How Close Are We To Flying Cars?

We’ve made some major technological advances in the last century – the internet, the AC Compressor and the A/C  Compressor would have been unimaginable in 1912. Still, there are things that we have been dreaming about in science fiction for decades that still haven’t come to be. One of the most prolific is the idea of the flying car.

Cops and Cabs in The 5th Element

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has dreamed of flying away while stuck in traffic. It would be just like the movies! Highways in the sky, floating traffic lights, silent flying cars whooshing by, and all self-driven and pre-programmed to whisk us to our desired locations. It’s a beautiful dream that many believe is the future for personal transportation. Question is, is it?

Terrafugia Transition

Fortunately, there are some people working on making this dream a reality. Terrafugia is a U.S. company that will debut a roadable aircraft at this year’s New York Auto Show.  The craft, called Transition, is a fixed wing personal aircraft that can fold its wings in and become a street legal automobile. This wouldn’t replace your car, although it can fit in a standard parking space, but it could replace your own personal aircraft if you had one. This craft also requires a runway, and since it flies, you have to have a pilot’s license and use an airport to take advantage of its flying capabilities. Given all of these limitations, it doesn’t quite seem like the type of flying car we’d envisioned, though it is a very convenient option for those who love to fly.

Urban Aeronautics AirMule

 Also developing what they dub “fancraft” is Urban Aeronatics in Israel. They develop Vertical-Takeoff-and-Landing (VTOL) utility aircraft in several different models. This looks more like we imagine – smaller craft, can take off and land anywhere, no body roll when moving from side to side, and the blades are not exposed so there are no risk of losing your (or your neighbors) head. Problem is, this vehicle is intended to be primarily a search and rescue plane to go where helicopters cannot. Helicopters have great difficulty flying close to buildings or mountains and the exposed blades make them dangerous to operate in tight spaces. The fancrafts produced by Urban Aeronautics can fly right next to, between, or on top of structures. Also, since it has no body roll and much more stability, it can actually partially touch a surface on any side of the craft without losing control. The cost of these is currently prohibitively expensive for personal use, but they welcome future developments to make their design more accessible to the masses.

What we’re really after is a PAV, or Personal Air Vehicle, but as it stands there are no tested vehicles that truly fit the bill. Thankfully, there are several companies out there with investors that have the same dream we all do: to fly away from traffic jams and into the future. I’ll hold on to my dream and hopefully we’ll see it become a reality within our lifetime.