Latest news with #TheJetsons'
New York Post
09-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Electric air taxi firm Joby Aviation eyes White House landing, but has deep ties to anti-Trump billionaire Reid Hoffman
An electric air taxi company with a craft straight out of 'The Jetsons' — which it hopes to touch down on the White House lawn later this year — is in the final sprint for certifications to begin flying commercially, The Post has learned. Joby Aviation has scored federal approvals and contracts and hopes to begin taking passengers by early 2026 after scooping up hundreds of millions of dollars in investments from companies including Uber, Toyota and Delta. The sleek, four-passenger flying taxis, also known as eVTOLs, can both take off and land vertically and top out at speeds of 200 miles per hour. Advertisement 6 An electric air taxi company — with dreams of landing one of its vehicles on the White House lawn later this year — is in the final sprint for certifications to begin flying its craft commercially, but is facing some political headwinds. Bloomberg via Getty Images Last fall, the Santa Cruz, Calif.-based aerospace company even rolled out a prototype to display in Grand Central Station, claiming that it could have New Yorkers bypass a congested cab or subway ride to JFK Airport from lower Manhattan in fewer than seven minutes. But some Republicans and people close to the Trump administration have said Joby's financial ties to billionaire Reid Hoffman — who threw his weight behind Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election campaign after backing lawsuits against Trump — are a problem for the firm. Advertisement One source said Joby 'attempting to publicly and privately lobby the White House' was a non-starter given its financial backing by a 'Trump-hater who funded the E. Jean Carroll weaponization lawsuit against President Trump.' 6 Some Republicans and sources close to the president's administration have said its financial ties to Hoffman, who threw his weight behind Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election after backing lawsuits against Trump. Getty Images Another person close to the president said Joby's 'ties to Reid Hoffman, someone who funded political prosecutions of Donald Trump' were 'concerning.' And a Senate Republican aide also claimed that some lawmakers on Capitol Hill were 'skeptical of taking meetings' with Joby, 'especially given Hoffman's attacks on Trump and [Elon] Musk.' Advertisement 'The anonymous claims are ill-informed and inaccurate,' a Joby spokesperson told The Post Friday. 'Joby is a proudly American company and global leader, employing over 2000 engineers and other experts, across 40 different US states, and our pioneering aircraft are designed, built and assembled in America. 'From being the first company to deliver an air taxi to the Department of Defense to being the first air taxi to fly a demonstration flight in New York City, the progress we've made and the support we've received reflects the work of our incredible engineers, not the politics of any individuals. 6 The LinkedIn cofounder remains one of the larger stakeholders in Joby with more than 30 million shares, per its latest quarterly SEC filings. Bloomberg via Getty Images 'We have been actively engaged with the Administration, including the White House, DOT and legislators on certification—as is appropriate for any company pursuing a first-of-its-kind FAA approval. We've received strong, bipartisan support across the board. We've also been consistent advocates for many of the priorities that DOT and FAA are championing, including air traffic control modernization and ensuring that eVTOL technology is commercialized here in the US.' Advertisement Joby went public nearly four years ago as part of a SPAC deal with Hoffman's blank-check company Reinvent Technology Partners, which was also headed up by Zynga founder Mark Pincus. 'The Jetsons now become real,' Hoffman crowed to Bloomberg Technology in an August 2021 interview. 'It's Uber meets Tesla in the air — and that can transform space, people's commutes, stop gridlock and have that not have the climate impact.' The Reinvent deal helped seed Joby with more than $1 billion as it began pursuing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certifications, CNBC reported. 6 Getty Images Hoffman had served on Joby's board from the 2020 merger until 2024, but stepped down last year. The LinkedIn cofounder remains a large stakeholder in the company with more than 30 million shares, per its latest quarterly SEC filings last month. During the 2024 election, Hoffman donated more than $7 million to a pro-Harris super PAC after having bankrolled legal funding for Carroll's sex abuse civil suit against Trump through his nonprofit American Future Republic. Advertisement 6 'If our thesis on a company like Joby is accurate you're going to have the first, new transportation modality in 50-plus years — and it's going to happen in this term,' said investor Michael Thompson on the 'Citizen Podcast' last month. Joby Aviation He was replaced on the board last year by Michael Thompson, a Miami Beach-based investor who also helped establish Reinvent Technology Partners. Thompson donated $200,000 to Musk's America PAC to help re-elect Trump in June 2024, Federal Election Commission filings show, and has been bullish about Joby's opportunities in Trump's second term. 'If our thesis on a company like Joby is accurate, you're going to have the first new transportation modality in 50-plus years — and it's going to happen in this term,' Thompson predicted on the 'Citizen Podcast' last month. Advertisement 6 Other leading eVTOL makers include Beta Technologies and Archer Aviation. Joby Aviation Thompson recounted how the 'moment for many Americans that air travel became tangible' was when President William Howard Taft watched a member of the Wright Brothers flight school take off from the South Lawn in 1911. 'We're hoping to replicate that this year and fly the Joby off of the White House lawn,' he said. Advertisement Other leading eVTOL makers include Beta Technologies and Archer Aviation. The White House, FAA and Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Orlando could start to resemble ‘The Jetsons' with flying cars from airport site as soon as 2028
ORLANDO, Fla. — Like something you'd see in the utopian future of TV's 'The Jetsons,' Orlando International Airport is trying to realize a long-desired dream of bringing flying cars to the region. The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority on Wednesday took steps toward that future by seeking partners to develop and operate a flying car landing pad — called a vertiport — at the airport. The invitation is expected to publish in March with a 2028 target for a finished product. The airport expects to put the vertiport on land in the East Airfield region on the northeast side or land on the south side near the train station, according to a news release. Airport spokesperson Angela Starke said by email that inviting partners will help the airport gather information such as costs to build the vertiport. At present the aviation authority has no budget for the project. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, a member of the aviation authority, said the city is a global leader in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) — the technology behind flying cars — and having the hub at the airport makes sense. 'We envision the airport to be a multimodal hub of the future,' Dyer said. 'That means expanding the SunRail to the airport, Brightline from there to Tampa and making sure we have readied the airport as a vertihub of the future.' He said vertiports may help manage the city's growth, but that's much farther off. He envisions starting with a four- to six-passenger vehicle operating out of the airport and eventually corridors for flying cars will follow. The small aircraft are expected to use electric power, and take off and land vertically. 'You can't just have a vertiport at the airport, you have to have places for the vehicles to go from the airport to downtown Orlando or Tampa,' Dyer said. 'I think before we see 'The Jetsons' this is going to be developed slowly.' But not too slowly, if the mayor has his way. After the first vertiport is established at the airport in three years, he said another in the downtown area is a real possibility soon after. Eventually he hopes to have a manufacturing facility in the city as well. For years Orlando has been working to become the nation's first city with a vertiport — but previous attempts haven't taken flight. A contract announced in 2020 between German flying car company Lilium Air Mobility and Lake Nona developer Tavistock ended before fulfilling its promise to have vehicles in Orlando by 2025. In 2021, Orlando partnered with NASA to establish a plan for how advanced air mobility could potentially be integrated into the city, but excitement died down over three years and nothing moved forward. It wasn't until 2024 that the idea was again propelled forward by key players including the Federal Aviation Administration. In February of that year, Lilium announced it was interested in establishing a vertiport hub at the airport. While Lilium doesn't have a contract with the airport yet, Starke said by email the announcement of negotiations for a vertiport hub may move the project along. She said the airport is working alongside the FAA. In October, the FAA took a critical step forward when it issued a final rule for qualifications and training for AAM pilots and instructors. Then in November, the airport hosted a two-day tabletop exercise sponsored by the FAA focused on operating rules, aircraft certification and more. Dyer said the one thing that could slow down progress is the FAA. 'A lot of the timing hinges on the development of rules and regulations by the FAA,' he said. 'They're responsible for things like developing routes or how they integrate with traffic control systems that we already have at airports so there's a lot going into it before we have 'The Jetsons' flying around.' Outside of Orlando, vertiports and flying vehicles are finding support, as well. Earlier this month Jared Perdue, secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, expressed his backing for advanced air mobility, which would involve establishing vertiports in urban areas that could serve as hubs for short aerial commutes by battery-powered aircraft that have characteristics of airplanes and helicopters. And a bill filed in January by state Sen. Gayle Harrel, R-Stuart, would provide sales tax exemptions on the sale or lease of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft or flying cars. ----------
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
LA's Love Of Cars Led To The Wacky, Eye-Catching Googie Architecture Style For Roadside Businesses
The term Googie architecture — pronounced GOO-gee with hard G's — is probably foreign to you, but you are almost certainly familiar with buildings that exemplify the style. This distinctive kind of architecture is characterized by cantilevered roofs, swooping curves, dramatic angles, large sheets of plate glass, starburst details, effervescent color palettes, and neon signage. It's widely considered to have originated in Los Angeles, California in the mid-twentieth century, and it became popular with roadside businesses looking to catch the attention and money of LA's ever-increasing population of motorists as they sped by. Though the polarizing and arguably tacky architectural trend first started gaining popularity in Los Angeles during the economic boom following World War II, it soon spread across the country. The unique nomenclature of this architectural movement originated as the name of a restaurant in LA. Iconic architect John Lautner designed the ultra-modern building that became home to Googies coffee shop, located on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights in West Hollywood. Googies was a hit among Hollywood stars like Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Dennis Hopper, but traditional architecture critics and fans bemoaned the building's unserious, tacky style. Douglas Haskell, an architecture critic, wrote negative things about this new style of architecture and its trendy, ephemeral nature, but by doing so he actually popularized the Googie architecture term. LA was the perfect place for this burgeoning new architectural style. The polarizing aspects of Googie architecture were intentionally employed by roadside businesses like diners, car washes, and motels to snatch the attention of passing motorists. The bright lights and exaggerated signage clearly and unmistakably communicated the nature of these businesses and the services they offered. Examples include the iconic towering Arby's cowboy hat sign on Sunset Boulevard, and much of the Las Vegas strip. Googie architecture and its exciting and inspiring designs likely wouldn't have grown to popularity without LA's automotive infatuation. Googie architecture's rise was also fueled by the space race. Cantilevered structures recall floating or flying saucers and rocket ships, and the frequency of futuristic starbursts, atomic shapes, and rocket-like fins also referenced the zany zeitgeist of the era. The sixties space-age cartoon 'The Jetsons' incorporated Googie style in its depiction of a futuristic utopia, with many of the buildings looking remarkably similar to the Seattle Space Needle. The wonder and optimism of that era of American history aligned perfectly with the flashy, exciting development of Googie architecture, and the style really blasted off. As we've come to understand in modern society, trends are increasingly fleeting. The polarizing nature of Googie architecture grew outdated, and many Googie-style structures have been razed to make way for new trending design fads, but thankfully not all. There are still many remaining examples of the style across the country, but Los Angeles really loves its Googie structures. The oldest remaining McDonald's still occupies its original early Googie design that was constructed in the city of Downey in 1953 thanks to the advocacy of architecture fans. The giant Arby's cowboy hat sign that has caught the attention of innumerable LA locals and troves of tourists that drive along LA's iconic Sunset Boulevard in rented Mustang convertibles was recently preserved thanks to community outcry despite Arby's selling the property. One of the first things that tourists from around the world see when they land at Los Angeles International Airport is the Theme Building, a zany ufo-shaped structure that stands tall in the middle of the airport property, and as they drive away from LAX (or more realistically sit in traffic after leaving LAX), they likely pass another early Googie icon, Pann's Diner on La Tijera Boulevard. In Burbank, the Bob's Big Boy Broiler is still wildly popular and home to frequent car shows, and it's one of, if not the earliest Googie-style building, dating back to 1949. Whether you see these kitschy, impossible-to-ignore structures as sacrilegious to the ancient art of architecture or you think they're the just bees knees, the impact that Googie architecture has had on American and global culture is undeniable. I made it this far in the blog without mentioning that I'm an LA native, but as a native Angeleno, I grew up being enchanted by these buildings, and I never considered that they wouldn't exist without cars. I think the world needs more whimsical designs rather than austere and sterile spaces, so I am grateful for the flashy exciting designs that are affectionately referred to as Googie architecture. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
