Moller Flying Car May Be Grounded Permanently
from the the-future-just-crashed dept
For decades, futurists have predicted (and science fiction types have just assumed) that we're on the verge of having flying cars. It's pretty much the standard prediction. And yet, despite years of hype, the idea of the flying car has always been the technology of tomorrow. One of the most hyped up players in the space, Moller, has been talking about flying cars for years and years, without much to show for it. Now the company is admitting that after running through $40 million or so, it has "substantial doubt" that it will be able to continue as a going concern. Given how long the company has been at it without much to show for it, this isn't all that surprising. However, it means that our Jetsons-like future may still be a ways off.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: flying cars
Companies: moller
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Who needs this?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
The future isn't what it used to be...
"Way back in the 1940's
There were lots of magazines
With their covers full of miracles
And futuristic scenes;
Individual flying cars
That safely flew themselves,
And folded into suitcases
You stuck up on your shelves."
(MP3 can be downloaded from http://www.minstrosity.com/record.html)
As a private pilot, I can say that I am very glad that the mass-production flying car is not for real. In aviation, there is no such thing as a 'minor' accident, and when you run out of fuel, you don't just pull over and walk to the nearest gas station with your gas can. And the #1 cause of general aviation accidents is the pilot overestimating his skills (VFR flight into IFR conditions), a very common characteristic of automobile drivers (I also teach Texas defensive driving courses).
--
Texas CHL Courses
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Where is my hovercraft?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Emergency & Police Services
Imagine having the flying car for emergency services and rapid response police teams. In Australia, there are vast regions that are sometimes impossible to get to quickly by road. Yes, there might be a few planes or helicopters, but imagine having paramedics, fire, police and critical emergency services show up in much faster times then usual because they don't have to deal with ground traffic conditions. Even in the cities, having medical and police services, as well as highway patrol using the flying car would be of great benefit. Don't look at it as a detriment in society, but rather consider you and your family being in outlying areas anywhere in the world or in high rise buildings and you are immediately rescued because of the flying car and its capability. Let's look back at 9-11 when hundreds of people who were on the roof tops of the world trade center that could have been saved if the flying cars were available to emergency services. The use of the flying car is a bit too early for public use, but in cases of emergency and police services, it is ideal.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
VLJ's are the next step
[ link to this | view in thread ]
The technology is there
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Did you know...?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Emergency & Police Services
I like how you tied 9-11 in there too, you should also try to mention that it's "for the children"
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Five words to send chills through anyone's spine..
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Emergency & Police Services
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Emergency & Police Services
You like that connection (9-11), but where were those helicopters during this emergency?
Yes helicopters work fine, but not every ambulance, police or other emergency service personnel can fly one or because of the blades, they are incapable of landing in most congested locations.
So, what you are saying is that everyone should have a helicopter?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Emergency & Police Services
Helicopters are a bit, um, 1960's don't you think? Might be time for something a bit more advanced and less fragile/ failable - not more. Remember, copter pilots and their machines can make good police men, but good police men are a far cry from ready to fly. (Unless of course you're an action hero, which might be cause to anonymize your cowardliness---I mean identity).
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Five words to send chills through anyone's spi
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Re: Emergency & Police Services
So let's just give the emergency personnel flying cars so the jets can injure more people with high wind gusts and blazing hot temperatures. Flying cars are silly and not realistic at this point in society.
Now a hover car with bumpers would be awesome! No more life threatening accidents, although I bet it would still hurt to get hit by one as a pedestrian.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Who needs this?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Who needs this?
A flying car is a great idea but it is impractical unless you can completely eliminate the human from the operation of the vehicle.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Murphy's flying car?
Perhaps Moller publicly folding their operation will end on a positive note? It may spur someone else with a different view point, better technology (no offense to Moller intended), and better political wrangling, into operations.
Shane
[ link to this | view in thread ]
cyberpunk
take a pegasus engine from a harrier that isn't looking and put it in a minibus..
ok there would be more to it than that.
i think the problem isn't designing a working flying car, its doing one at a price someone will actually pay, then having someone insure *you* enough for the lawsuits when some moron crashes it.
I seriously can't see a 'flying test' similar tot he standard of current driving tests, where the ability to read the language the signs are in isn't considered important...
it may be for the best these things are a little way off.
btw cyberpunk had these things in common usage in 2010... amazing, accoring to the predictions we sould have an empire in space by now... sigh...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Get the facts
Too bad he didn't try to just build a VTOL flying car that required a trained pilot. That might have worked, but I still doubt it. He's had decades to actually fly a prototype, but has it ever flown untethered? If you think the FAA is stopping him, count how many experimental aircraft take off every day. Heck, Burt Rutan went into outer space (and picked up a nice $10 million prize doing so), so don't tell me Moller couldn't get a few thousand feet off the ground by now.
Oh well, at least his muffler was a good idea. Now all those profits are gone. Better than a drug habit, I guess.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Re: Emergency & Police Services
OK. How much do you want to spend? Many people complain that flying cars (i.e. helicopters) are too expensive already.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: The technology is there
Oh sure. Go ahead, try it.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
Yeah? Well, you have to be "airworthy" first.
Plenty of other experimental aircraft builders get into the air without that.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Emergency & Police Services
[ link to this | view in thread ]
A flying car in every driveway.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
It was an interesting place to work...
As far as his flying car concept...well, think about how much power it takes 8 (!) engines to push enough air to lift 1500+ pounds up into the air - that is the mother of all leaf blowers! I always figured the fastest thing on that vehicle (if it flew) would be the gas gauge needle.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
stop stop stop
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: stop stop stop
[ link to this | view in thread ]
If you want to end world hunger..
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
The technology IS there....
2) For the morons spouting off about burning bystanders....the concept Moller was using didn't use jets. In fact, I haven't seen a flying car concept that does use jets since they came up with the hovercraft concept in the 40's.
3) You can't take the human out of the equation, even if you did have an infalible computer piloting program. Some enjoy riding from time to time, but a program that gets you from here to there will be a bit hard on the side trips.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
I'
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: The technology IS there....
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: 34
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: The technology IS there....
Of course, I have other research that proves that Santa Clause is real too.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: 34
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:37
A few years ago scientists developed a computer system capable of driving vehicles along a predetermined path. A few months later they achieved much the same thing, only the program could choose it's own path.
Add the two together, now that we can reliably achieve VTOL and the subsequent flight with fans, and you have a flying car. It isn't impossible. From what I have read the biggest problems have been keeping the price down on the vehicle and working out a few quirks in the pilot program. Well, that and fuel efficiency. Takes a lot of juice to power something like that, but it can be done.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: The technology is there
[ link to this | view in thread ]
So what's the problem?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Flying Car to space flight per AST/FAA
This is why we need to recognizes Black History Month year in and year out?
Dr. Doug Haynes joins many other “earth first” human inhabitants (African heritage decedents) in leading the word into the righteous path of existence by creating the first 100% non-polluting atmospheric and outer space flying machine. Dr. Doug E Haynes recognizes that his aviation and aerospace industry has been a major production contributor in the destructive over creation of CO2 greenhouse gasses and as its leader he successfully moves to reverse this damaging behavioral pattern by creating a 100% Green flying space car.
Back in 2003, on the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers first powered flight, Dr. Haynes demonstrated to the FAA, AST and millions of spectators around the world the superior capabilities of his non-polluting Haynes Saucer UFO looking prototype flying machine. Doug’s Saucer easily displayed the ability to out fly all current civilian / military VTOL, STOL, and conventional flying devices The proof of this superiority over aircraft, helicopters and spacecraft was displayed proudly on national and international television and video tape many times over. The Haynes Saucer also displayed the amazing ability to fly forward and backward at the same speed without expelling any green house enhancing gasses thereby making it the trasperatation vehicle of preference for the 21st century.
As Europe and South America migrated in America from try to take false credit for being the first to establish a FAA/ AST registered spaceline company Dr. Haynes and his Blue Ridge Nebula Spaceline (www.blueridgeairlines.com) organization moves on to connect their state of the art, UFO, non-polluting technology to his newly developed flying car /space shuttle vehicle (Jetson Mobile category). As we all know a true Jetson category vehicle must be able to fly in and out of space as a disk shaped platform with out polluting the environment. Thank God that today only the Haynes Sauces has this FAA/AST registered capability. So while others continual to build conventional copy cat rockets / spaceships or return to building same -O- same stick shaped rockets that serve to gunk up the environment. The international community encourages Dr. Haynes and his spaceline management team to maintain their leadership in working toward cleaning up our polluted atmosphere in orbit (Space Junk) and on earth (green house gasses). Now that’s true leadership with safety responsibility and obedience’s to God at the forefront.
Dr. Haynes believes that this is why we must celebrate Black History month year after year since so may people try to take the African heritage ingenuity and multitalented based advancements for themselves while negatively stereotyping its majority global population base at the same time. Every one now recognizes the African community as the first humanoids to occupy the earth so we have to take the lead in helping to erase the damage that the industrial revolutions transportation devices created immediately, not when it’s cost effective.
So as the leader of the civilian passenger/cargo space transpiration industry Dr. Doug Haynes once again points the way to the right path for us all, as an African descendent is called to do by God, and prays that we all strive to work together as one people on earth to clean up our mistakes ASAP.
Come celebrate 2008 (Black History Month) with Dr. Haynes, the first to create a 100% Green flying car /spaceship, and his Blue Ridge Spaceline management team, the true initiators of the civilian passenger / cargo space flight transportation industry, while we show off our stuff and teach the youth of Colorado the true path to success.
As always God bless you all
[ link to this | view in thread ]
stop infringing / plagiarizing our disk technology.
DARPA, BOEING and Virginia Tech please stop infringing / plagiarizing our disk technology.
Dr. Haynes, DEHAS In and the world first Space airline “ Blue Ridge Nebula Spaceline” (www.blueridgeairlines.com) prepare to demonstrate the advanced flight capabilities of the Haynes Saucer-7 and -8 craft, either in Colorado or New Mexico, next month. we
The company ask DARPA, BOEING and Virginia Tech to stop infringing / plagiarizing our technology via the DARPA BAA 08-31 rotating retracting winged disk solicitation managed by Michael D. Blackstone That’s why we have a Black History month celebration and acknowledgement periods yearly, to keep others from stilling our accomplishment in front of God and you. Dr. Haynes was the first to successfully build and fly our patted aerodynamic rotating gyro disk on NBC television with retractable wings capability way back in 2003 in relation to the FAA/AST and X-Prize space race competition which we ran second in at the time.
As always you’re welcome to come along on our historic adventure in aerospace science.
God Bless You all.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Emergency & Police Services
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]