Flying cars

[Enemy of the State]

The future is finally here! Click the link for videos.
http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article...2&in_page_id=2

Thursday, July 26, 2007 For anybody who grew up on Tomorrow's World or The Jetsons, the future has been a huge disappointment. Yes, we might have home computers and mobile telephones and robot dogs. But we don't have the flying cars that we were promised.
Until now, that is. Perhaps.


Dr. Paul Moller, at the controls of his flying car

Canadian inventor Dr. Paul Moller announced in June that his company, Moller International, has started production of the M200G Volantor – a saucer-shaped flying vehicle that, they claim, can travel at 50mph, ten feet above the ground.
Moller, who has been working on flying car designs for decades, attracted attention when videos of him piloting prototype versions of his flying cars were posted on the internet – including the M200x, the prototype for the vehicle now in production (below).

[The Sundance Kid]

Its amazing how a few nutcases in the 1930s preaching suacer-shaped UFOs inspired the first flying cars... I doubt they imagined they'd have that much effect with their rumours...

Well I, for one, do not overly welcome these advances. As if people don't walk enough...read Bill Bryson's book on the Appalachian Trail, its got some amazing facts; I forget them now, but something like 90% of Americans will take the car to travel over 100m. It's depressing.

But oh well, at least we're advancing somewhere, instead of stewing in our own stagnation.

[Enemy of the State]

Its amazing how a few nutcases in the 1930s preaching suacer-shaped UFOs inspired the first flying cars... I doubt they imagined they'd have that much effect with their rumours...

Well I, for one, do not overly welcome these advances. As if people don't walk enough...read Bill Bryson's book on the Appalachian Trail, its got some amazing facts; I forget them now, but something like 90% of Americans will take the car to travel over 100m. It's depressing.

But oh well, at least we're advancing somewhere, instead of stewing in our own stagnation.

You can't deny they look awesome though.

Oh and 600 posts!

[ajimenez3]

No thank You. If the way people drive on the road is any evidence then I do not want to be in the same sky as the same bunch of non-driving dumbazzes.
Nice Idea but sorry. If you think that there is enough people dying on the road just multiply it by ten if you start getting people in the air.

There is a reason why only certain people can become pilots. Big difference doing something in 3-d space as opposed to 2-d space.

[The Sundance Kid]

You can't deny they look awesome though.

Oh and 600 posts!

Yeah, I suppose they look pretty cool, but driving something in the air is a lot more difficult than driving on the road; like has been said the extra dimension will eliminate about 95% of current drivers from driving this car, they just won't cope. At least not the older generations, younger ones I suppose can practice form an early age on their games

I'm fine with driving a car at the moment, thanks very much. There's nowhere I need to go which requires going over an inpassable terrain...especially if it can only go 50mph...

[Roy Batty]

Its amazing how a few nutcases in the 1930s preaching suacer-shaped UFOs inspired the first flying cars... I doubt they imagined they'd have that much effect with their rumours...

Well I, for one, do not overly welcome these advances. As if people don't walk enough...read Bill Bryson's book on the Appalachian Trail, its got some amazing facts; I forget them now, but something like 90% of Americans will take the car to travel over 100m. It's depressing.

But oh well, at least we're advancing somewhere, instead of stewing in our own stagnation.

I have to admit to being guilty of this. My usual destination when I commit this crime is only only about 100 yards down the road. The worst part: it's McDonalds.

[MattErickson]

I have to admit to being guilty of this. My usual destination when I commit this crime is only only about 100 yards down the road. The worst part: it's McDonalds.

I think this could be a good and a bad thing coming our way. Yes there will be the lazy idiot drivers who will no doubt lose control and fly into buildings or cut people off and create massive accidents. It could also add a new depth to terrorism, depending on how high these flying vehicles could go. They could subvert border patrols and be used for smuggling or even suicide bombing. Hell is technology in this advances is could even be remote controlled.

But those aside, there are also good implications. It would further advance our technology and most likely be way more fuel efficent and enviroment friendly as I belive they don't run on gas/too much gas.

And common, who doesn't wanna drive a flying car!

[Hookah Smoking Caterpiller]

i want one, now.

[The Last Spartan]

I think only a privileged few should be able to even own flying cars, in fact, I think only a few people should have cars in the first place! Too many hazards, plus we got a lot of stupid people behind the wheel these days.

As for flying cars, I think I'd take a helicopter any day over those, except the thing about those is that you always need a flight plan, and there aren't any helipads in the suburbs.

I still like the jet-pack idea better anyways

[MattErickson]

Jetpacks would be cool. But would make things complicated if they ever got in to the wrong hands...

[Sidmen]

The way it could work is like this: Height is controlled via flight computer. If the craft is traveling west it sets the height to 20 ft above buildings. If you travel north it sets to 35 ft. If east 50 ft, if south 65 ft(also have set heights for NW NE SW SE).. That way in-air crashes would be very unlikely. Also hook up some proximity detectors that keep you from hitting buildings and your all set (do this by having the air-car slow down as it approaches objects). A few more proximity detectors on the bottom would keep you from landing on another flying craft when changing directions.

As for "only 50MPH" thats in a straight line. A flying car going 50MPH would likely beat a regular car going 70MPH to a destination that isn't in a straight line.