Didn't take long to knock this up with a few off-cuts that were lying around the 'shop, and I ask Monty to step up with suggestions of his own. He's frankly annoyed that the sidesticks have been removed, but I point out that this prototype is designed for passengers instead of pilots.
It will eventually operate in three modes: SCOTTIE, DATA or SPOCK. Our AI offering will be the eponymous DATA, who like Netflix will surprise you with inspirational places to visit. It may suggest a mystery tour, to which you'd reply "Make it so" to initiate flight.
SCOTTIE involves human intervention, like say when you wish to be elevated to your skiing lodge where the instructor awaits. Strapped in at ground-level and good to go, the command over the 'phone will be to "Beam me up, Scottie".
In contrast, SPOCK is aimed at control-freaks who'd bring along a bluetooth-enabled flight-pad to satisfy their need for speed. The command to the Siri-based avionics suite on board will be "I have control" to which the vehicle will respond "You have control Sir" as I used to say to my air-force instructors.
That's the dream, and now all that remains to do is to make it happen. Or as Thoreau put it, "You've built castles in the air... now put foundations under them."
