Flying Car Finishes Phase One Tests

[Space Racer]

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/07...fugia-phase-1/

Anybody wanna buy a $279,000 flying car?

[Moonrunner]

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/07...fugia-phase-1/

Anybody wanna buy a $279,000 flying car?

Pretty impressive.. But with our licensing in Ontario, I wouldn't want 99% of those drivers to get up in the air

[bb]

Great! Now we have to worry about kamikaze texters.

[Six]

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/07...fugia-phase-1/

Anybody wanna buy a $279,000 flying car?

You mean a airplane ?

[Space Racer]

It’s a decent airplane and as a car it can get you from A to B. The biggest challenge is finding the niche that can be served by the Transition which is neither a great airplane nor a great car. Terrafugia’s Dietrich says that marketplace might be people who fall in between the long driving commute or short airplane flight.

“If you’re flying 1,000 nautical miles, you’re probably going to want a higher performance aircraft” he says. “But if you’re flying 100, 200 or 300 miles, this might be ideal.”

With a cruise speed of 105 miles per hour, the Transition is faster than a car, especially considering it can often travel in a straight lines rarely available on the road. But it’s slower than many other Light Sport Aircraft (LSA), many of which fly at speeds closer to 135 mph. And comparing it to other new LSAs, the Transition is at least $100,000 more than most models.

But what Terrafugia believes is the value in the Transition is the convenience of always having the option of driving if the weather or some other issue prevents a safe flight. It’s true that one of the biggest challenges general aviation pilots face is being grounded because of bad weather. Many small aircraft can fly in inclement weather, but it requires more training and often more equipment to do so safely. So Terrafugia is touting the fact that its relatively simple light sport aircraft won’t force you to wait, or have to rent a car, just to finish a trip. Just fold up the wings and continue your journey on the ground.

Of course then you’ll be driving a rather delicate $279,000 car down the road. Little has been said about the cost of somebody backing into your folded wing. Something as simple as a minor fender-bender may be a bit more expensive than simply replacing a bumper.

Despite any potential drawbacks, Terrafugia has found a customer base that believes the flying car makes sense. Dietrich says about two-thirds of their existing customers are looking at the Transition as a practical form of transportation to suit their specific needs. Examples include a surveyor who could travel quickly to jobs around the state and a real estate developer who likes the idea of being able to scout new sites from above and give aerial tours to customers. The other third simply see the Transition as a fun vehicle and like the idea of owning a flying car.

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/04...ork-auto-show/

[Space Racer]

The Other Flying Car

http://spaceports.********.fr/2013/0...n-in-2014.html

[billg]

I've driven my share of flying cars, but whenever you combine functions you ultimately loose performance

[timebuilder]

I always cringe when I hear the term "flying car."

That's because anything that can fly instantly becomes an aircraft. So, the more accurate term would be "driving airplane."


This factor pretty much eliminates all the flying cars that you see in movies like The Fifth Element, Back to the Future, and the Star Wars movies, where the sky is crowded with commuting drivers.

This means that once we develop any gravity technology, it will still be applied to aircraft, and automobiles will still be automobiles.

[toocoolforschool]

Anti gravity = spacecraft.

[timebuilder]

Anti gravity = spacecraft.

No, I mean antigravity between a height of 1 foot and 65,000 feet.

[Space Racer]

I always cringe when I hear the term "flying car."

That's because anything that can fly instantly becomes an aircraft. So, the more accurate term would be "driving airplane."


This factor pretty much eliminates all the flying cars that you see in movies like The Fifth Element, Back to the Future, and the Star Wars movies, where the sky is crowded with commuting drivers.

This means that once we develop any gravity technology, it will still be applied to aircraft, and automobiles will still be automobiles.

For scenes like those in TFE to be possible IRL, the cars would have to be computer controlled. There could be no human drivers (except for special circumstances).

But cars and aircraft are becoming more and more computer controlled every day (some already communicate among themselves), so no big stretch. The computer technology will have been in place for many years by the time the majority of our cars are traveling on 3D highways.

[timebuilder]

I I think we have a difference without a distinction.

Computer controlled aircraft using humans on the ground are already a reality. The next step in that area is artificial intelligence making the decisions.

If you recall in Star Wars and The Fifth Element a great deal of direct human piloting of the flying vehicle was involved, not to mention the somewhat absurd free falling capability of the average jedi knght.

My point is that the vehicles in question are not cars, they are aircraft. There never will be a "flying car," only aircraft that can travel on the ground.

[ArthurHagar]

This idea is sure to "take-off"! Especially since people are so good at driving non-flying cars!

[sweat hog]

I always cringe when I hear the term "flying car."

That's because anything that can fly instantly becomes an aircraft. So, the more accurate term would be "driving airplane."


This factor pretty much eliminates all the flying cars that you see in movies like The Fifth Element, Back to the Future, and the Star Wars movies, where the sky is crowded with commuting drivers.

This means that once we develop any gravity technology, it will still be applied to aircraft, and automobiles will still be automobiles.

I must agree that a machine should be deisigned for flying or driving.
Though I have had my truck go from truck to boat to airplane and back a few times.
It is good to be qualified for all of the above.

[chaard]

Re: the OP. It's just a plane with collapsible wings.

Besides, there are enough crazy drivers out there. the last thing i want is for them to be flying over me or past me.

Until technology is available so that every car out there is computer controlled and self driven, there is just too much human error to make flying cars a reality.

I can see the future looking more like the vehicles in Minority Report.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rBhl8-8e5Q


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WZ8kI42OJc

[Space Racer]

I I think we have a difference without a distinction.

Computer controlled aircraft using humans on the ground are already a reality. The next step in that area is artificial intelligence making the decisions.

If you recall in Star Wars and The Fifth Element a great deal of direct human piloting of the flying vehicle was involved, not to mention the somewhat absurd free falling capability of the average jedi knght.

My point is that the vehicles in question are not cars, they are aircraft. There never will be a "flying car," only aircraft that can travel on the ground.

Yes, they were "piloted" in the movies. But that's a reflection of the way things are now, not how they will be.

True, the Terrafugia Transition is basically a street-legal airplane, but I think the lines begin to blur when you look at vehicles whose main function is to travel on or a few inches above the surface, whose lifting surfaces are relatively small or non-existent, and/or whose control requires little or no additional training.

For example, you wouldn't call a car in a maglev train an aircraft.

And what about boats that can hover a few inches above the water or that skim across the surface with ground-effect wings? Aren't they still boats?

Playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wmyr...360525401FFF9D

What about cars you can drive into the water? Would you say they are floating cars or boats with wheels?

http://www.gibbssports.com/quadski

What about cars whose wings push the car down, not up? Aren't they aircraft?

http://www.mulsannescorner.com/aerod...lolab9810.html
http://www.racecar-engineering.com/t...-aerodynamics/

I think calling the Moller Skycar a car makes sense:

The craft said to be currently under development, the M400, is purported to ultimately transport four people; single-seat up to six-seat variations are also planned[3] and is described as a car since it is aimed at being a popular means of transport for anyone who can drive, incorporating automated flight controls, with the driver only inputting direction and speed required.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moller_M400_Skycar

The driver drives it; he doesn't really fly it. It's a car that flies.

It's the kind of vehicle that some owners would call a flying car and others would call an aircraft, depending on their backgrounds, abilities, and applications.

I'm not saying it's not an aircraft; I'm just saying it's OK to call it a flying car.

[timebuilder]

I recall a discussion with an FAA guy that said they're working on standards to come up with how high a vehicle can lift off the ground before it is considered to be an aircraft.

Water hovercraft are considered to be boats mainly because they don't get very high above the water and they stay over water as a rule unless it's a military beach head landing vehicle.
One standard to be used might be something like the ability to fly over a house.

We can call them whatever we like, but if the FAA calls it an aircraft, then you're going to need a pilot's license to fly it, in which case it's an aircraft.

[ArthurHagar]

It's refreshing to see how many other pilots there are on this forum!

[Space Racer]

Terrafugia Transition flying car makes first public flights

http://www.gizmag.com/terrafugia-pub...tration/28701/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSpvw5PbMj8

[Space Racer]

Looks like Terrafugia and Moller might have some competition in a few years.

Would you rather have a plane you can drive on the road or one you can land in your back yard?

http://www.popsci.com/article/techno...-need-a-runway