China approves the world’s first flying taxi
EHang could soon take passengers on pilotless joyrides over Guangzhou
Anyone keen to view from on high the sprawling cityscapes of Guangdong, a bustling province in southern China, may soon be able to do so from the cabin of a flying taxi. On October 13th the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) awarded a “type certificate”, a crucial piece of aviation paperwork, to the world’s first electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) taxi. And in case that does not sound futuristic enough, the small two-seater, called the EH216-S, was also cleared to fly without a pilot on board.
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This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Up and away”
From the October 28th 2023 edition
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