# Reinventing Mobility Paradigms: Flying Car Scenarios and Challenges for Urban Mobility
## 2 Main Features of Flying Cars and Air Urban Mobility Cases
### Air Urban Mobility Scenario  
In the following, the selected scenarios refer to situations in which flying cars are used also within cities and in both flying and ground modes. In the other cases (only inter-city and/or inter-region journeys, without ground and/or within-city circulation), they have the same role as current helicopters or private jets and are not relevant for the aims of this paper. Generally speaking, three main cases could be expected, namely:  
1. Point-to-point services between origin/destination prefixed points, mainly flying mode (Figure 2);
2. Long/medium-distance trips, flying mode for the longer legs and ground mode within cities (Figure 3);
3. Short/medium-distance trips, also within cities, by combining flying and ground modes (Figure 4).  
Figure 2: Case A: Point-to-point services between pre-fixed points.  
Case A  
Figure 2 represents transport services to/from relevant places (such as hospitals, ports, airports, other transport terminals) from/to suitable collecting areas (e.g., parking areas close to terminals or located into the city) by certified transport operators. Service is realized by a restricted number of circulating vehicles that follow planned routes. Landing and take-off activities are planned depending on authorized flight plans and occur only at approved areas, such as collecting areas in some suitable city zones or parking areas.  
Case B  
Figure 3 refers to long/medium-distance inter-city trips. External or dedicated roads lead to separated take-off/landing areas (CTOL or VTOL) where vehicles start/end the flying leg of the journey, which is also the longer one. If take-off/landing areas are within the urban area, there are proper flying-car terminals, from which suitable, separated routes lead to urban roads. Shorter distances within the city are covered by ground mode. Flying-mode and ground-mode operations are completely separated. Specifically, within cities, only the ground mode is allowed, apart from transport services provided, as in scenario A, if planned. Range and endurance for the flying leg should be suitably computed in order to plan a safe journey between inter-city origin/destination points.  
Case C  
Figure 4 shows a free-flight scenario--i.e., flying cars move both within cities and between city pairs. Again, the computation of range and endurance is relevant for a safe trip, both for the between-city and within-city legs. Within-city trips are allowed almost everywhere, although take-off/landing operations occur only at dedicated areas suitably linked to the main roads where only ground mode is allowed.  
Figure 4: Case C: Short/medium-distance trips, flying and ground modes within cities.  
Figure 3: Case B: Long/medium-distance inter-city trips.  
Case C has been selected for simulating UAM scenarios because it can include the main features of both cases A and B. In fact, on the one hand, case A is a particular configuration of case C, where only shared flying car services are authorized. On the other hand, case B is included in case C again as a particular case where flying cars can take-off and land only in specific areas, which are at city boundaries or in separated terminal areas.