Future flying.

[Hans S]

So I have seen some of these Discover and Learning Channel shows in which they try to push flying craft ease up on the congestion. Driving home one day I happened to try figuring out how I could land or take off. Even is some sort of flying wing or bi-plane-ish were used, there is way to much crap over the roads. VTO uses a butt load of energy to get off the ground. Unless every subdivision gets its own runway, I don't see how they are really going to get anything close to this to happen.

[Arbiter]

These guys look fairly promising, have been working on stuff for years now though, hopefully something will come of it!

 

http://www.moller.com/

 

They have lift fans for VTOL, and though it does use buttloads of energy at first, they do re-configure for level flight . I think it also has a BRS that can deploy at insanely low altitudes. Looks like fun to me!

 

Check this one out, looks like it's from Aliens!

http://www.moller.com/m400.htm

 

"Move it Spunkmeyer, we're rolling"

 

Where will they put the custom mods on? I don't see a place to put spinners on the wheels . Also, where are the fold out missile pods? Gotta have something to help take care of those pesky sunday fliers and slower aircraft :-P.... Air rage would take on a whole new dimension if even 1 in 100 households had one of these puppies and they were trying to fly to work :-P

 

-Chris

[Marc Zeitlin]

These guys look fairly promising, have been working on stuff for years now though, hopefully something will come of it!

 

http://www.moller.com/

Moller is a joke technically, and has been for many years. The company is a mechanism for conning investment money out of starry eyed rubes. See all the other threads and information about them scattered all over the web.

 

Terrafugia has the best chance of making a flying car. See:

 

www.terrafugia.com

 

Technically, they know what they're doing. I have grave doubts about their business model, but the thing WILL fly. That's not something that can be said for Moller's vehicles, or many of the other flying cars.

[aviator_edb]

I hear Moller was going to use Innodyne turbines.

[Lynn Erickson]

Moller is a joke technically, and has been for many years. The company is a mechanism for conning investment money out of starry eyed rubes. See all the other threads and information about them scattered all over the web.

 

Terrafugia has the best chance of making a flying car. See:

 

www.terrafugia.com

 

Technically, they know what they're doing. I have grave doubts about their business model, but the thing WILL fly. That's not something that can be said for Moller's vehicles, or many of the other flying cars.

they are going to have to leave off the wheel pants though. I can't be commuting in LA without everyone being able to see I have a set of those chrome wagon wheels on my Ride. what about the sound system? how about wing mounted Subs

[Hans S]

 

Terrafugia has the best chance of making a flying car. See:

 

www.terrafugia.com

 

Technically, they know what they're doing. I have grave doubts about their business model, but the thing WILL fly. That's not something that can be said for Moller's vehicles, or many of the other flying cars.

Again, where do you land it? With a wingspan of over 8 feet you'll need a runway, or at least 10ft if you try squeezing onto a normal highway. Where are all these runways going to be?

[Hans S]

I hear Moller was going to use Innodyne turbines.

 

I think they actually were going to use the rotaries from Freedom-Motors.

 

http://www.freedom-motors.com/ Click the applications on the left side of the screen.

 

These engines aren't in production either.

[Marc Zeitlin]

Again, where do you land it? With a wingspan of over 8 feet you'll need a runway, or at least 10ft if you try squeezing onto a normal highway. Where are all these runways going to be?

Did you look at the webpage? Drive to the closest airport - fly your 400 miles to the closest airport to the destination - drive the last bit. That's the theory, anyway.

 

Like I said, I have grave doubts about the business model at a price of $194K. For that much money, I can buy my COZY MKIV, buy a bunch of $5K cars, leave one at each of the 20 most common airports that I fly to, and have a bunch of $$$ left over. Get there faster, with a lot more flexibility. Hope I'm wrong, though - it would be cool if they succeeded.

[Rydogg]

Again, where do you land it? With a wingspan of over 8 feet you'll need a runway, or at least 10ft if you try squeezing onto a normal highway. Where are all these runways going to be?

Hans,

You can't legally land an aircraft on a public road, you'd still be officially tethered to landing on FAA approved runways. It happens in emergencies but that's the exception and not the rule.

[Hans S]

The Sept 08 issue of KITPLANES has an article on page 43 about car/plane hybrids past and one kind of present.

 

The issue I have with just going to your local airport is what happens every Friday/Monday when everyone wants to go and come back from back somewhere? The airport use will go up to a point that it'll be a traffic jam.

[Hans S]

Hans,

You can't legally land an aircraft on a public road, you'd still be officially tethered to landing on FAA approved runways. It happens in emergencies but that's the exception and not the rule.

 

I realize this, but there are definetely not enough airports for the amount of traffic they keep preaching. Then by that measure, are they going to allow you to VTOL from your own driveway? If not, what is the point to design something that takes lots of energy to lift straight up? Moller? There doesn't seem to be enough lifting surface to keep it in horizontal flight so it still needs down thrust to just keep it up.

[Hans S]

Maybe we finally came up with a good reason to get rid of all these golf courses. I don't golf anyway.

[Rydogg]

I realize this, but there are definetely not enough airports for the amount of traffic they keep preaching. Then by that measure, are they going to allow you to VTOL from your own driveway? If not, what is the point to design something that takes lots of energy to lift straight up? Moller? There doesn't seem to be enough lifting surface to keep it in horizontal flight so it still needs down thrust to just keep it up.

The short answer is: it depends. I live out in the country where I know quite a few people who have set up their own private runways for planes and a guy that flys his helicopter out of his backyard BUT these are out in the country. If you live in a regular city neighborhood there is no way that you'll be granted permission to do this. Odds are that your neighbors would kill you before you get off the ground the second time, for both safety and noise. I don't know the exact rules because I really don't care that much but if you petition the FAA to set up a private runway or landing zone and get it approved, more power to you.

 

I don't know what "preaching" you've been listening to but that whole scenario you're referring to is decades off. To put it another way, most of us will be long dead and buried before flying cars are the norm. It's a neat idea and fun to think about but it's just not going to happen any time soon. They've been designing these "flying cars" for over 50 years and saying that everyone will soon have one in their garage.

 

Maybe we finally came up with a good reason to get rid of all these golf courses. I don't golf anyway.

Them's fighting words pal:mad: . "Pick your battles" is the only advice I can give you here... before you get a can of whoopass opened up on ya.

[emteeoh]

Like I said, I have grave doubts about the business model at a price of $194K. For that much money, I can buy my COZY MKIV, buy a bunch of $5K cars, leave one at each of the 20 most common airports that I fly to, and have a bunch of $$$ left over. Get there faster, with a lot more flexibility. Hope I'm wrong, though - it would be cool if they succeeded.

- rather than buy 20 $5K cars, you could get a zipcar membership, although zipcar will probably need to expand their service areas. I suspect that will happen in the long run, anyhow.

- I doubt that building an airplane is likely to be a solution that will be popular with the general public. The moment you start comparing to new certified planes, 194k doesn't sound too bad, unfortunately.

[gontek]

Even if you buy a Robinson or a Bell Jet Ranger you will have noise abatement issues and neighborhood associations restricting you from taking off in your suburban backyard or cul-de-sac.

 

The whole flying car world is still a figment of the Jetson's, I'd say about 100 years out. I think autonomous ground vehicles will be common and Rosie the robot will be my maid before there are any flying cars going mainstream.

 

It would also be nice to have the flying car fold into a briefcase package for storage under my desk.

 

In the meantime, I have been considering starting a venture into the sprocket and cog business, I expect great demand in the future for sprockets and cogs.

[Rydogg]

In the meantime, I have been considering starting a venture into the sprocket and cog business, I expect great demand in the future for sprockets and cogs.

ROFLMAO!!!!!!

[Spodman]

Maybe we finally came up with a good reason to get rid of all these golf courses. I don't golf anyway.

In my locality, in the last 10 years we have gained one golf course and lost one airfield, (not in the same place). The airfields that remain don't look much different to 10 years ago, just a little more run down. The other golf courses all look a bit nicer, despite 8 years of drought. I don't know that golf courses are big money earners, but people seem to like to live near a golf course and don't seem to like being near an airfield.

 

Whether practical or efficient or sane, if enuf well-heeled punters stump up their $194k it can only be good for airports, even if they skimp on the parking for real aircraft:p

[TMann]

Up north of me (about 20 min by car) we had a private field that was condemned by the city of Blair, Nebraska and was turned into a municipal airport.

 

This was so they could close the current Blair Airport because they wanted to expand the golf course (and the noise was interfering with their putting.)

 

No joke........ it actually happened. How does one condemn an airport so you can turn it into an airport?

[Ron Springer]

Did you look at the webpage? Drive to the closest airport - fly your 400 miles to the closest airport to the destination - drive the last bit. That's the theory, anyway.

 

Like I said, I have grave doubts about the business model at a price of $194K. For that much money, I can buy my COZY MKIV, buy a bunch of $5K cars, leave one at each of the 20 most common airports that I fly to, and have a bunch of $$$ left over. Get there faster, with a lot more flexibility. Hope I'm wrong, though - it would be cool if they succeeded.

I talked to their CEO at Oshkosh. It is intended for VFR flight only. They advertise that on a typical cross-country trip you could fly in VFR weather, and land at an airport and drive in IFR weather, or when close to your final destination. One problem with that is that you will probably spend more than half an hour at the airport, if there is anyone there, convincing them to let you through the gate to get on the runway with your flying car. That is not going to be too practical on a trip unless you made prior arrangements. His argument was that the runway in MA where they are testing does not have a gate. But, that isn't typical, nor is it the way of the future with tighter security.

 

With regard to Moller, they spent a lot of investor's dollars developing their own rotary engine. He is an entertaining speaker that can motivate an audience. That is how he brings in the dough. But, he refuses to fly any of his vehicles off of a tether because they are too valuable. Also, they burn almost all the fuel doing a vertical takeoff, so there is nothing left to fly around with anyway!

[Neverquit]

This was so they could close the current Blair Airport because they wanted to expand the golf course (and the noise was interfering with their putting.)

 

It's happened to 3 airports here so far and one more is questionable. The housing downturn saved it for now. Removing long family run old airports for subdivisions of oversized houses and golf courses I can't afford is bitter to swallow. Sorry about off-topic.

 

Besides, what's the neighbors going to say when you lift off in your Moeller and it tears the sod off their front yard? We (as humans) have problems with gear up landings. What's going to happen when people forget to extend their wings at takeoff. Or worse, retract them before they wipe out some cars in the FBO parking lot?

[RGlos]

The company is a mechanism for conning investment money out of starry eyed rubes.

Thats all you can say about companies like these. I wish I said it.

 

No real business model or real life market assement. Take all the dollars (millions?) invested in R&D and divide by the net profit of each sale if any. You then have the number of aircars to sell before you break even on the R&D expense.

 

Of course this does not matter as the money is not theirs to begin with.

 

In the meantime, they are all happy to collect a salary so they can conduct a test every now and then. Sweet deal.

 

I think I will reseach converting my LEZ to a wing folding vertical thrust configuration. I will need to use at least an O-320 and test this in the conventional configuration for a few years. Investers or donations welcome.

I will put your name on the inside of the upper engine cowl.