Were are the flying cars we're suppose to have now?

Question

Didn't the scientists say we would have flying cars in the new century?

Answer 1

"Flying car" can mean two things:

1--It can mean a personal aircraft that can take off and land vertically and operate out of your backyard or a nearby field. There are people who live at "airparks" and have hangars attached to their houses. The aircraft involved is a normal light airplane. This cannot become widespread because it requires a trainload of money and huge amounts of real estate.

But people have often dreamed of having a new-tech aircraft of some kind that can park in the garage and take off from the driveway. At present, there are several technical and practical barriers to such an aircraft.

2--It can mean a vehicle that can operate either as an automobile or as an airplane. There are similar impassable barriers to this idea, as well.

First, there is an engineering problem. The characteristics that make a good airplane and those that make a good automobile simply conflict with each other. An airplane needs to be light, while a car needs to be heavy. An airplane needs wings and control surfaces that are in the way on the road. And aircraft engines and automobile engines need very different design criteria.

Second, there is a resource management problem that affects both types: The global economy is going down, and if the human race is to survive, the wealth must be spread more broadly than we are spreading it now. If the rich try to stay rich at the expense of the poor, the poor will come and behead the rich, as in the French Revolution and similar conflicts.

So we simply aren't rich enough any more to be able to afford flying cars.

The third problem is the brain power problem. You can drive a car without understanding how it works. You cannot fly an airplane or helicopter or pseudo-flying-saucer without understanding how it works, and that is simply beyond the mental capacity of most people. So we can't have a population of pilots in the same sense we now have a population of drivers.

And, boy, is that a good thing. Can you imagine trying to get somewhere through the air when you must share the navigation lanes with the finger waving, "me-first-and-up-yours" type of personalities with whom you now share the roads? It would be suicide.

Impossible. There are a bunch of other reasons, but those are enough.

So "get a horse" may be the saying again some day.

Answer 2

Flying cars have been around since 1917, when the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company introduced their "Autoplane" to visitors at the Pan-American Aeronautic Exposition in New York City. There have been several others developed and tested since then, and some were even sold commercially, but so far, none have caught up with the vision of the Jetson's cartoon image of a personal flying vehicle.

But then, the New Century is still young, and maybe some of you out there will be around to see a real, commercially practical flying car.

Answer 3

unfortunately i tihnk this is but a dream taht will take a few more decades to materialize.

i mean really, we already get into bad accidents when we are traveling on the road, in a single dimension. what more when we got vehicles that take off and can fly in the air at various altitudes? that would be chaos. if the traffic for flying cars is not managed right, cars could slam into each other when taking off and landing. and drunk flying? next thing you know you got a flying car parked in your bedroom and a big hole in your roof.

i guess before a flying car can be created and used, the "flying pathways" must first be studied and inteligently created....

Answer 4

They have made some flying cars already but it costs lots of money.Another thing is that people can not drive on land what makes you say that they will be able to fly a car. The main reason is a terrorist might get one and kill a lot of people . We don't want another 9/11 or something like that.

Answer 5

Hopefully, never. Scientists and futurists have told us about things that were coming for a long time. Some of them came, some didn't. If they ever come up with a flying car, and it starts being used widely, I'll give up aviation.

Answer 6

First, greenxblood, I really like YOUR answer. YOU'RE very bright. WERE it not for people like you, I don't know WHERE else I could find good grammar and spelling on this board. THERE are a lot of people that don't know that THEIR grammar and spelling is as good as THEY'RE capable of. Anyway, about this rediculous question..........

It will never happen for many reasons.
1) FAA air traffic nightmare
2) Drunk drivers are enough of a menace on the road. I don't want to worry about any flying into my living room.
3) Road rage. Don't even want to think about air rage.
4) Flight training is diffucult and it takes many hours to become proficient. Some people are not capable of doing it.

Jetson type personal flying cars will simply never happen. However the computer controlled automated air taxis are certainly possible in a few years. As long as there is no human input and the taxis are automated and operate on a fixed schedule, altitude, and route, that would be feasible.

Answer 7

Where have you been? We do have flying cars. Haven't you ever laid your eyes on the sleek and sexy body of a British Aerospatile Hawker Harrier Jumpjet? They fly and they can drive down the road and they can even shoot all sorts of guns if a fellow driver cuts you off.

Answer 8

i was reading the news the other day and they already invented a flying car but before they sell it they have some problem in the air and they need to make a road in the sky!!!!

Answer 9

Still in the Cracker Jack boxes.

People drive badly enough - you really want to get into the air and commute with a bunch of hair-combing phone-dialing George Jetsons?

Answer 10

They are ready to sell them at your local dealer. It is just that I don't know anyone that has passed the flying car test at DMV yet.