[squeakynick]

Half of these designs are simply scaled up drones which, according to simple physics and engineering, is the wrong direction.

Details: http://datagenetics.com/blog/february62019/index.html

How can organisations this large get it so wrong? When is someone going to tell them that the Emperor is not wearing any clothes?

[nomel]

I think multi-rotor is a great safety feature, especially if they're partitioned into separate power systems. It would almost require intention to design something like the Volocopter without the ability to soft land in the case of an emergency.

The link you provided mentions this in an odd way:

> With a single engine helicopter you don’t have this redundancy. However, on engine failure, the single massive disk of the helicopter is an asset. ... Close to the ground, this stored kinetic energy can be traded, through pulling up the cyclic, to allow a safe landing. This is called autorotation, and is practiced by all helicopter pilots.

The air taxi that succeeds, at any sort of scale, will not be meant or designed for skilled helicopter pilots pulling levers, at the right moment, as they speed towards the ground. They will be dumb, cheap to service, unskilled to fly, and have more than one point of failure.

[jotm]

> pulling levers, at the right moment, as they speed towards the ground

I think this could be automated?

[nomel]

Sure [1], but safety through redundancy is much easier than automation.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLIo8jO9VUU