From today's Personal Tech Pipeline blog: "It's the fantasy of every frustrated driver who's ever been caught in traffic: to push a button, take off, and soar above the gridlock like an airplane. But don't hold your breath. YOU'LL NEVER DRIVE A FLYING CAR."
9:31 AM * PERMALINK * 6 comments
Cell Phone Version
About Mike Elgan
Send a News Tip
E-Mail Version
Columns
Find Me On:
Twitter
Technorati
RSS Feed
FriendFeed
Facebook
Google
Digg
Other Blogs
And More!
F L A S H B A C K
AUGUST 22, 2008
Solar Briefcase Charges (and Carries) Your Laptop
MORE MIKE ELGAN STUFF
The World Is My Office
Three Seconds of Genius
Mike's List
The Book of Kindle
Enchiridion
The Spartan Diet
The Spartan Diet Blog
Comments:
Fifteen years ago, Moler had the same 'prototype' as shown in papermache and plastic. Back then he did actually try to convince the public that a dummy wearing a motorcycle helmet in a wire tethered V-tol contraption was on the verge of creating the new age of personal flight. It took less that ten years to go to the moon, where is any real progress in this field?
I am a proponent of the Flying Car concept myself, but I agree - it is time for a reality check. The risk of operating any flying vehicle in uncontrolled areas is far too high, so you are not going to be allowed to take off and land anywhere outside of a designated airfield or remote area - ever. If you think that your going to fly up out of a traffic jam, or pop over to Wal-Mart or your girlfriend's house in your flying car are just way off base.
Apart from the legal and safety issues involved, there is the small matter that we don't actually have anti-gravity technology. Any VTOL aircraft is caused to fly or hover by standing on a howling gale of air - and anyone who has ever been anywhere near such an event knows it is VERY ugly.
I agree that the Moller SkyCar has to be the coolest looking mockup - but it won't actually work. I don't mean that it can never fly - it already has - sort of. I mean that you will only be able to operate it a long way from people - at an airport for instance. It won't even be able to use unimproved areas because of the risk of flying debris being ingested into the fans. In this way it has less utility than a helicopter. Even worse if you lose the engine - then it has less utility than a brick. Anyway, so you get to the airfield in your SkyCar and then, guess what, it can't drive on the road - so you just have to catch the bus!
What is possible is a craft that can both drive on the road and fly in the air. Drive to a small airfield (I bet there are several quite close to you right now), fly to an airfield near where you're going, and then drive to your destination. It is kind of like using the air as a freeway - fast, no traffic jams and it should be mostly automatic. I like the idea. I want one! Hey! I've designed one! If you are interested, google "Haynes Skyblazer"
Possibly the author of this "article" has not done his homework. Dr. Moller (Ph.D. Aeronautical engineering - founded the Aeronautical Engineering Dept. at U.C. Davis), is well respected by his professional peers.
Yes, you will fly/drive a flying car if you are still on the planet in about 5 years. While Dr. Moller has already spent over $200M on this dream, it will take another $150M to get there, ... but he is closer to the dream than anyone who has ever tried and just the effort pushes the human race forward.
There is far less risk operating a M400X than a helicopter. No it does not make sense to fly to the grocery (unless you live 50 miles from the store).
The wind from the M400X at lift off and landing would clear the flowers and probably the small pets from your neighbor's lawn, so no, you will not be performing VTOL's from your driveway. You will drive a few blocks to a designated vertiport, submit a flight plan and you are on your way. The M400X is designed to meet all Federal and State DOT requirements. It will drive on roads at 30-40mph and will fit in your garage.
Believe me, I've done my homework.
The only advantage to any kind of "flying car" is that you can park at home rather than the airport.
It doesn't change any of the requirements for certification, airspace, flight rules or anything else.
Mike Elgan
Mike, and The Raw Feed Readers - All of you should all read the book "Terminal Velocity" by Bob Shaw. It is a science fiction book about what happens to society when people can fly. In the book anyone can buy a suit that allows you to fly. Laws had to be passed prohibiting people from caring items in their hands because common things like a book or a purse falling from a high level could kill somebody. And in densely populated areas you could not just soar around, you had to stick to pre-approved people-flight paths. The book raises many questions about this, and does a good job with its plot in showing how the simple manner of putting on a flight suit and soaring into the clouds changes the way we move about. These rules would also apply if we all had cars that could fly. You can find the book used online. Bob Shaw is my favorite SciFi writer and you guys should check the book out! Happy Reading.....
Car-droppings would suck, no?
Post a Comment
<< Home