> I think the chances “flying taxis” become a thing before fully autonomous cars is actually pretty high.
Not sure. They will become profitable only at a point where you can sell many flying taxis, at which point the airspace becomes crowded and the problem becomes harder than autonomous cars.
If they are truly autonomous, then you could just manage the airspace centrally and tightly as would happen with a city full of autonomous cars. That extra dimension to work with provides a lot more leeway.
You can't really fly one helicopter under another due to downdrafts. At least you need a lot of vertical separation. Any flying machine creates a "wake" which is many times larger than the actual vehicle.
Not sure. They will become profitable only at a point where you can sell many flying taxis, at which point the airspace becomes crowded and the problem becomes harder than autonomous cars.