Early Flying Car Designs

[hesham]

Hi,

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/airplane-and-automobile-in-one/

 

[hesham]

In Aero WWI magazine,

and in issue 90,which I don't have,they mentioned that; Bugatti-Berline Automobile,and
I can't realize if it was a flying car or what ?.

 

[hesham]

I just received this picture in an e-mail of unusual vehicles. I know nothing else about the source. I think it is, at best, a concept or mockup, and may just be an amusement park ride. Anyway, anybody recognize it?

Again the same concept with no ID ?.

http://www.avia-it.com/act/biblioteca/periodici/PDF%20Riviste/Ala%20d'Italia/L'ALA%20D'ITALIA%201928%2004.pdf

 

[avion ancien]

My Italian is non-existent but I'd hazard a guess that the text says something along the lines of: 'Cinderella, you shall go to the ball'!

 

[dan_inbox]

That was an attraction in a London exhibition, on the theme of 'the house of the future' and how we'd live then.

 

[hesham]

Hi,

here is an idea from Norman Bel Geddes flying car.

http://theoldmotor.com/?p=156997

 

[hesham]

here is a roadable Model or a flying car designed by Herbert Boggs.

http://archive.aviationweek.com/image/spread/19450827/25/2

And from anther site;

http://substance-en.etsmtl.ca/flying-cars-models-40s/

 

[hesham]

Hi,

here is a flying car concept,designed by A.H. Russell in 1924.

http://mashable.com/2015/08/03/flying-car-evolution/

 

[Aerohydro]

I just received this picture in an e-mail of unusual vehicles. I know nothing else about the source. I think it is, at best, a concept or mockup, and may just be an amusement park ride. Anyway, anybody recognize it?

That was an attraction in a London exhibition, on the theme of 'the house of the future' and how we'd live then.

Hello All,

Expanding on Dan's post a bit, this mock-up design was called the Aerocar of AD 2000, and was part of the 1928 Ideal Home Show in England, which I think was organised by the "Daily Mail" newspaper.

The photo that shows it from the rear reveals that there's a horizontal propeller at the back. By working in tandem with the swiveling prop at the front, the Aerocar was supposed to be a VTOL craft.

Cheers,
Paul

(My first post!)

 

[hesham]

Thank you for the Info Aerohydro,and welcome aboard.

 

[hesham]

A patent for flying car,by Mr. Beals from Flying car Corp.;

http://io9.gizmodo.com/5797332/aerial-mine-fields--a-great-bad-idea-that-never-happened/

 

[hesham]

here is a two early flying car concepts.

http://www.complex.com/sports/2013/06/a-history-of-the-flying-car/

The second one and the name of the company was strange ?.

 

[hesham]

here is a roadable Model or a flying car designed by Herbert Boggs.

http://archive.aviationweek.com/image/spread/19450827/25/2

And from anther site;

http://substance-en.etsmtl.ca/flying-cars-models-40s/

From Ailes 11/1945.

 

[hesham]

here is a roadable Model or a flying car designed by Herbert Boggs.

http://archive.aviationweek.com/image/spread/19450827/25/2

And from anther site;

http://substance-en.etsmtl.ca/flying-cars-models-40s/

From Ailes 11/1945.

Also from Decollage 1/1947.

 

[hesham]

Here is a Half-Plane,from Professor T. Edward Moodie.

https://thesiloeresearchinstitute.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F34126967000

 

[Tony Williams]

Flying cars provide one of the best examples of technology failing to develop as expected. If someone from the middle decades of the last century could visit the present day, I expect that one of the questions would be "where are all the flying cars?"

 

[Aerohydro]

Here's an early design for a roadable aircraft:



From "Aircraft"- May 1911 - pg 85

Cheers,
Paul

 

[hesham]

Great find Aerohydro,

it's not mentioned in this site ?;

Main Aircraft Page

 

[Aerohydro]

Thanks. I suspect that the Lawrence Aeromobile (aka the Lawrence Convertible Monoplane) never progressed beyond the scale model that's shown in the magazine article.

Though Aerofiles is a wonderful site, and still a great resource to use, it's not complete. Since KO Eckland's passing in 2009, I suspect no-one's been actively updating the site.

Cheers,
Paul

 

[hesham]

Hi,

here is a flying car patent for Mr. Jaques Gérin,

http://aeroclub.saverne.pagesperso-orange.fr/Zfichiers/AeroJack/AeroJack28.pdf

 

[hesham]

Hi,

here is some early flying cars,such as Judson and Clark,and a flying railroad ?,also Skroback.

https://pdhonline.com/courses/m567/m567slideshow.pdf

 

[hesham]

Here is a flying car patents,for Mr. Snook and Beals;

8 Flying Cars Designed Based On Real Patents Since 1912

Vehicle leasing comparison start-up, LeaseFetcher, collaborated with 3D artists at NeoMam Studios to bring to life eight of the most mind-blowing real flying car concepts that almost made it in a series of digital renders.

www.boredpanda.com

 

[hesham]

Road and Air Vehicle (1945)

Vehicle designed by M. André MICHEL. This machine is more a kind of helicopter with limited ground mobility (the patent indicates that the vehicle operates « at low speed » on the ground) than a true flying car.

No technical data available.

Modelstories: analyses de maquettes d'avions.

Modelstories, avions & maquettes. Modelstories, kits & planes

modelarchives.free.fr

 

[VictorXL188]

Hi,


here is a two early flying car concepts.

A History of the Flying Car

A.K.A. A History of Failure | Complex

www.complex.com

Not sure about the first one but I am looking at the second example and I think that is in fact the Waterman Arrowbile which was developed into the Aerobile, as preserved in the Smithsonian today




Also see here; https://www.criticalpast.com/produc...e_attaching-wings_tailless-machine_taking-off

 

[robinbird]

Sky News and various newspapers are carrying stories about flying cars, i.e. Klein Vision Aircars on sale next month for £370,000. Nothing new under the sun. Britain invented a flying car 80 years ago. The Flying Jeep did actually fly, looked like a traditional vehicle and was powered in the air by wind. It was never developed because Hamilcar gliders were a better option for transporting Jeeps. My late father was AFEE's photographer for these trials.

 

[robinbird]

Incidentally, Sqd Ldr Little, who flew the Flying Jeep, was an intrepid character. After Oxford University he was unsure what to do in life, then war and service with AFEE. He served throughout the war and left as a squadron leader having risked life and limb taking part in trials. Post war he rose to the 'rank' of a respected economist.

 

[Nicknick]

Building and inventing is something completely different, I’m convinced, that the idea of a flying car is nearly as old as cars and planes, but finding a practical solution is hard. To me, this isn’t a true flying car, since it can only glide and has now powered rotor.

 

[robinbird]

IT WAS A PIONEERING EFFORT AND THE ROTOR DID CONTRIBUTE TO FLIGHT! OTHERWISE IT WOULD HAVE DROPPED LIKE A BRICK, SEE PICTURE AS TOWED BY BENTLEY

 

[Nicknick]

Is there something wrong with your caps lock, or are you trying to yell hysterically?

Sure, the rotor contributed to the flight, but it was not powered. A flying car should be able to start and fly by its power. Same as in biology, you don’t call animals like gliding snakes or even “flying” fish truly flying, as long as they aren’t able to fly from their own power.

 

[robinbird]

OK

 

[hesham]

We have this topic already;

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/early-flying-car-designs.4480/

 

[robunos]

Merge this thread with THIS ONE ?

cheers,
Robin.

 

[Nik]

It was a gyro-copter, yes ? Established tech in US, IIRC, with 'jump-gyros' doing NY air-taxi stuff. With or without a powered spin-up, such Flying Jeeps were probably a good complement to the 'Hamilcar' gliders and their kin. STOL, too. But, hey, perhaps just a bit too weird...

IMHO, Burnelli-type cargo carriers would have been better. And scalable. IIRC, DeGaulle had one with a tail-ramp that happily swallowed his limo. But, again, perhaps too weird...

( Any-one care to sketch superseded RAF light-bomber split down centre-line, a 'lifting body' inserted per Burnelli Loadmaster ?? )

 

[robinbird]

Yes, Hamilcar was a better bet. Dad photographed the first Hamilcars at AFEE, Sherburn, as flown by Robert Kronfeld

 

[nuuumannn]

This is the Hafner Rotabuggy, isn't it?

There's a replica at the Museum of Army Flying at Middle Wallop, England.

 

[Orionblamblam]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1sTrrbQ3qk

 

[robinbird]

Incidentally the Flying Jeep was towed by the requistioned Birkin Bentley, ex Le Mans and registered by the AFEE as an aircraft. I discovered this during my research. The rear seats of the Bentley were removed so dad and his colleague could photograph 'lift off.' Somewhere I have a photo of the Bentley towing the Jeep, the one is of the Bentley as raced

 

[Nicknick]

Instead of flying cars, we should talk about road going planes. This video focuses to much on the wrong application, flying cars or let’s say, “road going planes” are not useful to avoid traffic congestion but door to door travels with planes. Using a private plane can safe a lot of time compared to driving a car, but is takes a lot of time travelling to the airport and going from the airport to the final destination. If it would be possible, to travel from at home or the office with such a device to the next regional airport and from there to another regional airport close to the destination and continue to the destination with the same device. This would be a mayor benefit over waiting for taxis, carrying the luggage and so on. If such a road going plane would exist, it would surely have a big marked, despite the price would be in the supercar range.

The technical difficulties are another topic, it would be extremely difficult to fulfill all crash safety norms and emissions and being able to fly properly at the same time. I would start with and hybrid propulsion, where the combustion engine only works in flight mode. The electric system could give some boost power for take-off and provide enough range on the road for let’s say, 200 km at low speed (e.g. 100 km/h). By doing so, the drivetrain will become very simple and the car is an purely electric vehicle without emission control (the batteries will only be recharged in flight). I don’t know if it could be done, but I’m sure it would have a marked among those who can afford a Cirrus SR22 or a Diamond DA62 in combination with a Porsche. Its not a stupid idea per se, but a very demanding development aim.

 

[nuuumannn]

This would be a mayor benefit over waiting for taxis, carrying the luggage and so on. If such a road going plane would exist, it would surely have a big marked, despite the price would be in the supercar range.

Surely any benefits of time saved would be negated as if everyone was doing it, congestion gets transferred from the ground to the air. Not only that, transferring congestion from landside to airside at the airport would bring with it enormous challenges in air traffic control. This is a fiction that just doesn't mate with the highly regulated aviation environment at present.

 

[Nicknick]

As said, it has nothing to do with traffic congestion, despite that, the sky offery much more capacity than any road network could do. The point is not a replacment of cars, but of GA planes. For the next 50 years or so, it will be a solution which is way to expensive average car owners but not for avarage plane owners. As said, a plane like the SR22 plus a fancy car will easily cost around 1.5 million €/$. This could be an acceptable price for a road going plane.