[kgilpin]

If an aircraft can’t glide or autorotate then I don’t understand how it can be safe at low altitudes. Because whole plane parachutes (BRS) have a minimum altitude required to open successfully, and that altitude is a lot higher than anyone would care to drop.

Airplanes have energy from their forward motion. Helicopters have energy in their rotor blades. This energy can be used to soften a crash landing. Without this available energy, and without a parachute, then how do you soften a crash and survive?

People say that electric motors are so reliable... But batteries can spontaneously combust.

I would like to know how these aircraft are safe enough to be treated the same as a taxi ride.

[nradov]

The usual approach is to use a rocket to accelerate parachute deployment so that it's usable at lower altitudes. But even so there may be a "dead zone" in part of the flight envelope.

[ngoel36]

These are fixed wing, so they glide like airplanes. They will also have a BRS unlike helicopters. Additionally, the elctric rotors are independent, so there is built in redundancy. All of this results in a significantly safer aircraft.

[rorykoehler]

Perhaps we could borrow ideas from bicycle helmets and airbags to create an emergency mechanism which absorbs most of the impact?