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Buy a Moller SkyCar Prototype on eBay

Posted by michael on from the make-you-heirs-happy dept.

HobbySpacer writes "Moller International has announced that it will offer its first working Skycar for sale on eBay starting January 31st - Press Release. The M400P prototype has repeatedly flown short hovering flights on tethers in tests since 2001 (see videos). The company warns that although '[a]ll systems are operational. Potential buyers are cautioned that this is a prototype model and considered an experimental aircraft.' Also, 'the Skycar has not yet been approved as a road vehicle.' A more powerful 2nd gen production version is currently under construction for longer untethered test flights this year."

5 of 168 comments (clear)

  1. Um... why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why on earth would a company with something as groundbreaking as a flying car sell the prototype, especially a functional version?

    Surely it would be the one that you'd want to keep and the one that has the most company history in it so to speak. In any case, selling the prototype off seems very strange...

    1. Re:Um... why? by lexarius · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Because the prototype is useless. Oh, sure, it flies and all, but what is a company going to do with a prototype? It's the designs that matter. The prototype is just to prove that the designs work and find where the flaws are. After that, it is an asset that isn't doing any work. So they turn it into money so they can afford to make the next version.

  2. Moller...bwahahahahaha by Alioth · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Moller's Skycar has been "six months away from flight" for longer than I've been alive. The thing is a nightmare from an inteference drag standpoint, and his figures for fuel consumption are totally unrealistic (especially as the BSFC for the type of engine he's using is worse than traditional spark-ignition reciprocating engines).

    Based on Moller's track record, the thing will _never_ fly. All it does is suck investment money. He's even worse than Bede (at least a few of Bede's aircraft actually flew and were successful).

    --
    Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows
    1. Re:Moller...bwahahahahaha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful
      Totally agree.



      More importantly, the design is flawed. The first basic rule of any aircraft design should be "can it glide back to earth in the event of a complete power failure?" Conventional aircrafts can glide and helicopters autorotates, the Moller Skycar will just drop like a rock.

  3. Vaporware no more? by bandwidthsignal · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's funny, I thought that Duke Nukem Forever would come out before flying cars did...