Guys, your flying cars are here

[scotpens]

^^ Uh, was that supposed to be funny? I just found it incredibly annoying.

At any rate, the guy is talking out of his ass when he mentions JFK’s “man on the moon” speech and says “Nobody had started working on the space program at that point.” When Kennedy made that speech in September of 1962, America had put several unmanned satellites in orbit and there had already been four successful manned Project Mercury missions.

 

[Sandoval]

Randall is a legend.

 

[Sandoval]

^^ Uh, was that supposed to be funny?

No, that's clearly meant to be a hard-hitting and thought-provoking documentary.

 

[Trekker4747]

^^ Uh, was that supposed to be funny? I just found it incredibly annoying.

At any rate, the guy is talking out of his ass when he mentions JFK’s “man on the moon” speech and says “Nobody had started working on the space program at that point.” When Kennedy made that speech in September of 1962, America had put several unmanned satellites in orbit and there had already been four successful manned Project Mercury missions.

A) Yes, it's supposed to be funny.

B) Yes, manned space-flight existed in 1962 but the idea of a man going to the moon even being possible was hardly on anyone's mind and it required brand-new engineering thinking, design and construction.

 

[scotpens]

Yes, manned space-flight existed in 1962 but the idea of a man going to the moon even being possible was hardly on anyone's mind and it required brand-new engineering thinking, design and construction.

The possibility of going to the moon was on a lot of people’s minds in 1962. Mine, for one.

 

[Lindley]

Let's see:
1. It doesn't have five seats.

The Transition is balancing on a knife's edge to achieve both legality under Light Sport rules and highway rules. The legal tangles are one of the biggest obstacles, really. One of the Light Sport rules is, two seats maximum.

2. It can't lift off vertically.
6. It's illegal and dangerous to lift off in the middle of the traffic.

Probably impractical in the immediate future, unless there's a fundamental technological development forthcoming. The only real VTOL tech we have is fan-based, and that poses safety problems for nearby vehicles and people.

3. It flies too slowly.

Agreed. I would prefer another 30 knots at least for cruise.

4. It drives too slowly.

I haven't actually checked those stats.

5. It doesn't fly too far away.

Sure it does. Just not all at once, same as any light aircraft. Don't expect to be crossing any oceans in it.

7. It requires a pilot's license.

So go get one, it's not that hard. Especially under Light Sport rules.

8. It's too light so you better don't find yourself in a car crash.

Highway crash test safety was one of the major regulatory hurdles. I'm presuming they came up with an acceptable compromise on that front.

10. It's neither electric, nor fusion-powered.

If you think this has a short range now, just imagine how short it would be on pure electric....

11. It doesn't have an autopilot working during driving, lift off, flying, and landing.

You'll have to talk to Google about a "driving" autopilot. The rest can be done, it's just expensive to install the equipment. Also, the pilot still has to be at least competent and minimally involved for regulatory reasons.

12. It looks too nerdy to attract females.

If you can't attract females with your own personal airplane, you're doing it wrong.

13. It's not a submarine.

Excellent point.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

I fear that a flying car would have to get at least some of those to become popular. It has be a good car, a good plane or at least a good compromise between the two that gives advantage to enough people for them to choose it. It's a bit sad that it's impossible for us to use fission for such thing, you might be having extremely fast flying SUVs cruising over the pacific in reasonable times.

I'm still unsure if this has any real selling points... Granted, I'd buy it, but unfortunately I'm not people.

 

[Lindley]

Give it a 200 knot cruise and it might be worth the price tag. That's asking a lot of a compromise design, of course.

As far as range goes, 500-600 miles is more than sufficient for the way something this size would be used.

 

[sojourner]

Not sure how fission would help. The power to weight ratio isn't there. Unless by fission you meant explosive propulsion, which might be problematic.

 

[scotpens]

The only real VTOL tech we have is fan-based, and that poses safety problems for nearby vehicles and people.

There are also vectored-thrust turbojets, like the Harrier. But I imagine they guzzle way too much fuel to be practical for an aircraft/road vehicle combo. Not to mention the noise!

 

[sojourner]

I'd rather have a hoverbike.

 

[scotpens]

^^ I’ve been informed that I had a previously unknown great-uncle who left me a $500,000 inheritance. Funny, I never knew I had relatives in Nigeria.

Anyway, after I pay a small processing fee and the check comes through, I’ll be more than glad to invest in the Hoverbike!

 

[sojourner]

Follow the family tree back far enough and I think everyone has relatives in Nigeria.

 

[scotpens]

^^ More like Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia, actually.

 

[sojourner]

Close enough.

 

[Gary7]

Here's a VTOL one:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgHSaNtAMjs[/yt]

Obviously, a drivable fold-up helicopter.

Edit: Scratch that. It's not a VTOL. Its rotor blades are not engine powered, but powered by the aerodynamic forces of the rushing air when it's moving forward propelled by a standard aircraft-like propeller on it's back.

It's actually an aircraft-helicopter hybrid. Looks like a helicopter, but essentially behaves like an airplane. Interesting nevertheless.

Of all the "flying car" solutions I've seen, this is the best. Yes, it's small, and might not accommodate more than 2 people, but it's a step in the right direction. That monstrosity with it's huge fold-up wings that have terrible ground clearance in the retracted position is not nearly as versatile as the auto-gyro.

 

[trekkiedane]

Anyway, I always like to post this video whenever the whole flying car thing comes up..


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1SjH0covZo

I'd never seen that before! -love how perfectly it illustrates why none of us are comfortable with letting our neighbors have one.

Nevertheless, What's wrong with the Zorglumobile?

It even comes with built in hands free phone-technology:

And the model works:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8bVm4Q1kuk[/yt]
(Notice how beautifully it retracts the wheels)​

Sure, it's just a glorified 'quadrotor', and a coupé at that, but growing up on a steady diet of Franquin that's how I feel a 'flying car' should look

Almost forgot: here's how to build one.

 

[publiusr]

More flying contraptions
http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.a...ec9cPost:ee5d4cec-2142-4a5b-bc61-38faa193bff9
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/...an-made-multicopter-flying-machine-on-its-way
http://io9.com/5909263/the-coolest-airship-pictures-youve-ever-seen?tag=retro-future
http://www.airspacemag.com/multimedia/Folk-Aviators.html