More than 100 years after the world’s first commercial passenger flight traveled from St. Pete to Tampa, history on the route was made once again. Today, the inaugural all-electric air taxi flights flew from Albert Whitted Airport in St. Pete to Tampa International Airport.
Notably, the dual flights between two types of craft from two different companies included an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that takes off like a helicopter before flying more like a traditional plane. While the technology is only now starting to enter potential public use, today’s organizers view this as an advancement, and a moment, that will “revolutionize aviation,” in much the same way as Tony Jannus’s 1914 flight across Tampa Bay. You can see our video from the flight here.
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Jannus, whose historic flight was taken aboard a plane with a 75-horsepower engine, would hardly recognize the battery-powered, multi-engine craft that take off, fly and land almost silently. Just as it was for that first ticketed passenger flight, today’s launch comes with equal parts promise and uncertainty. That original flight launched an industry that connected the world and grew to billions in worth. Those present for today’s flight believe this new technology will have a similar impact.
“Today, we are revisiting that same route in a way [Jannus] could hardly have imagined,” St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said. “As this technology develops, it could transform how people and goods move through Tampa Bay and beyond.”
Joby Aviation launched its eVTOL craft to start the historic flight, followed by the all-electric plane from BETA Technologies that takes off using a standard runway. The two flew in formation alongside a traditional helicopter on their way to land at TPA, where more officials, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, awaited their arrival.
The teams behind the craft espoused their many benefits. For starters, they are cheaper to produce, easier to maintain, and non-intrusive audibly, all thanks to their fully electric power systems. For municipalities and private entities, that makes them more realistic, and for commercial airlines, cheaper craft means more routes. In emergencies, they can also be operated more quickly. The Joby team touted their craft’s ability to go from fully powered down to in the sky in as little as 20 seconds.
Meanwhile, the eVTOL craft could potentially revolutionize how, where and when aircraft are used. Without a need for runways, they can take off and land anywhere with enough open space to fit their relatively small bodies. “Vertiports” would offer a place for eVTOL traffic to come and go, while any traditional helipad or open space could function as a landing and takeoff pad.
And because they are relatively quiet – Joby describes the noise level as being “quiet as a conversation” – they could enter residential areas without being intrusive. One of the eVTOLs could land in your cul-de-sac and take you on a quick flight to Orlando without your neighbors ever noticing. Joby and BETA both make eVTOL craft, though BETA’s was not part of this inaugural flight.
The potential uses range from rescue missions and supply transport during natural disasters and emergencies to having an easy way to get to a Rays or Bucs game that doesn’t require navigating the Howard Frankland Bridge. Leadership on both sides of Tampa Bay has praised the potential and expressed excitement at added connectivity for the region.
There are no immediate plans to begin public use and transport, but today’s flight started the countdown to when that day comes.
Ed Montanari, the chair of St. Pete’s Advanced Air Mobility Task Force, compared today’s inaugural flight to the one taking the same route more than a century ago, declaring, “The future is now.”
“It was a short flight, but it changed the world,” Montanari said.
