Air taxis flying over Austin? Public piloting vehicles that could redefine commutes

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- In the skies over Lady Bird Lake this week, members of the public got their first chance to get behind the joystick of a new type of personal flying machine. They could cut a commute from 45 minutes down to just eight minutes in some parts of the country.

Built by Lift Aircraft, Hexa is one man vertical lift transport. Carried into the air by 18 propellers, the light aircraft can transport someone up to ten miles in a quarter of an hour.

"Technology has advanced recently with electrification and battery energy density and autonomy to really enable lightweight aircraft that fits into a special regulation we have in the US called Ultra Light aircraft," said CEO and Co-Founder Matt Chasen.

The company brought the Hexa aircraft out for a three day event as part of South-by-Southwest. Weather prevented flights the first couple of days, but on Thursday randomly selected SXSW attendees were invited out to fly for a couple of minutes on the lawn next to the Long Center on Riverside Dr.

"I ended up doing some pretty cool maneuvers, because it was not intimidating at all. Once you're up there," said McKenzie Johnson, one of the people chosen to test fly the aircraft.

As opposed to a traditional pilot's license which requires hundreds of hours of training and are expensive, the Hexa training takes about an hour.

Potential pilots are shown a training video, walked through some additional steps with an instructor and then use a VR simulator. The first flight and training costs around $300.

"You can come and train in VR and in less than an hour you can solo fly vertical lift aircraft," Chasen said.

During the SXSW event, the Hexa was set to beginner mode. A geofence was in place preventing flying across Riverside Dr., some things like landing and takeoff were automated, speeds were capped at 5mph and Hexa could fly up to 30-feet in the air.

Test flights typically last 10-to-15 minutes, but were restricted to just a couple minutes during SXSW so more people could fly. Teams of four were brought in for each session.

Changing the way we travel

Chasen said they plan to expand first by building what he called "vertiports" in several major cities. These include places like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo.

The Hexa will not initially be sold to individuals. Instead these ports will act sort of like bus stops, except you would fly the bus. Initially, they plan to use waterways and less urban dense areas as flight paths.

They plan to expand, of course. "We envision you being able to call an aircraft from your phone in an app and have it come and land at a designated, pre approved location," Chasen said.

Outside the United States, the company has targeted Japan and the UAE as the next places they'd like to set up ports. They have already done demonstrations in both countries.

Keeping a person in the air

Hexa has 18 independent propellers keeping it in the air. Each has its own battery and circuity. If there is an issue, Chasen said up to six can fail before it will need to land.

Other safety measures include a shock absorbing base and legs that can land the craft in water. A ballistic parachute can also be placed in the top, which Chasen said is effective at 30-feet in the air.

This parachute was removed during Thursday's flights so more people could fly. There is a weight limit. On Thursday, without the parachute, the aircraft could hold up to 235lbs.

Another downside, the weather. The Hexa's cockpit is open air, which means you likely won't want to fly when its raining, too hot or too cold. Chasen said the battery actually works more efficiently in the heat.

"We've developed this aircraft in Texas and flown throughout some hot summers. We've also tested this in Saudi Arabia and super hot temperatures and in UAE," Chasen said.

Below freezing, battery efficiency drops. Wind can also restrict flights, like it did this past week at SXSW. However, people with the company told KXAN that a trained pilot can control the aircraft when it is windy.

Johnson said she's excited for the day when she can buy her own.

"I think these are going to become like the next ATVs or four wheelers that people have at their home," Johnson said.