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."

Comments

Question

[jdkincad]

Why would a flying car need to be approved as a road vehicle?

OK....

[KimiDalamori]

So, basically I can buy a car that is perfectly legal to leave in my garage and never take out. Wicked, I can see it now: "Dad, can I have the keys to the skycar?" "No, son, we're not sure yet whether or not it will blow up." ... I say if someone has the extra money to buy this thing, he can give it to me instead, I'll put it to better use.

Right after MOO3...

[TrixX]

So I guess Duke Nukem Forever is coming out soon.

Um... why?

[Anonymous Coward]

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...

Re:Um... why?

[JohnFluxx]

Personally I think it's all about insurance.

It said that it can't do untethered flight because the insurance would go way up. Also they haven't yet tried any manned flights for the same reason.

What they want is for someone to fly it. They are banking on that someone who pays $1m for a flying car is actually going to want to use it.
Then they just check the darwin awards every day to see how long it lasts... :)

I want one...

[Kshu]

And anyone who knows how roads in Romania look like will agree with me...

Affordable?

[theNote]

The site says the car is "personally affordable".

Then, when you click on the purchase link you find out it costs $1,000,000.

Doh!

[JohnFluxx]

I was all set to place a bid, and had my millions ready to put down. I complied with everything they wanted, then I saw right near the end it said:

"You must be 18 years of age or older to Bid."

dammit.

if 1000 slashdot readers jump on the car

[deft]

will it come down as fast as the server came down when 1000 slahsdot readers jumped on it?

Ah. eBay.

[Big Mark]

I'm seriously tempted to put a bid in for this and not pay. I'd get the mother of all negative feedback then!

Negative from SkyCar: Seller didn't pay and is a cunt. E-
Response by ukmarkyboy: Admit it. You're the goatse man.

-Mark

Moller...bwahahahahaha

[Alioth]

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).

Re:Moller...bwahahahahaha

[jerryasher]

The way autorotation works on a helicopter (not a gyrocopter) is truly amazing. It converts stored energy (height) into rotational energy (you rotate (twist) the blade to decrease their angle of attack "bite" so they spin really fast). Meanwhile you plummet. That's not true. You don't plummet. (But it sure looks that way.)

When you get close to the ground (one chance!) you convert the rotational energy into lift. You retwist the blades generating enough lift to slow you to landing speed.

I've only watched practice sessions. But I think the next step is to change your shorts.

Re:Moller...bwahahahahaha

[spun]

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!

Ok...

[Cyno01]

But when are we going to get the flying cars?!? Oh wait...

Test pilot

[duckpoopy]

This is their way of tricking some fool into paying to be the test pilot.

Pigs are flying...

[spac]

First MOO3, now a flying car?

Can you hear that? It's hell... freezing over.

Re:So, u can buy a jestson's car now?

[droopus]

Uh huh. What I don't get is once it collapses into a briefcase, how did Moller reduce the mass so you can actually lift the briefcase?

In case the sarcasm tag wasn't on, I no more believe that Moller can actually make a reliable flying car that gets 28mpg (running on good old Texaco Regular of course) @ 350mph @ 20k feet @ 65dba than they could accomplish the aforementioned mass-reduction-briefcase trick.

What they will offer is a hunk of red, expensive vaporware that sits in your garage like the Russian shuttle they tried to sell on ebay a year or so ago.

Maybe ebay should have a "got too much money sitting around?" section....

Roads? Where we're going...

[mraymer]

...we don't need roads!

[cue Back to the Future theme]

Now, someone please tell me... when can I get my hands on a damn Mr. Fusion?! Ugh...

Legal to fly

[mikewas]

This falls within the experimental aircraft catagory. This includes just about any aircraft that didn't come off of an assembly line including one-of-a-kind or kit-built aircraft as well as aircraft not designed for commercial use like warbirds.

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.