DailyDirt: Flying Cars Are Here!

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The future has pretty much arrived already. We've been waiting for flying cars and super-smart computers, but if we're willing to accept some flaws, these things exist today. (And if you believe the press releases of Lockheed Martin, we'll only need to wait a few more years for practical fusion!) Here are just a few more flying cars (or roadable aircraft) that could be roaming around neighborhood streets.

• The AeroMobil 3.0 is the latest working prototype for a flying car that's been under development for nearly 25 years. It doesn't have a price tag yet, but it can be re-fueled at a standard car gas station (when its wings are folded) -- and a previous version has already been certified for flight by Slovakia's Aviation Authority. [url]
• The Maverick can be purchased for $94,000, but it might not be ready for just anyone to fly it. This flying vehicle uses an airfoil-parachute and is aimed at humanitarian missions in areas without airstrips. While a couple of these flying cars have reportedly crashed, there haven't been any major injuries. [url]
• The MyCopter project is seriously looking at the field of personal air transport systems (PATS) to make personal aviation vehicles (PAVs) idiot-proof. It's probably not possible to make anything idiot-proof, but this project could outline what makes an aircraft more usable by the general public (instead of requiring a pilot's license to fly). [url]
• Terrafugia has been working on a flying car and is developing an autonomous version. The prototypes aren't commercially available yet, but they're not too far away. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: autonomous aircraft, flying cars, mycopter, pavs, personal aviation vehicles, roadable aircraft, the maverick
Companies: aeromobil, terrafugia

DailyDirt: When Cars Fly!

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Visions of the future usually seem to include flying cars filling the sky, but given the number of terrestrial car accidents, it doesn't seem like such a great idea just yet. Still, plenty of folks are working on various kinds of personal aircrafts that could turn into somewhat practical flying cars.

• Burt Rutan has designed a flying hybrid car that can fit into a standard one-car garage. Interestingly, this Model 367 BiPod isn't quite as far along in development as SpaceShipOne. [url]
• The AirMule is a vertical take-off-and-land vehicle that doesn't look ready to fly anywhere near residential areas yet. Maybe that's why its designers suggest using it for pumping heavy water into damaged nuclear reactors? [url]
• The European Union is looking into Personal Aerial Vehicles (PAVs) with a project called myCopter. It sounds strange that <60 mile flying trips could be more efficient than driving a car... [url]
• To discover more cool sites about aviation, check out what's currently flying around StumbleUpon. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

Filed Under: flying cars, future, mycopter, personal aerial vehicles, spaceshipone