Product design for a vertical takeoff and landing flying car

Design a car that can fly, lifting off and touching down vertically rather than using a runway. ```hint Pick the trip before the machine Think about which specific journeys vertical flight makes much better than driving, and let that choice decide who rides, where it lands and what it must cost. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is the vehicle sold to people who fly it themselves, or operated as part of a ride-hailing network like Lyft's? - Must it also drive on roads, or only fly between landing sites? - Can the design assume a pilot on board, or should it be autonomous from the start? - Should the design be buildable with today's technology, or target a product several years away? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A chosen customer and trip type where vertical flight clearly beats ground transport, with the reasoning. - Pain points along the whole journey, including getting to and from the landing site. - Prioritized design decisions for both the vehicle and the service around it: capacity, range, pilot or autonomy, landing sites, noise. - Success metrics, and the safety, certification, noise and cost constraints that limit the design. - A first version and rollout path that is realistic about what must be true first. ### Follow-up Questions - Residents near your landing sites complain about noise. How does that change the design or the network? - How would you price a flight, and who would the first paying customers be? - How would the product fit into an existing ride-hailing app so the trips to and from the landing site feel seamless?