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2007-01-25 16:53:22 · 16 answers · asked by fusco1977 1 in Cars & Transportation Aircraft

16 answers

Yes, actually I'd say it's possible to purchase one within a year.

There are two prime developers that have the largest lead on the others, and they have take two different approaches to design.

One is the Moller Skycar (www.moller.com). It's a vertical take-off and landing (known as VTOL) that looks a lot like the Jetson's mobile. His primary obstacle is getting an infrastructure to support his new technology. Not to mention that unless you can land fairly close to your destination, it's not really useful for ground travel.

The other concept (which oddly enough happens to be my neighbor) is the Labiche FSC-1 (www.labicheaerospace.com). His concept was a true integration of car and plane. It still requires you to have a pilot's license, but is designed to allow you to drive up and convert by the push of a button so that you can take off from any airfield. Since there are thousands (~13,000) airfields in the U.S. alone, it makes it a rather good design because the infrastructure to support it is already there. And when the car lands, it is a sports car with some special features (more roomy, and one heck of a suspension).

I had been following the Moller Skycar for years, and didn't even know Labiche was two doors down from me for the first year he was there. I've started helping a little when I can with some small things, which is nice to be allowed to participate in the assembly stage.

I've spent many nights trying to find any flaw I could with his design, down to the smallest of details, and he has always been able to respond not only with the answer, but a stack of research to back up his answer and has never shied away from any question.

Feel free to write me if you want to talk about it further.

2007-01-26 02:58:17 · answer #1 · answered by Doob_age 3 · 0 0

Flying cars have been around for 50 years or more. The problem is that they're not very practical. The weight needed to make a car travelling at 65 mph stable is far too much for an airplane. To look up for reference: Molt Taylor's Sky Car, The Hammond Sky Car and although I can't remember the name, a Ford Pinto that was converted using a Cessna 336.

2007-01-26 19:48:58 · answer #2 · answered by Gordon B 4 · 0 0

Doubtful. The requirements for roadworthiness and airworthiness are too different. To get any sort of reasonable fuel economy in flight, you need a fair-size wingspan, and on the road the wings would be a considerable nuisance. Some designs have had detachable wings that you could leave at an airport; this helps, but doesn't address the weight of the mechanical transmission to drive wheels -- or to decouple the propeller.
Postscript: I note that someone has mentioned the Moller device. It is not a car, and cannot be used on the road. It is an aircraft, with negligible wingspan, which relies on blades (like a helicopter) to provide lift. Because the blades are small, the fuel consumption is horrendous.

2007-01-26 02:58:50 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Actually there already are "flying cars" it depends on what you consider it to be...I mean people have made transport that can hover off the ground that by definition would be a flying car...now in the sense of the Jetson's or what you see in Star Wars, unless aliens want to land here and share some serious technology than right now we have to resort to the sesna as the next best thing.

2007-01-26 01:02:00 · answer #4 · answered by Skinny 4 · 0 0

There sure is that possibility. Once they get the gravity thing worked out, get the logistics of takeoffs and landings worked out, sorting out who gets what altitiude, and figure out who is going to be the enforcer of all this stuff.

Seems to me they have the proximity detectors already so keeping everybody from crashing should be a cinch. And once up "there", with all the various altitudes one can have access to, seems like it should be pretty simple to avoid crackups. The landing and takeoffs would be the tricky part. But air-traffic controllers deal with it pretty good now, so it might not be such a big deal.

Possible? Sure. They are figuring out innovative things every day of the week and in 20 years it won't surprise me at all if they have flying cars.

2007-01-26 01:04:12 · answer #5 · answered by Gnome 6 · 0 1

The flying car is over 50 years old.
http://aerocar.com/

2007-01-26 01:15:26 · answer #6 · answered by David W 3 · 0 0

Flying cars are possible now. There's no market, and if there was, can you imagine how if people can't even drive right, how much chaos would be created with everyone FLYING?

2007-01-27 15:35:00 · answer #7 · answered by Me again 6 · 0 0

It's already possible, but it's not as simple as just making a car that can fly. The biggest issues are cost, safety, fuel consumption, ease of operation, air traffic seperation, and FAA regulations.

2007-01-26 07:07:01 · answer #8 · answered by Obelix 2 · 0 0

Nahh! the flying car should have been here already by now. What a disappointment, I've been waiting for years.
I've given up on the idea.

I'm talking about the kind you see in BLADERUNNER.

2007-01-26 00:59:08 · answer #9 · answered by SOL SIREN 2 · 0 0

In the next 20 years don't be surprise of any thing that's going to be made.

2007-01-26 02:56:11 · answer #10 · answered by I am women 6 · 0 0

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