Closer to Reality..fly car

That's going to make an impressive entrance at a future Cars & Coffee gathering some day.
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I want the ones like in Avatar.. why do we only have (and so many now) "toy" only sizes?

What are the physics/energy limitations?
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Moller's been promising 'serious' production of his flying car for years & years now, post 911 it's more unlikely than even though

 

So where is all the fuel?

 

His shop is about 20 miles up I-80 from my hanger. Has been 'toying' around with this concept for 46 years that I know of. Have heard that he is always in search of investors and has reeled in a few.

 

That guy's full of crap.

 

+1

The tech is there. Now we just need people willing to take the time to learn to operate them or the infrastructure to have them operate remotely.

Also, what happens on that sky car when one of those 4 engines craps out? Lots a failure points there.

 

This thing has been kicking around almost since I was a kid. Moller must be pretty old by now. This could be one of the longest running scams ever. He has been in trouble with the SEC for making misleading statements to prospective investors.

Complaint: Moller International, Inc., and Paul S. Moller

"3.MI fueled investor interest through materially false and misleading statements about the company's imminent listing on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") and the Nasdaq Stock Market, the projected value of MI shares after such listing and the prospect for product sales and revenue."

Moreover, something basically doesn't look right about that design. Apart from the tail, where there appears to be about a 15 foot span, there is no significant amount of horizontal airfoil surface. It can get off the ground with the ducted fans pointed skyward (and apparently tethered with nobody on board), but what happens in level flight?

Smoke and mirrors, IMO. Home

 

Have you watched a video of it... almost unbelievably LOUD. Seriously.

 

"300 mph at 25,000 feet". What a joke.

 

Besides, that nose wheel came from a grocery cart.

 

LOL! I noticed that too. To be fair, it might be from one of the heavy-duty carts that they have at Lowe's and Home Depot.

 

The flying car nearest to FAA certification is the Terrafugia Transition. But any flying car is a compromise between the design requirements of a car and those of an airplane. In my opinion, flying cars compromise too much on both ends.

Terrafugia touts their car by saying that the flying car puts you above all the traffic congestion on the road. But if even a few percent of the people now congesting the highways took to the skies, air traffic congestion would become a huge problem.

Not to worry, though. Any flying car is still an airplane while in flight, subject to all the legal and physical constraints of flying. Requirements for pilot certification are too much for most people--about 80% of people who begin flight training never earn a license.

Maybe a flying car will work for some people, but I would rather drive to the airport in a proper car, fly to my destination in a proper airplane, and rent a proper car to use at my destination. I doubt that a flying car will ever be a great commercial success.

Bill Terry

 

+1

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cwCHgmDbz0[/ame]

Toys like this are fun, though.
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