Forget about the flying car, says The Economist (via Popular Science).
They point out that while Terrafugia is pretty close to hammering out a functional flying car, it would need to beef up its road crash protection before it would be street legal. But to do that, they would have to make the craft heavier. The trade-off involved here would be less fuel efficiency (reducing flight distance significantly), or reducing the two passenger craft to a one man machine.
That Terrafugia is pretty goddamned neat, though.
The dream is NOT dead, Paul.
As soon as Mr. Fusion-brand generators are available to the public, fuel efficiency will be a non-issue.
And those will be available in 2015, right?
Along with hoverboards.
Patience, people.
It’s neat, but I don’t really get the point of that thing. If you’ve got a safe place you’re allowed to land, chances are terrestrial congestion isn’t one of your problems to begin with. Considering how most people drive, it’s probably for the better we’ll never—at least in my lifetime—have “flying cars”.
I think I would prefer a car that could run on beer cans, banana peels, other garbage, etc. Flying? Have you seen how awful drivers are? I’m guessing they would be equally bad, or worse, pilots.
Why is this flying car more interesting than the 100 flying cars that came before?
“Look a flying car!” is one of those timeless literary genres like “Look woman motorcyclist!” Charming in its way, but come on.
Fuck the flying car, where in the HELL is my jetpack? I was promised a jetpack!
Flying cars. And Seattle still lacks a rapid transit network.
Didn’t they promise us hover cars and fusion power by 2000 back in 1963? Or was that 1957? One of the world’s fairs …
Speaking of which, when will they extend the Monorail so Ballard and West Seattle get transit?
Will those things work on the Moon colony we’ll all be living in soon too?
Heck with that one.. This one is far more chic… 🙂
http://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/t…
@8 – whatever you do, don’t watch the movie Moon.
I want a hydrogen powered pogo stick!
Man, that goofy 80s flick didn’t age well…
Crash protection? I’ll admit what with living in The Big City® these last couple of decades that I haven’t kept up with all the vehicular minutiae. What I do remember is that when first introduced, the “Naderization” rules had an out for non-mass-produced vehicles, which initially was defined as any auto maker producing less than 500 vehicles a year.
Unless that’s changed, a small manufacturer can sell tinfoil deathtraps if they want. I do suppose they’d want you to sign some form of disclosure/consent/liability waiver agreement, though. For a flying car, I’d sign!
They should look into selling this out of The Sharper Image. It’s just an expensive toy. No sane pilot would want one nor would any sane driver. Did they do any market research?
This is just like the people hooked on the jetpack fantasy. Do any of you people stop to think why a helicopter is the size it is? What makes you think you will ever carry one on your back?