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A Production-Ready Flying Car Is Coming This Month
cartechboy writes It's 2014. Where the heck are our flying cars? We were promised flying cars. We should be living like The Jetsons, right? Well, we aren't, but we are about to take one step closer: a production-ready flying car is debuting this month. Slovakia's Aeromobil is planning to unveil its "Flying Roadster" at the Pioneers Festival in Vienna, Austria on October 29. The latest iteration is called the Aeromobil 3.0, and work on it dates back to 1990. The Aeromobil 2.5 prototype made its first flight about a year ago. The Aeromobil transforms from plane to car by folding its wings behind the cockpit. Supposedly, the Aerobmoil will fit in a standard parking spot and run on pump gas. In less than a month, our dreams could become a reality.
And I'll cook with radar to-night.
Bet you'll not see this in the US any time soon. I wonder what its crash test ratings would look like.
...as disused by Dante and Randall.
http://youtu.be/YsSCBxzlDbU
In case you don't drive much, its already too scary with cars on the ground. Can you imagine some of these idiots flying around? The horrendous crashes? Care to think about what it would be like when someone careens into the top floor of an office building and explodes into a fireball? Thankfully flying tech has not progressed to reality.
There's no way that can take off or land in a city.
Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
Yeah, I can hardly wait for the average driver to have another dimension to deal with.
Get the popcorn.
You can drive with a bent fender, but if you bend an aircraft it is instantly grounded until repaired, this may entail x-raying the superstructure etc. So a small bingle in a flying car means it instantly becomes just a car until repaired and approved for flight. Personally I cant see flying cars becoming a reality any time soon.
Sure, it does both both things.
Just not as good as individual tools it replaces.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
This isn't so much of a flying car as it is a drivable plane.
This concept is just "roadable aircraft" - basically light planes you drive to and from an airport. And even if the FAA allowed you to takeoff and land on roads, that would be totally impractical since the roads aren't designed for it. Nor would it be safe for human pilots to land in and takeoff from other traffic. So we'll need (1)robocars, (2)redesign of the roads to allow takeoff and landing in some parts, (3)a radical overhaul of the regulatory and air traffic control system to accommodate a drastic expansion in low-altitude air travel directly over cities, and (4)changes to the licensing process for both aircraft and ground cars so that drivers/pilots can deal with the intersection of the two modes. I don't see much motivation for such a radical change, so it'll have to happen excruciatingly slowly.
Make it stop.
Or quadracopters, if you prefer. We have already have these cheapo drones that will basically fly themselves with the operator only telling them in a rough sense where to go. Why can't something like that be scaled up to carry people, with a similarly simple interface? I'd much rather see that than any kind of fixed wing flying car that you would need to drive to an airport just to take-off.
Flying cars are cool! These are early days, and whining about no vertical takeoff, poor range, or whatever else you find horribly wrong with it is silly.
If you just hate the idea of flying cars, then please turn in your geek card. Your hatred of all things with an internal combustion engine, means you're some kind of activist for some some cause or other - cool technology has long since stopped being what you're really interested in.
Bet you'll not see this in the US any time soon. I wonder what its crash test ratings would look like.
It could be licensed like an experimental aircraft.
But... "I'll believe it when I see it."
Folks, we have heard this before, and "flying cars" have been around since the 50's. It's not practical in any sense of the word. Blade Runner is a fantasy that will not be realized for many, many years. It this point in time, "flying cars" solve no problems and create man oth
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
I don't want this in my sky or on my roads.
Last thing I want is a bunch of drunk idiots flying around and crashing into a house.
"A Production-Ready Flying Car Is Coming This Month"
No, no it will not.
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Where's my FLYING CA.... oh, ok then.
Still waiting for that jetpack, though.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
A Production-Ready Flying Car Is Coming This Month
No.
Slovakia's Aeromobil has planning to unveil its "Flying Roadster" at the Pioneers Festival in Vianna, Austria on October 29.
They will unvailed a prototype .
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Despite the prevalent cynicism in the comments, I am simply floored by how cool this thing is. Sure, it may not be a perfect airplane or a perfect car (or a perfect flying car, for that matter), but this is an awesome proof-of-concept. Watching a vehicle travel down the road, pull over to unfurl its wings, and then accelerate down a straight, open lane only to lift off the ground... well, I just think that's downright neat.
This isn't a "flying car", it's a "roadable airplane", just like the Terrefugia Transition: http://www.terrafugia.com/airc...
It is licensed as an airplane, with many, MANY exceptions when licensed as a ground vehicle. The idea is that you drive it a short distance to an airport, then take off and fly as an airplane. Then drive a short distance to somewhere at the other end. It's not meant to be driven even as much as a high-end sports car on the ground. It's mean as "get to airport, fly, get to destination."
As for "production-ready", Terrefugia claims theirs is "production-ready," too...
Another non-functioning site was "uncertainty.microsoft.com."
The purpose of that site was not known.
Googling on 'site:slashdot.org "flying car"' turns up numerous references to flying cars, ALL in very advanced stages of development and ready for production, flying your way soon.
Terrafugia... "Flying Car Passes First Flight Test..."
PAL-V One, "Finally, a flying car for the masses" made its first maiden flight...
M400 flying car "more economical than SUV"...
"the SkyCar, an invention by Moller International" was to be "Ready by end of year." And that year was 1999.
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
Helicopter-like flight is the right idea, but I think it's a power and propulsion problem. Helicopters are hideously mechanical and have maintenance schedules that would scare even a Ferrari owner.
I think you do need helicopter-like flight -- vertical takeoff and landing, forward and backward flight, side-side flight, etc. No flying car concept would seem to work without these. If you could get this in some kind of package that would work on a car the size of a full-size sedan, you'd only need the advanced aviononics that let you program in a desintation it will fly you to, avoiding all hazards.
Maybe they could have some kind of guided manual mode where you could fly it wherever you wanted but a set of safety and guidance systems kept it from crashing into objects or other cars (probably with active coordination with other cars) as well as obeying specific flight rules (height, speed, etc). Something like the go carts at an amusement park where you can "drive" within a set of constraints but without the restriction of a fixed course.
But the guidance and safety seem trivial next to the propulsion system that gives you six degrees of freedom in the size of a sedan.
Flying Car for Sale
I'm starting to think that people on this site are mixing up vain/vein/vane and vail/veil/vale on purpose just to annoy me personally. For years I notice nothing, and then suddenly it's everywhere! Read a book once and while, people.
I regularly interchange It's and Its, There, Their, and They're, Were and We're, as well as my favorite, "I could care less" just to give the pedants heart palpitations. and for extra points, i often forget my keyboard has a shif key.
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Well it is currently legal to takeoff and land helicopters in fields and/or parking lots (with the property owners permission of course).
So really all thats needed on top of this prototype is VTOL capability.
I can see the typical American soccer mom, with her fag in one hand, cell phone in the other trying to fly! They can't even drive within two lines let alone know going up and down!
Last week my father was almost killed walking through the parking lot to his car, just seconds prior to that a young woman was almost hit by the same driver.
That driver was looking at their phone while driving through the parking lot.
Why would anyone think a flying car is a good idea?
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
You're saying that an American socccer mom can drive ok as long as she keeps her hands off of her phone and any gay male passengers?
unless im allowed to recklessly lumber through the air with complete disregard for lane dicipline i want no part.
Lots of things are against the law and yet people still murder, rape, kidnap, steal, etc., etc. What makes you think some idiot will follow a law that says they can't fly their flying car if it has a bit of a bend? I followed some jerk whose brake lights didn't work last week. I'm sure that's illegal, too.
Cheers,
Dave
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty.
Ben
They are going to have to redesign cities!
Like this vehicle, it folds the wings away for driving on the road. But unlike this vehicle (at least from what I can see), they have both a weight exemption from the FAA so it can be classified as a "light sport" aircraft and flown on a "sport pilot license" (which is much easier to get than a full regular pilot license) AND an exemption from the NHTSA to use lightweight motorcycle tires and a lightweight polycarbonate windscreen to keep weight down instead of the heavier automobile tires and safety glass windscreen normally required on cars.
It may not be shipping to customers yet but they have shown actual production-intent models as part of their flight testing and drive testing.
As long as humans control the flying cars, they will never become a reality; and thankfully so. Most people who have licences to drive shouldn't have them, but at least when they prove their incompetence in piloting their car the damage is somewhat limited (compared to a Cesna falling out of the sky). I'm all for flying hovercraft cars, but only as long as ONLY ME gets one. The rest of the idiots I meet on my bike ride home shouldn't be allowed to drive in two dimensions, much less three.
More seriously, the only way we should (will) allow flying anything is when proven computers control the piloting. We're still 10 to 20+ years away from accepting computers controlling our cars (it's a matter of personal freedom!) so add on a few more years to extend it to the 3rd dimension.
And seriously, stop driving like a f*cking tool. Failure to signal should be a capital offence, it goes up from there.
Somehow it sounds cool to have a flying car, but kinda stupid to have a driving plane. This was an observation made by Tyler Cowen on his blog. It's a good point. It reminds me of a survey of priests that emphatically showed priests are ok with praying while smoking, but not with smoking while praying.
Yeah, and this,
http://www.reddit.com/r/justrolledintotheshop
is why I don't think flying cars are going to happen.
Of if they do, FSM help us.
Someone proposes a flying car every now and then. As they are all only interpretation of past concepts, which did not work or were impractical. There was recently an article on why there will never be an practical realization. I hoped that will be the end of it. But obviously /. still did not get the message and now another lame story on the topic appeared.
If 'Blade Runner' is the fantasy of choice I'd prefer we never get there, thanks.
Not for stupid flying cars.
Most white people want to live in an all white country - AGAIN. Like our grandparents used to.
Strangely enough, the insane cretins of Slashdot don't want to discuss it. It's 'verboten'. Nobody is allowed to even TALK about the ongoing genocide against white people, after all, the TV told you not to!
Aren't you ashamed that you are so stupid and brainwashed that you actually worship a television, and its Jewish programme makers? You can't even question the most basic thing: why are millions of non-whites flooding into white countries every year? Presumably because THEY believe white people make better countries than the third world shitholes they come from. Therefore they are 'white supremacists'.
Your own country is being destroyed from within by cretins like you, and you are going along with it!
Much like Duke Nukem Forever, I'll believe it when I can buy it.
I noticed they don't have a pricetag anywhere. I suspect this toy will be one of those toys that most normal people can't afford.
Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
Flying cars are great if you drive 200 km/h on the autobahn and suddenly someone cuts you off or behind a corner everything is red. Radar detects obstacle, map knows that there is no bridge or high voltage line => jump. Typically in these cars there is only one person with lightweight cargo. One needs props, lifting body, but no wings. On the car shown in the link I cannot see many compromises. Pusher prop may be not that ideal, but not that bad either. Folding wings are standard on carriers. Aerodynamics and a good suspension are good for road and air.
I wish they'd stop calling roadable aircraft "flying cars".
Flying car: Something that allows you to take off from your home and fly directly to your destination.
Roadable aircraft: An aircraft that you can drive to and from local airports.
It's good for people who already fly light aircraft (no more worrying about transport once you fly to your destination), useless for the rest of us.
Never forget why we don't have flying cars already. After all, strapping wings to a car is not particularly difficult. Doing so and not dying in the process is another matter.
http://world.std.com/~jlr/doom/blake.htm
I see they fixed the "Vianna" typo, but Aerobmoil still is laughable...kind of crappy copy editing, guys!
I followed some jerk whose brake lights didn't work last week.
You would become that jerk if your lights failed mid-way through a drive, or you didn't check them every single journey.
Why OpalCalc is the best Windows calc
It is a lovely design, from an aesthetic point of view, and as automobile, it's no worse than some conventional cars in many respects (probably not crash worthy at all, but that's a given in flying cars). As an aircraft, however, it's a recipe for disaster. It appears to be extremely short coupled, making it more than a little twitchy in pitch and yaw, as is obvious in the video. In an aerobatic aircraft, again, that's not a bad thing, but in something aimed at this (supposed) market, it's a killer.
I was seriously into flying during high school and college. Enough to get a private pilot license and study aerospace engineering. I imagine if I saw this news back then it would have blown my mind.
Over 20 years later, it seems... blase(accent!). Maybe it's the thought of all the regulations and restrictions it'll be mired in for the next decade. Maybe it's the awkward design. Maybe it's the unimpressive range. Maybe cause it'll be insanely expensive. Maybe it's because of high fuel cost and environmental issues, joy flying seems irresponsible.
I think a smaller design would pique my interest. Imagine a ride, small as a motorcycle or scooter. It would mean cheaper and fuel efficient. Which would also grant it a more relaxed ultralight rating.
And seriously, stop driving like a f*cking tool. Failure to signal should be a capital offence, it goes up from there.
I rarely see people on bikes signal turns or stops, even though legally they're required to. And I also frequently see them steer onto the sidewalk to bypass cars stopped at a light, and use the pedestrian crossings illegally.
Flying cars have surfaced many times since at least the 1950s, and several have made it to production. The problem is, everybody thinks its a good idea, but almost no one will actually buy one. Molt Taylor's "aerocar" is a prime example.
that's not flying car.... that's just an airplane with retractable wings...
A real flying car wouldn't need an airplane strip..
Perhaps (in time) a flux capacitor after market add-on could be installed to prevent drivers from exceeding 88 mph.
Political correctness is really just herd psychology pushed by insecure people who desperately seek social conformity.
customers
Seems unlikely
your flying car just crashed into a government drone. hope you have insurance
So I haven't been flying very long, about 40 hours, but let me tell you: it's not trivial. And it's not just the grind of training your muscles to maneuver the plane correctly. The three biggest issues with learning to aviation are weather, weather, and weather.
You are flying around in this turbulent mass of air that's always trying to kill you if you don't respond the correct way. Learning how to do this safely requires YEARS of study and practice. Don't even bother thinking about learning to fly unless you're prepared to also learn everything you can about the weather. And of the those pilots that receive their private certificate, only a fraction go on to learn how to fly by instruments in conditions of reduced visibility or in the clouds.
In addition to the weather, learning the airspace rules can be daunting and requires study and practice. If these vehicles ever make it to the under $40K price point, the FAA isn't just going to let people buy one and fly the next day due to the many many safety issues connected with amateur pilots flying around in controlled airpspace.
These flying cars or road-test planes, whatever you want to say, don't really improve on any of these issues. There are and will certainly be technical solutions for these, but it will be a LONG time before they become fool proof enough to replace years of dedicated study and training.
If your typical non-flying-car-driver can't upgrade to a "flying car" license without a bunch of hassle and cost, this will be a niche market at best and likely an economic failure.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
I'm not the person you're replying to, but: My (almost 20-year-old) car tells me when I have a brake light bulb out, and/or a failure in the brake light wiring and/or the mechanical switch that activates said lights.
When it tells me that something is wrong with the brake lights, I stop where it is safe to do so and fix the problem. I do this because I recognize the importance of showing the people behind me that I am, in fact, slowing down. (I also tend to have spare bulbs and a proper toolkit.)
I'm not suggesting that everyone would be so anal about their brake lights, but they should at least be informed.
With modern automobiles, where a network of microcontrollers is cheaper than a maze copper wires and multi-purpose LCD displays are standard fare, much of this functionality could probably be implemented in software alone.
And it should be. So people are at least informed that they're being jerks.
Kid-proof tablet..
Look at the takeoff video. It looks tiny compared to a fucking Chessna, and it looks a lot more fragile. Flying that thing is for the very daring. From what I see in the video, how it's moving shortly before taking off, even a moderate crosswind will make it the most dangerous flight experience you've had in your career.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
Where would you find the space to take off or land? Does this require a flying license? Do people really think this 90's dream is still going to happen? Driver-less cars seem to be a more viable (and sensible) option than this. Having a roadie sounds safer than a couple of idiots in the sky. But statistically speaking, flying cars have a pretty solid track record in terms of accident rates. Maybe we should keep it that way
It's not so much a flying car as an airplane that you can also drive. It's useful if you're a private pilot and want to be able to fly to a small airport and drive your plane from there instead of renting one. But it's still airplane physics, not cartoon physics, so you still need to take off from an airport instead of from your driveway like the Jetsons Flying Car my generation always wanted.
Any bets on when the first one gets to Burning Man?
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
PAL-V anyone? This definitely isn't the first "car" to "fly"...
We have a hard time driving in two dimensions and now we're adding a third?
This can't end well
no matter how good it is, it is human nature always wants to make things better