Good morning. It’s Tuesday. Today we’ll look at an air taxi that flew from Kennedy International Airport to Manhattan. We’ll also get details on today’s primary in New Jersey, where four Democrats are running for the chance to face Representative Thomas Kean Jr., a Republican, in November. Kean hasn’t been seen since March and is being treated for what aides describe as a “personal medical issue.”
The electric aircraft rises from the ground like a helicopter, its six propellers facing the sky. Then, after a presto-change-o moment that positions them to face forward, it flies like an airplane. The aircraft was put through its paces on a test flight from Kennedy International Airport that Jeanny Pak, the interim president and chief executive of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, said was “proof that the future of advanced air mobility is no longer a Jetsons-esque fantasy — it’s already here.” The E.D.C. controls two of the city’s three heliports. Joby Aviation, the company that built the aircraft, sees it as the centerpiece of an air taxi service that is quieter and cleaner than one with conventional helicopters. It envisions a fleet on the routes that Blade Air Mobility now flies from J.F.K. to the three heliports in Manhattan. On a test flight in April, a Joby air taxi with only the pilot aboard made the trip in less than 10 minutes. Blade is perhaps best known as a traffic beater for people with money to spend on the way to places like the Hamptons. But Joby says a typical New York commuter lost 102 hours to traffic congestion last year. It says flights from J.F.K. could help airline passengers reclaim some of that time. Taking the AirTrain and the subway from J.F.K. to Manhattan also takes time — about an hour during the evening rush. Vertical takeoff and landingMy colleague Niraj Chokshi, who trailed the Joby on the test flight, says that it’s unusual to see an aircraft designed from scratch take to the sky. Most commercial airlines were developed decades ago and have been updated since then. But that’s not all that’s unusual about the Joby. On takeoff the propellers keep whirling as the pods holding them, called electric propulsion units, go from their horizontal position to their vertical flying mode. And, because the air taxis are all-electric, Joby says they produce no emissions, unlike helicopters. Advanced air mobility projects like the Joby are getting a boost from the Trump administration, which doesn’t want the U.S. to lose out to other countries, particularly China. Last year the administration set up a program to encourage states, cities and companies to join forces in rolling out electric aircraft. Then, in March, the Transportation Department chose eight projects, including the one that let Joby put on the demonstration flight in April. Joby has teamed up with Toyota on manufacturing. And Joby bought Blade’s passenger business last year in a transaction valued at up to $125 million, making Blade a wholly owned subsidiary that gives Joby access to Blade’s routes and customers on its short-distance routes in New York as well as in southern Europe. The Port Authority weighs inThe Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the three major airports in the New York area, said that advanced air mobility had the potential to move people and goods in or between urban areas, and to do so more efficiently than conventional modes of transportation. “We operate some of the busiest airports in the world, and with that comes a responsibility to think seriously about what aviation looks like in the decades ahead for our passengers, our communities and for the environment,” Kathryn Garcia, the executive director of the Port Authority, said in a statement. She called the demonstration flight “one data point in a larger body of work we’re building around next-generation electric aviation.” Will air taxis become as universal as, well, taxis? That will probably depend on economics, and the aircraft will probably be more expensive to manufacture than helicopters, at least at first. They will have relatively limited range — about 100 miles or so, and relatively limited uses, again at least at first. And there is the question of when the Federal Aviation Administration will approve such aircraft. As Laurie Garrow, an engineering professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology who focuses on aviation, put it: “It’s not going to be like we look out our window and there’s flying cars everywhere.” Advanced air mobility craft could go into service in the next two to five years, she said. WEATHER Expect a sunny day with a high near 77. Tonight will be partly cloudy with a low around 61. ALTERNATE-SIDE PARKING In effect until June 19 (Juneteenth). QUOTE OF THE DAY “If we’re truly going to attack income inequality, help to lift New Yorkers up and address the affordability crisis, we have to make a much larger investment for these children.” — Julie Menin, the speaker of the City Council, on a plan to give children in New York City up to $3,000 toward their college education. The latest New York news
We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. It’s Primary Day in New Jersey
The path to a House majority runs through swing districts like New Jersey’s Seventh Congressional District, which stretches across the state’s midsection. It’s now held by Representative Thomas Kean Jr., a Republican who has not been seen for months on Capitol Hill or on the campaign trail. His absence has put more of a spotlight on what was already the most competitive House race in New Jersey. But first there is today’s primary. Kean is running unopposed on the Republican side. Four Democrats are competing for the chance to unseat him:
Since March, Kean has missed more than 100 floor votes in the House while being treated for what his aides have called a “personal medical issue.” They have refused to describe the issue, beyond saying that he is expected to recover fully and return to work soon. He spoke to the political news site New Jersey Globe on May 21, saying that he expected to return to Congress and to his campaign “in the next couple of weeks.” His spokesman said last week that Kean had cast his ballot in the primary by mail. METROPOLITAN DIARY Passing through
Dear Diary: I had had an emotionally dense week in Connecticut selling off my late father’s belongings to pay for his funeral. I was stopping in New York to see my sister and some high school friends before heading home to California. I dragged two large duffel bags down the stairs of a subway station in Harlem, one filled with what had been treasures of my father’s and now belonged to me. Seeing a train about to depart, I resigned myself to missing it. I had no idea how to navigate the turnstiles with all that luggage. Just then, a younger guy kicked open the gate so I could pass. I followed him onto the train, where he let his foot hang in the doorway to make sure I made it. He caught my nod of thanks, put in his earbuds and jammed away. Many hours and pints with my friends later, I was standing on a different platform at 2 a.m., fueling up on coconut water and Doritos before retreating to my sister’s air mattress. Two punk-looking guys crossed my path. “Hey,” one of them said, “you look like you’d be a really good dad.” Somehow, New York always knows what you need. — Peter Mackell Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Tell us your New York story here and read more Metropolitan Diary here.
Glad we could get together here. See you tomorrow. — J.B. Davaughnia Wilson and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at nytoday@nytimes.com. |
