Big news is flying under the radar — and it’s setting the stage for one of the most exciting megatrends of the next decade: urban air mobility.
Last month, Joby Aviation (JOBY) made a bold move, acquiring Blade Air Mobility’s helicopter taxi business for $125 million. At first glance, it looks like a play to get more helicopters in the sky. But the bigger picture is far more exciting: Joby plans to replace those noisy, gas-guzzling helicopters with sleek, battery-powered eVTOL aircraft.
And now the company is teaming up with Uber (UBER). As soon as next year, Uber riders in New York City will be able to book a helicopter trip directly from the app, connecting Manhattan with JFK, Newark, the Hamptons — even international destinations like Cannes and Monaco through Blade’s existing routes.
This isn’t just about helicopters. It’s about creating the infrastructure, routes, and customer base for the seamless transition to electric air taxis.
Joby’s eVTOL looks like something out of science fiction: a four-passenger craft with tilt rotors that takes off vertically, shifts into forward flight, and cruises at speeds up to 200 mph. It can travel 100 miles on a single charge, is 100 times quieter than a traditional aircraft, and is designed for 10,000 flight cycles.
Think about that for a moment. No traffic. No gridlock. A quick, quiet, clean ride to the airport in minutes. That’s not decades away — Joby expects its first commercial launch in Dubai by 2026, with New York, LA, Florida, the UK, and Japan on deck.
We are on the cusp of a transportation revolution as big as the rise of the automobile or the airplane. The companies that establish early dominance — like Joby — could be the Teslas of the sky.
For forward-thinking investors, this is the type of trend I love: massive disruption, real technology, government support, and clear consumer demand. The skies are opening… and the future belongs to eVTOLs or as I like to call them – Flying Cars.
Here’s to the future,
Matt McCall
Editor, Market Insights
