It's not quite The Jetsons, but it is a major leap forward in transportation technology. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is partnering with NASA to plan for the future of aviation, where advanced technology cargo aircraft and passenger air taxi services become a reality.

MnDOT announced Monday this partnership will include a series of workshops where MnDOT and stakeholders from across the state work with NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility team to identify areas of opportunity and concern regarding Advanced Air Mobility integration, and discuss strategies for future engagement and planning. Partners from local governments, airport authorities and operators, universities, vehicle and subsystem manufacturers, infrastructure providers, workforce development organizations and others will also be present at these workshops, which are scheduled to begin in June.

“These new electric, vertical take-off aircraft are currently undergoing testing, maturing quickly, and represent the future of a greener, more adaptable aviation option in Minnesota,” said Cassandra Isackson, MnDOT office of Aeronautics director. “Advanced Air Mobility services show great promise to provide localized aviation services that are broadly accessible, equitable, sustainable, and serve all Minnesotans. We look forward to working with NASA and a broad range of local experts to help Minnesota plan for these new technologies.”

MIX 108 logo
Get our free mobile app

Advanced Air Mobility is a program whose mission is "to help emerging aviation markets to safely develop an air transportation system that moves people and cargo between places previously not served or underserved by aviation – local, regional, intraregional, urban – using revolutionary new aircraft that are only just now becoming possible."

Minnesota is one of five government entities chosen to participate in aviation planning workshops with NASA. I think is an intriguing travel option that will certainly take some getting used to for people, but based on the video above it certainly appears to be an efficient way to move around versus traditional road travel.

16 Strange Travel-Related Things That Have Happened On Minnesota / Wisconsin Roads

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

MIX 108 logo
Get our free mobile app

LOOK: Oldest Disneyland Rides From 1955 to Today

Stacker, set out to compile a definitive list of every Disneyland attraction you can enjoy today and ranked them by their age. Using real-time data from Touring Plans, Disney archives, and historical news releases and reviews, our list starts with exciting recent park additions and stretches back to the oldest opening-day classics. This list focuses on the original Disneyland Park, so you will not see any rides from its neighboring California Adventure located just across the promenade. Read on to discover the oldest Disneyland rides you can still ride today.

 

 

More From MIX 108