When Will Flying Taxis Get Off the Ground?

Wisk is developing an automated flying taxi that would seat four passengers but has no pilot on board. Photos by Carolyn Fong for The Wall Street Journal

There's a lot of buzz about flying taxis, even though none are buzzing overhead.

Investors are pouring capital into start-ups racing to develop new electric aircraft that take off and land vertically like a helicopter but fly horizontally like an airplane. Major airlines are investing in some of these start-ups, betting that they will one day zip passengers between airports and city centers much faster than cars or public transit.