Flying Cars And Roadable Aircraft

[Stargazer]

S'pose the PAL-V 3wheeler/autogyro thingy falls under this category. It does actually fly and drive (see the video on their site) and the design seems effortless and unforced compared to many other "hybrids".

Seems to me like the real solution for the future. It makes a lot of sense to have a small, practical, lightweight and therefore more economical design, especially in times when the future of the oil industry is so blurry.

 

[SteveO]

Very nice, I wonder if anyone in the PAL-V design team had one of these growing up?

 

[dan_inbox]

Seems to me like the real solution for the future. It makes a lot of sense to have a small, practical, lightweight and therefore more economical design

Right. Now if only we had drivers smart & practical enough to entrust with flying above our cities, then there would be market worth talking about...

 

[bigvlada]

Seems to me like the real solution for the future. It makes a lot of sense to have a small, practical, lightweight and therefore more economical design

Electric Cessna 172 is a good example of things we can expect in the near future.
http://www.avweb.com/news/airventure/EAAAirVenture2011_ElectricCessna172StartsTaxiTests_205083-1.html
Put something similar (motor and batteries) in above mentioned design and you have a zero emission flying car. There will be market for that kind of vehicles.

 

[Jemiba]

Put something similar (motor and batteries) in above mentioned design and you have a zero emission flying car.

Not to spoil those ideas, but the term "zero emission" mostly is a kind of fraud, as long, as it is about electric driven
vehicles. Where does the electric energy comes from ?

 

[richard]

Put something similar (motor and batteries) in above mentioned design and you have a zero emission flying car.

Not to spoil those ideas, but the term "zero emission" mostly is a kind of fraud, as long, as it is about electric driven
vehicles. Where does the electric energy comes from ?

RIGHT


Electricity is NOT an energy , but a mean of transport of the energy : in Germany "electricity" is mainly coal , in France , it is mainly nuclear ...

 

[bigvlada]

Not to spoil those ideas, but the term "zero emission" mostly is a kind of fraud, as long, as it is about electric driven vehicles.Where does the electric energy comes from ?

How can it be considered fraud? Does the vehicle emits anything? Here's a local example, Belgrade has trams, trolleybuses and city trains as part of city's transportation system. They all run on electricity and do not pollute the city. But, because the city gets most of its electricity from coal they should be classified as polluters, just like the buses? The manufacturers of electric vehicles must not use the term zero emission until all coal, oil and natural gas power plants in the world are the things of the past? Or should they put Zero emission in Sweden (hydro+nuclear power plants) stickers on them? Sounds kind of silly, doesn't it?
If the source of power concerns you, you could always mount something like Honeywell's wind turbine on the roof of the garage. Or put solar panels designed as roof tiles. Even now, there are solutions for individual homeowners to generate power for flying cars on their own.
The biggest concern, as Dan said, is letting average driver fly something like these machines above our heads.

 

[Stargazer]

I have begun to split this topic into more sensible units.

First "new" topic deals with the Consolidated-Vultee (Stout, Hall, Convair) types:
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,10122.0.html

 

[piolenc]

It's the difference between things that fly, and things that don't fly but have to ride out a pothole at 70 mph and protect their occupants against a drunk in a Ford F350. A Cirrus SR22 has about the same cab volume as a 5-series BMW or similar, but has an empty weight of about 2200 pounds versus 3500-plus pounds for the car.
And given that nobody has come up with a really successful amphibious car yet (pace all you Amphicar fans out there) asking for a flying car may be ambitious.

If by successful you mean commercially successful, I have to concede, but there are at least two amphibious cars displayed on YouTube that are wildly successful from a technical standpoint - one of them with caterpillar tracks, of all things. Lightweight structures and powerplants with higher power density really are making a difference there.

 

[Stargazer]

Interesting item on the Taylor Aerocar from the August 1963 issue of Flying:

 

[antigravite]

Though a bit "off topic", wired posted today an article on flying car art, as imagined by French artist & photoshoper Renaud Marion.


http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2013/02/throwback-futuristic-cars-are-this-photographers-rendering-of-a-popular-culture-fantasy/


A.

 

[Triton]

Convair Model 118 ConvAirCar booklet 1947

Convair Model 118 ConvAirCar booklet found on eBay.

URL:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1947-ConvAIRCAR-flying-car-historic-artifact-1st-prototype-design-book-ORIGINAL-/390580640730?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5af06b9bda

 

[Triton]

Re: Convair Model 118 ConvAirCar booklet 1947

Convair Model 118 ConvAirCar booklet 1947 found on eBay.

 

[Stargazer]

Re: Convair Model 118 ConvAirCar booklet 1947

Oh WOW. I so want this!

Shame the guy only posted a small size blurry version of the general arrangement...

 

[Grey Havoc]

http://www.paleofuture.com/blog/2009/7/3/inventors-die-testing-flying-pinto-1973.html

 

[sferrin]

http://www.paleofuture.com/blog/2009/7/3/inventors-die-testing-flying-pinto-1973.html

Thought this was going to be about the JATO car urban legend.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Thought this was going to be about the JATO car urban legend.

Via the comments to that article: http://www.cookieboystoys.com/mizar.htm

Even now some people still like the Mizar concept.

 

[BillRo]

I saw this one at Mojave CA a couple of weeks ago. The Caravella - I resisted the urge to contribute $ to help it fly.
www.caravella.aero

 

[royabulgaf]

As the fellow above noted five years ago, you have to deal with the potholes and the drunks in real cars. All projects seem to be looking at the semi-practical, and at least on the ground you are looking at a Smart car, only flimsier and costing have a mil. How about looking at this as a fun ride for sportsmen? The people who like wind in their hair, and smashed bugs on their teeth. Go for something like a flying motorcycle. Single seat, no one expecting all this fancy schmancy stuff like a roof and doors, or the ability to ride out a car accident.

 

[Jemiba]

And exactly that clientel won't be amused, if forbidden to take-off and land with their vehicle wherever they want to,
ask for permission by local flight control and so on. All this would be a show-stopper and so a sales stopper.
What's needed in this field, is at least a twin-seat vehicle, that allows the businessman, or maybe the man from the
technical service to quickly fetch, say, the companies lawyer, or a technician, drive just to the nearest general aviation
airfield, overfly the traffic jams on the highways and arrive at the impatient customer, 400 to 500km away in about to
hours, instead of 5 hours. When that's established, we can think again about a single seat version.

 

[dan_inbox]

By and large, light helicopters can do this today.
Also, ultralight planes can probably land close enough to the customer that he comes pick them up.
The skillset required for the pilot is the killer, more than the operating cost.


And just think of trying to convince the average company lawyer to entrust his precious self into one of those flimsy contraptions...

 

[Jemiba]

...into one of those flimsy contraptions...

That's still the problem, that those flying cars, that already exist at least look that way !
BTW, if it's a salaried lawyer, as quite often in companies, I don't think, that he would dare
to say "no" ...
You're right about the needed skills for the pilot, but even more so for helicopter pilots.
And landing rights for private helis outside an airfield aren't common in many countries.
Additionally light aircraft can be faster, than (light) helicopters. Great would be a flying car
requiring a pilot with an ULA licenses only.

 

[dan_inbox]

You are right about the need to require an ULA licence only.
However, the weight limit almost mandates "flimsy contraption".
A Smart Fortwo or a Nissan Micra already weight 700-800kg, before you add wings. Too much for a ULA.

One would need to mate a motorcycle with a wing like the XV-8A Fleep Ryan flexible wing. And then, company lawyers and businessmen wil go double-

 

[Jemiba]

We are just stumbling over the problems, that prevent the success of flying cars still yet.
- They are (much) more expensive, than a car + an aircraft
- Still yet, they lacked full functionality/comfort of every single of its components
- The possible number of owners is relatively small and if wealthy enough to buy it,
often not willing to accept the second point.

But maybe with new materials the weight problem can be solved, without giving up the
crashworthiness and other design points.
And maybe in certain cases, limits could be relaxed, to make it suitable for the ULA category ?

 

[Grey Havoc]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIEgejkGZ_c&feature=player_embedded

Things With Wings blog

 

[BillRo]

Here is a clever one that seems to work - sort of.
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/05/11/flying-car-accident-in-bc-under-investigation

 

[Grey Havoc]

Original Caption: The S&S Stalker multi-purpose tactical vehicle is a prop-driven, parachute lofted aircraft and open-air ground assault vehicle.

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20130514/DEFREG/305140022/Drive-Fly-S-S-Precision-Stalker-MPTV​

 

[Jemiba]

When no stealth is needed ...
The acoustic signature of such vehicles with their props is quite conspicious, I
think, and here the same noise would emitted on the ground !

 

[topspeed3]

Things With Wings blog

This has been labelled as total fantasy on several aviation sites.

 

[Jemiba]

The upside: Terrafugia already is a name in the field of flying cars (or better "roadable aircraft" in the case
of the Transition), so there actually technical experience is involved.
The downside: What is said here http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/155422-terrafugia-tf-x-the-vertical-take-off-flying-car,
"..The TF-X is a decade away and will likely cost on the high side of a half-million dollars. Maybe a million."
quite surely still is over optimistic, I would think of at least 20 years, without thinking about the price.
But if there ever will be a real success for the flying car, it would have to be something like this. Who
would buy such a thing, if he would have to drive on the road for arouond an hour to reach the nearest
airfield ? Either you could take off from points not further away, than todays heli pads for hospitals, or you
can forget the whole idea. So, to my opinion, the real challenge is not on the technical, but on the legal side.

 

[topspeed3]

This latter in 100% hoax..it has no chance to stay a loft.

It is like Möller Aerocar no real flying a head.

 

[hesham]

"want a flying car !"

This one here could be of interest for you. Foldable four bladed
rotor, a shrouded tail rotor and quite a pleasing design, I think.
Designated as "Ka-2" in "Weltluftfahrt" 12/1950, I couldn't find
the designer, someone, who can ?
BTW, if you aren't the only one to have such a vehicle, the traffic
would only be transfered into the air ... :-\

My dear Jemiba,


the designer was called Kaempf.


http://kulturserver-nds.de/home/hubtest/medien/Neg.Nr.GUN.pdf

 

[bigvlada]

But if there ever will be a real success for the flying car, it would have to be something like this. Who
would buy such a thing, if he would have to drive on the road for arouond an hour to reach the nearest
airfield ? Either you could take off from points not further away, than todays heli pads for hospitals, or you
can forget the whole idea. So, to my opinion, the real challenge is not on the technical, but on the legal side.

You have no faith in the flying car
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsFfBB2W7IA

 

[flateric]

...

 

[SteveO]

This looks like fun

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2017062404/b-go-beyond

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJMQQg_Qmf0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux2JqKYHilY

 

[blackkite]

Wow!!!!

 

[bigvlada]

Wow indeed. This looks great.

 

[Stargazer]

Brilliant. Like every great idea in the past it is so simple that you can only wonder how come no-one ever came up with it before...

Can't wait for full-scale developments of this one! Moller, eat your heart out!

 

[robunos]

I wonder how well it would scale to the full size. It would seem that propeller blade loading, and hence diameter, is the limiting dimension, as they have to be two-bladed, which in turn drives the diameter of the wheels, which in turn sets the vehicle height, and length.

cheers,
Robin.

 

[Jemiba]

And I'm wondering about the stability of full size wheels of that kind.

Nevertheless, I should have objected to posting those videos ! Or deleted them !!!
At least, I should get into the habit of switching off the SPF site more quickly ...
My son, who is regularly looking over my shoulder, when browsing the SPF, seems to
have found his most important Christmas wish now ! ;D