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Buy a Moller SkyCar Prototype on eBay
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."
Any relationship with the flying exoskeleton also sold at ebay? Are all thie flying vehicles prototypes ending at ebay? Is no one succeeding to end in a real shop?
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Sig: Marine Stock Photos
Why would anyone buy this?
It isn't approved for traffic, and it's pretty much a useless prototype.
oh well, ebay auctions are great for slashdot articles at least...
The site says the car is "personally affordable".
Then, when you click on the purchase link you find out it costs $1,000,000.
So, basically I can buy a car that is perfectly legal to leave in my garage and never take out.
You can drive it on your own property (or any private property w/approval of the owner), and you can fly it over international waters . I would think that you could fly it below a certain altitude over your own property, but I can't find a link.
So yes, completely useless for transport (unless you're Ted Turner and own millions of acres of land), this isn't much use as transport. But there's always the "Cool! I have a flying car!" factor, plus if Moller actually attains commercial success their prototype will have huge collector's value.
A legparnasom tele van angolnaval.
The Experimental Aircraft Asscociation is a group of people interested in these types of aircraft. There's a large airshow hosted by them in Osh Kosh.
These aircraft are subjected to thorough inspection by certified mechanics and FAA inspectors during their construction or restoration. In addition, owners of this type of aircraft tend to be more knowledgable than your average privat pilot. The result is that aircraft certificated (it's an FAA term, not a typo) as experimental aircraft have an excellent safety record. You can fly them anywhere any other private aircraft may be flown.
"Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever." --Napoleon Bonaparte
They need the money. Seriously need it.
All the power to them: Moeller's been at this his whole life and he deserves to win one.
And Kevin Smith should buy the freaking flying car!
become legal.
Will there be a need for "flying" insurance?
Will "fly-by" shootings get an extra ordinary amount of media attention like their grounded counterparts.
Will fast food "fly-throughs" replace drive-up windows?
How will the government tax - air space tax?
- Gentlemen, start your hybrids!
My friend's dad taught helicopter flight in the navy. Two things would actually require a change of shorts on occasion. Autorotation landing was one. He also used to reset the altimiter in dual engine helicopters and have the cadet try to restart the engine before the copter crashed. The poor cadets would think they were about to pancake on the ground when they failed to restart the engine in time, when in reality they had hundreds of feet to spare.
Now why would picturing some poor sap's mortal terror be so funny to me?
You couldn't do that with autorotation practice, though. Like you said, you have one shot to do it right, otherwise you have used up all your rotational energy and are too close to the ground to restart the engines. You have to do it at the right time, I believe that the ground effect has something to do with it working right as well.
Scary!
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
Sometimes nay-sayers are right. I have built a plane myself, and flown a lot of experimantal aircrafts, including a 4'x8' sheet of plywood with a lawnchair and and a volkswagen engine with a propeller. (shoestring gyrocopter)
A lot of amazing designs and a lot of variation. This contraption however is useless:
1. Unneccesary unreliable design. What does this do that a tilt rotor or helocopter will not?It will crash, and you will die
2. Fuel consumption must be worse than either (and is pretty bad for a helicopter already)
You have to be pretty naive to not see this behind the cool look.