Utah and Paris Prepare for Flying Cars to Take Off

Like kids playing hide-and-seek, makers of flying cars are about to shout, “Ready or not, here I come!”

In response, the State of Utah and RATP, the operator of Paris’ underground subway, are working to ready their cities.

Flying Cars in Utah

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) recently told the state legislature’s Transportation Interim Committee that flying cars will be here in a few years.

UDOT official Jason Davis urged legislators to start thinking about flight corridors, altitudes, and airspace.

“Who’s going to own that airspace? There are companies already approaching the FAA to say, ‘We’d like to have the 600- to 700-foot area as our own place to operate in.’ With there being no regulations yet, it’s a real discussion taking place. How’s that going to be established?” Davis asked.

At this time, state lawmakers weren’t even sure who controls that airspace, the state or the federal government. As a result, their interest in taking on these issues was sharpened.

Smart Cities of the Future

Likewise, Airbus the European aircraft maker, and RATP, the city of Paris’ subway operator, are studying how to integrate “urban air mobility services” such as flying cars into the city’s transportation infrastructure.

“This is not science-fiction any more, It is fact. Today we have all the technical tools. But they have to be integrated into everyday life without jeopardizing . . . safety,” Guillaume Faury, Airbus’ CEO said in mid-May.

RATP will stay focused on mass transit. But CEO Catherine Guillouard said it wants “to develop new modes of transport and new services for the smart city of the future.”

Flying car maker AeroMobil predicts flying cars could be a reality in two to three years. Therefore, the time to set the rules, regulations, and most importantly, safety standards is now.