Would you get on a flying taxi, with no pilot? – Deseret News

Which of these would give you more anxiety: Hopping into a driverless, fully autonomous car that takes you through downtown traffic, or climbing aboard a pilotless, fully autonomous air taxi designed to fly you over downtown skyscrapers to a nearby destination?

This could be more than a hypothetical question in about 10 years — about the time Utah may be hosting the Olympics again. A public-private partnership that includes industry leaders, a former congressman and the Utah Inland Port just unveiled “Project Alta,” whose mission is to set up an “air mobility” system in Utah that will eventually allow air taxis.

Pilotless air taxis. This, officials say, could lead the nation into the next phase of transportation.

A tourist could fly into Salt Lake City International Airport, grab his or her luggage, hop on a contraption that looks something like a giant drone, and in about 10 minutes land at a “vertiport” at a hotel in Park City. Forget about waiting for a hotel shuttle that struggles through rush-hour traffic or up icy roads through Parley’s Canyon.

Would you do it?

A few weeks ago, the leaders of 47G, the umbrella organization for this partnership (which used to be known as the Utah Aerospace and Defense Association), met with the Deseret News/KSL editorial boards. I asked about public trepidation. I was told that autonomous air travel would be safer than driverless cars because there are fewer “conflict points” to consider.

In other words, fewer things to potentially run into.

That makes sense, just as it’s true that flying is safer than driving, in general. Large commercial jets can now almost fly themselves.

But they do have a pilot and co-pilot available, just in case.

I can’t find any opinion polls about public confidence in pilotless aircraft, but I found some about driverless cars, and the news isn’t good. A Triple-A survey in March found that 66% of Americans are afraid of the technology, while another 25% are uncertain.

The occasional news story about some almost-autonomous car crashing into a barrier or running over a pedestrian certainly doesn’t help.

And, speaking of completely driverless cars, it seems to be taking forever to get them. As I’ve written before, the obstacles are enormous, including having the car recognize hand signals from a police officer and distinguish them from a pedestrian waving to a friend.

And yet, a confused car might simply come to a stop and reboot. Let’s hope a confused flying machine, unlike every computer I’ve known, never gets confused.

And yet, something tells me someone is going to dig up this column decades from now and have a good laugh at my naivete.

Clearly, the world of transportation is changing, and that change already has begun. In parts of Utah, drones are making deliveries of various goods, including medicines, dropping them on doorsteps with parachutes attached.

The folks at 47G see the evolution happening this way: Today’s small deliveries will soon expand to packages up to 100 pounds. Then, bigger pilotless electronic aircraft will deliver large cargo, removing the need for air-polluting long-haul trucks on the road. Rural communities will be better served through cheaper shipments. Medical equipment could be sent quickly to accident sites. The skies will be clearer.

And finally, passenger service will begin.

If you’ve been on this planet a while, you know that technology often expands faster than predicted. By 2034, air taxis could be old hat. The U.S. is already behind the curve — Dubai has announced plans to begin a service in 2026.

McKinsey and Company, a management and consulting firm in Chicago, has a video on its website that depicts neighborhood vertiports, kind of like taxi stands, where people catch rides to work every day. The people don’t look afraid at all.

I am a bit concerned about the skies of the future being filled with all sorts of buzzing things that block out sunshine and birds. But you would have to be willfully blind to not see what’s coming. Too many people are working on driverless cars and air taxis for these not to become a reality some day.

Oh yes, we will need Federal Aviation Administration reforms, new laws and flight rules for air traffic controllers.

And yes, we will have to worry about hackers and enemies getting into all this and causing havoc.

But when has the future let a certain amount of risk stop it from coming?

And if Utah is a leader in that field, so much the better.

As long as a ride isn’t too expensive, I’m guessing people one day will hop on without any worries.