Head of Uber Elevate Eric Allison to Provide View of Aviation’s Future at NBAA-BACE

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) announced that Eric Allison, head of the Elevate initiative at rideshare pioneer Uber Technologies, Inc., will return as a featured Day two  Keynote speaker at the 2019 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), taking place Oct. 22-24 in Las Vegas, NV.

Allison, who led a headline-driving keynote presentation at last year’s NBAA-BACE, joined Uber Elevate in 2018 to spearhead Uber’s efforts to bring its ridesharing business to the air through a network of all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Uber plans to launch this product, Uber Air, into commercial operation by 2023.

“Uber Elevate and its partners are at the forefront of developing new aircraft types and technologies to make urban on-demand transportation a reality,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We welcome this opportunity to hear more about how Uber Elevate is transforming the aviation industry and creating new opportunities across exciting new market segments.”

Over the past year, Uber Elevate has continued to hone its operating model, working to develop practical UAM vehicles with several partner companies, including Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing company; Bell; EmbraerX; Karem Aircraft; Pipistrel Vertical Solutions; and Jaunt Air Mobility. The company unveiled several proposed Uber Air Skyport design concepts this summer and named Melbourne, Australia as a new UAM test city, joining previously announced locations in Los Angeles, CA and Dallas, TX.

Allison is a recipient of the Ballhaus prize for best Ph.D. thesis, and the grand prize at the Stanford BASES E-Challenge competition. He currently serves on the NASA Advisory Council Aeronautics Committee.