No longer fiction: Flying car startups aim to begin test flights as early as next year

After the recent New York helicopter crash, many are starting to question the safety of choppers. With Uber Air debuting its helicopter ride-sharing service next month, are helicopters a safe mode for transportation? As Uber forges ahead with plans for a flying taxi service in 2023, other startups are unveiling futuristic air mobility vehicles, suggesting that a Jetsons-like transportation system may be closer than you think. Massachusetts-based Alaka'i Technologies showed an electric human-carrying drone last month that it claims can carry five passengers, and the American-Israeli startup NFT --short for Next Future Transportation -- hopes its new folding-wing vehicle will halve travel times by both driving on the street and flying through the air during commutes. This comes as Uber sets its sights on phase one of Uber Air, releasing a fleet of Uber Copters in NYC over the summer.