Flying Car Takes Successful Flight

[Marcus Yam]

Ever since the invention of the automobile and airplane, there had to have been someone who figured combining both into one would be an amazing idea. After all, it didn’t take Back to the Future Part II to convince us that a flying (let alone time traveling) car would be ingenious.

Flying Car Takes Successful Flight : Read more

 

[Tekkamanraiden]

Apparently this is what you get when you mate a Cessna with a VW bug.

 

[megamike]

I don't see these as a common, everyday use type of vehicle, just for LONG daily commutes, weekend getaways or other special long distance travel. And since the driver/pilot has to have a specific pilot's license, he'll have to file flight plans and follow all other aviation rules.

It sure looks like everything was thought through when designing this 'vehicle.' I especially like the fact that you can pull up to a regular gas station to fill it up! I LOVE it and I sure would like one, if I could afford the price tag!

3 questions:
1> What's the 'on the road' mileage?
2> What's the size of the fuel tank?
3> Does it do aerobatics?

 

[davidpenman]

Haha, the future is here! One small bump on the road and it would screw up the airplane part of it.

 

[Farfolomew]

They mentioned this in Popular Science a year ago. It's not meant to be something you can transform at a whim and take off on a public road. That would be just silly, not to mention violate about every FAA rule out there.

It's meant to be used as something you can pull out of your Garage with, drive to the closest municipal airport, take off, land at yoru destination airport, then drive to wherever you need to go.

While the market for it will undoubtedly be small, I do think there still is one though.

 

[LATTEH]

i dont think i would want flying cars because the people cuting me off will be cuting me off at 10,000 feet

 

[grimreality]

Flying cars will never take off (pun intended) until they can maneuver like they can in Back to the Future II or the Fifth Element. At that point everybody would have to learn how to fly and new air traffic laws would need to be passed and hopefully we'll have some sort of autopilot system that can drive/fly better than we can.

 

[MoUsE-WiZ]

"While it’ll be some time before anyone will have a real flying car on the road"

I'm not sure that it's logically possible to have a flying car on the road.

 

[shovel]

These are cute ideas, but they will never take off!

Seriously - no way can avarage joe be trusted to fly a car - I see future road(& sky) travel as being completely controlled by computers/controllers. Automation is the only way average Joe is going to be able fly around in his car.

 

[Hapcorrolr]

Terrafuglia Transition?

 

[cl_spdhax1]

I want to see a cop chase me now!

 

[alert101]

Terrorist + bomb = scary
Terrorist + bomb + car = more scary
Terrorist + bomb + flying car = terrorist field day

 

[Dmerc]

Lets hope my company installs an air strip at the office so I could miss morning rush hour

 

[Guest]

For those who say it will never take off... you never know!

Look around, many things had become reality as technology advances, and we (or people in tha past) thought they were joke! This invention/evolution might not seem pratical today but we may look at it differently after a long improvement.

and about FAA, new rules must be in place, just like we keep updating every other rule. When cars invented 100 yrs ago, would anyone expect to see traffic light coming in our way? I'm sure that not just the new rules, vehicle sensors and controlling equips will be different requirement, too.

the movie Blade Runner is a more realistic example. It may not fly fast (to run very fast still in car mode) but it provides conveniences in 3D space living in a metropolis city. some criminals may take advantage of it, but so does the police cars.

 

[eddieroolz]

I don't think this would be too practical. How would you land it safely without the structured order that pilots face at the airpot?

 

[Guest]

and IMO, this does not replace regular cars and aircrafts:

- to go fast and long distance in the air, helicopters and airplanes are still the way to go in practice and best economy.

- car still the best option if we talking about simple maintenance, weight/towing capacity, and outside of city cars probably get speed and better MPG in most of the case.

 

[afrobacon]

Sure would help with the long trip to work every morning; as long as you don't get caught at least.

 

[demonhorde665]

i think the nay sayers are not seriously thinking about this ... granted note very one can get a pilot license .. but for teh record NON comerical adn NON militaryn pilot licenses DO NOT REQUIRE the eagle eyes or tehtechnicallknow how that the militarya dn comercial flying requires. you can get a personal flying license that allows you to A: fly yourself and or B: fly cargo , and these licenses don't have the requirements that a military or comercial pilot license requires.


given this fact i can easily see this becomignthe future perhaps not in my life time but some time down the road it WILL happen , in some form or another.

 

[chunkymonster]

I think flying cars with this foldable wing is hack 1950's retro order a model kit out of the back Popular Mechanics design. The Moller SkyCar is a much more elegant design and what a flying car should look like. If the laws allowed I would buy an M150 SkyCar today!

 

[Guest]

I'm also concearned! With all these DUI drivers, what wreckage could they cause [strikethrough]driving[/strikethrough] flying a car into a house?

Also, a flat tire due to not maintaining a car is no big deal,as long as you're not driving on the highway@75mph or up! I can't begin to imagine a car with a wing breaking off.. or having a flat tire trying to land.

Accidents where now people can still survive, will they still @ 1000ft in the air?
Can you imagine tens of those vehicles flying above your head every day?
What if it gets into the hands of those johnny guys wanting to show off, throwing things out of their car for fun, and drive/fly recklessly?

I think it's a nice concept but never will get to the mass market.

Perhaps small villages and in airports, for those who are rich enough to afford one.