Hauksbee 103 Posted August 21, 2012 http://news.yahoo.co...-171401941.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bullethead 12 Posted August 21, 2012 That's cool, but where'd they find a stretch of desert with out dust? I'd imagine this thing would kick up a huge plume of whatever was on the ground (dust, leaves, gravel) in most places. And I'd hate to lose my balance and fall into the fans :). Still, I WANT ONE! I'm already thinking of the cool skateboard-type tricks I could do with it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hasse Wind 46 Posted August 21, 2012 I'm still waiting for the flying cars they advertised already in the 1960s. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hauksbee 103 Posted August 22, 2012 I'm still waiting for the flying cars they advertised already in the 1960s. 60's? How about the 1930's? Here's the "Flying Flea" from 1933. (tho' it's original name in French translates as 'Louse of the Sky') Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HumanDrone 4 Posted August 23, 2012 Here's one for you. Actually flying! And with my commute, I could use one of these... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HouseHobbit 2 Posted August 23, 2012 Here's one for you. Actually flying! And with my commute, I could use one of these... And what is wrong with this?? I always land wheels up.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HumanDrone 4 Posted August 23, 2012 And well I know! I recall when you "landed" here! My problem, of course, is that even when I have the wheels pointed toward the ground I often end up "Wheels up!" (Tom wanders away muttering "Must've hit some soft dirt..") Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bullethead 12 Posted August 23, 2012 There have been many attempts to make things you could convert from car to plane, going back at least as far as Glenn Curtiss himself in 1917. There's even a guy reviving the concept today. Sadly, most of these things ended up in the book, The World's Worst Aircraft, by Bill Yenne. And it wasn't just crackpot inventors tinkering with them, either. The (at the time) major firm of Convair even made one (Model 118), which made the front of the book's dust jacket. As I understand things, the flying cars weren't aerodynamic failures, they were victims of misjudging the market. Most of them came out right after WW2 in expectation of thousands of wartime-only pilots still wanting to fly in civilian life. It seems that few did, however, for the same reason it took me 20 years to go camping again after my war. And for those who DID want to keep flying, the market was utterly saturated with better military surplus planes available dirt cheap. So there weren't nearly as many potential customers as expected and those customers could buy a better car and a better plane for the price of one of these flying cars. Even if there's more of a market these days (assuming the economy gets better), I still wonder how such vehicles would survive in the modern regulatory environment. I mean besides having no doubt to insure and register the thing as both a car and plane, the vehicle would have to meet all the crash test, fuel economy, and emissions standards of cars, plus whatever similar requirements planes have today. And then there's the question of maintenance. I suppose hours spent in car mode would count towards airframe hours so the flying time between periodic inspections and overhauls would be less. And what if you got into a wreck as a car? I'd expect the FAA would want to know and get involved, and you'd probably have to have a certified aviation mechanic do any repairs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted August 23, 2012 Drivers are far too often even too stupid to drive a car two-dimensional. Adding the third dimension would mean adding disaster. But I guess some of us would love to have this one: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JFM 18 Posted August 23, 2012 All the flying car ideas have failed gloriously for decades--and thank God. I hope they never succeed. The thought of Joe Blow wheeling around in the sky is horrifying. I say this not from any sort of terrorist standpoint, but an aviating one: the overwhelming majority of people I've ever known (if you want a figure, I'll say 99%) don't have the aviating mindset it takes to competently and safely fly. It's not something I worry about, though, because I expect every future "flying car" proposal to fail as gloriously as those previous. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HumanDrone 4 Posted August 23, 2012 (edited) Sweet! And I echo what BH and Olham have said - criminee, drivers in Pittsburgh can't even handle acceleration ramps! When I was young, it was assumed that general aviation would continue to grow, with visions of housing plans that faced streets on one side and a runway on the other - I think one was actually built not far from here, but is no longer in existence. But then came the 70's, increased fuel costs and regulation going hogwild, and my dreams of eventually hauling the family around in a Cessna Skymaster (turbo, with retracts), and a BD-5 Micro for me, were hopelessly dashed - well, that and I didn't have any money... But it seems to me that general aviation costs have grown all out of proportion to inflation - I may be wrong... (cross-posted with Jim Miller, & he's right, too. I wanna be the only one to fly above the traffic!) Edited August 23, 2012 by HumanDrone Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
