Posted on 03/09/2008 10:50:01 AM PDT by camerakid400
A new car could prove the perfect way to beat rush hour traffic - because at the flick of a switch it turns into a plane. The AirCar has four seats, four doors and four wheels in "ground mode" but in a matter of seconds its giant wings fold out to reveal a pair of propeller engines.
Then, in "air mode", the diesel-powered plane will be able to cruise at speeds of 200mph - at 25,000 feet.
To switch back from plane to car, the wings simply fold inwards, the rear wheels pivot forwards to give extra ground clearance and the front wheels pivot downward to keep the vehicle level.
In the air, the silver AirCar will be powered by two, 160 brake horsepower ducted fan engines and will have a range of up to 1,000 miles before needing to re-fuel.
Back on the ground, designers Milner Motors say the main 28ft-wide wing folds away across the rear of the vehicle, while the smaller canard wing folds into the front.
The car is about the same size as a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic.
It is powered by a separate 40 horsepower diesel engine, allowing it to hit a top speed of 85mph.
Inside, the AirCar has two flat-panel computer displays showing the appropriate information for air mode and for ground mode.
The driver will steer both the plane and the car using a traditional steering wheel.
Co-designer Chris Milner came up with the idea with his father James, who he says has always wanted to create a flying car.
He said: "My father used to be a pilot and then went on to be flight instructor, so he has a long history of aviation.
"He has long thought that a lot of the world's transportation problems could be solved by making more use of flight.
"There have been others in the past who have tried to bring a flying car to production but ours is different.
"Firstly, we are using stronger and lighter materials.
"Secondly, the onboard computer systems we are using are far more technologically advanced than 10 years ago.
"And thirdly, improvements have been made in aircraft engine technology.
"All the advances that have been made over the last decade have meant that building a flying car is now very much in the realm of what is possible.
"We hope the car will be hitting the market by 2010, and although we know we have a lot of hurdles to overcome by then, we are confident we can make it."
Mr Milner, 42, said the pair were also developing a fully electric car alongside the AirCar in an effort to bring the costs down, adding: "It means we can mass-produce some of the parts that will be fitted on both vehicles."
The father-and-son team, from Vancouver, Canada, say they have already built a fully driveable prototype of the AirCar but are still working on a flying version.
Mr Milner jnr added: "We are very pleased with the prototype and each day are more confident that we will be able to bring it to market substantially the same as it appears today."
They predict that an AirCar will cost around £250,000.
It will be unveiled at the New York International Auto Show, which runs between March 21 and March 30.
I think I saw the first version of this "about to happen" event in 1949...
Yeah, like I would let my teenage daughter borrow that on a Friday night...
You’ll need some room to make a run at the takeoff. A typical freeway wouldn’t be appropriate.
Yeah, like I would let my teenage daughter borrow that on a Friday night...
I thought it was going to say “Moller”. He’s been milking suckers’ ...er...I mean... investors’ money for 34 years. Guess he’s got some competition now.
Yup...now all those P#@%ed off motorists can play “air rage.” Fender benders are a whole different thing at speed and altitude.
LOL! Yes, and the inventor died in an experimental plane crash.
“To switch back from plane to car, the wings simply fold inwards..”
I just hope that the driver understands that he must land the car first or he’ll be in for a very BIG surprise.
They could shave off a good bit of weight if they would ditch the separate diesel for road use.
Many people are at at their mental limits just barely driving a car. Flying means thinking in 4 dimensions....it’s beyond most people’s comprehension.
Its obvious then there should be spexcial lanes on the freeways just for take-offs and landings then.
In reality this car will never go into production, too easy for terrorists to use.
Brits/Canadians invent something 40 years old PING!
I hope that was sarcasm.
Maybe a Harrier version?
I remember seeing a Marine ROTC guy at MIT pushing this in a biz plan competition 2 years back. The market is pretty small, only 250000 people licensed to fly small aircraft in the US. Then imagine how many of those can afford to layout almost 500k on a plane.
I think I saw the first version of this “about to happen” event in 1949... ......... I believe you did, Popular Science/Mechanics had a car plane, I believe it was a Crosley with a plane frame attached to it. It was a big thing after WWII but it never took off. (figuratively speaking)
One of the best concepts I’ve seen in this genre; good luck though trying to make the compromise between federal and state regulations for surface and air transportation... They’ll need a lot of exemptions on a heck of a lot of issues if they want to get to mass production.
WHat a great idea! Get into a minor fender bender and you have to have a $20K FAA recertification done on it...
What’s the problem?
If he folds the wings in while still in the air, it WILL land!
4th dimension = elapsed time?
There’s a guy in Davis, Ca. that’s been bilking/milking/scamming folks for decades on this one - sounds almost like the same guy.
Roger, Pitch, roll, yaw, and time. Just normal driving stretches the limits for some. Dodging rammkommandos would be too much for me.
You’re probably right. The designer must have thought of it and installed extra heavy duty shock absorbers. How foolish of me not to have realized this before making that frivolous statement.
> It will be unveiled at the New York International Auto
> Show, which runs between March 21 and March 30.
Two weeks from now.
I’m guessing that there’s a reason why there are no
pictures of it in flight. From their site:
http://milnermotors.com/aircar.htm
“We are currently building a non-flying but drive-able
prototype of the AirCar. We will then identify a company
or companies to perform the remainder of the engineering
work for the airplane and build a flying prototype.”
My eyeball engineering says: massive CG issues
That’s in addition to the nearly insurmountable regs
problemd since Moult Taylor built his AeroCar in the 50s.
Flying cars are almost by definition too heavy as
airplanes and too fragile as cars.
At least the promoter here is not openly soliciting investors.
**You’ll need some room to make a run at the takeoff. A typical freeway wouldn’t be appropriate.**
Here in IL, the chuckholes would probably render the craft unairworthy before it could reach rotation.
OK then, you've taken to the air to avoid traffic only to find your parking lot full.......where do you land?
I was thinking the same thing. I remember reading copies of my dads Popular Mechanics magazine from the 40’s (he still has a bunch!) and seeing stuff like this.
Everything old is new again (or, There’s a sucker born every minute!)
Crowded skies now, what will it be like, then?
And under the seat passenger and driver airbags.........
Diesel plane ping...
With a twenty-eight foot wing span I don’t think you can just unfold the wings and take off in traffic. Maybe when we get wider roads.
Sorta like the pilot who catipulted off the deck in his F-8U with the wings folded...
**My eyeball engineering says: massive CG issues**
I agree. It would seem they are asking a lot out of the canard, even if all three engines are in the rear (two kinds of fuel, separate tanks in the wing I suppose). The front suspension/landing gear, even if it retracts some, is a lot of drag, imo. And if it’s made extremely light, a good crosswind (in car mode) may turn it into recyclable material.
**Flying cars are almost by definition too heavy as
airplanes and too fragile as cars.**
Well said.
The problem in a nutshell...
Exactly what sprang to mind, however with all the small plane crashes going on right now I don’t want to be involved.
Same problem now as it was 60 years ago.
1. Flying an aircraft is a lot more difficult than driving a car. Not the inherent physical skills, but knowing the regulations, thinking 3 dimensionally, dealing with weather conditions, instrument flying, and techniques involved to be a skilled pilot are not possessed by everyone. We still have a 1/3 washout rate in Air Force, Marine, and Navy flight schools - and these are some of the finest young men and women in the country. Not everyone is cut out to be a pilot.
2. You just can't take off from a highway or service road - the obstacles, safety factors, congestion, and new regulations would just preclude it.
Sounds like a good way to keep population growth under control.
When he wants to go on the highway or to the grocery store, he gets out of his Piper Warrior and steps into one of 2 vehicles he owns.
And a dog fight would give me a brown alert I don’t know how they do it.
NO! IT'S A SLOW NEWS DAY!!!
Are you serious? How did the launch officer miss THAT?
Would you stretch this out a bit further and say that, " Not everyone is cut out to be a fighter pilot.
Getting my Private ticket was probably easier for me than getting my Comercial drivers license. Flying an O-1 Birddog is a whole lot different that holding on to a AU-23A Peacemaker then the guy who is strapped into F-4J Phantom is in an entirely different universe completely.
Especially at rush hour.
Dunno, I’ll ask my Dad. (I thnk they may have been unfolded, but not locked in position)...
What happens if you run out of gas at 10,000 feet? Nobody would ever find you up there!
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