein.mjatveit@osmaviationacademy.com
