Talk:Flying car
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If you're going to let Harry HotPockets into the article, maybe we could mention, or at least provide link to, Kevin Smith's hilarious Randall & Dante "Flying Car" video clip? http://www.viewaskew.com/tv/leno/flyingcar.html
"A flying car? How droll." - Dead End — JIP | Talk 20:32, 4 January 2006 (UTC)
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[edit] Moller
Hi,
The Moller Skycar is certainly not a flying car and the assertion: "However, the Moller Skycar passed flight testing in 2003 and is awaiting FAA certification. Over 100 have been reserved and production is expected to begin in 2006." is totally false! Cheers
--Pantoine 21:24, 23 February 2006 (UTC)
- The Moller Skycar should be in the science fiction section, or perhaps a new section: persistent frauds. --Tysto 22:26, 7 October 2006 (UTC)
[edit] M400X - IS AN AIRCRAFT, NOT A FLYING CAR
Paul Moller has spent the last 30+ years developing some very innovative Vertical Takeoff and Landing aircraft.
However, these aircraft and particularly the one shown here is NOT a FLYING CAR, nor is it a practical Roadable Aircraft… it is an aircraft with the word “car” in it’s name.
The definition for a vehicle that may legally travel on a US highway is set by each of the respective states in the country. There is a general consensus that a "roadable vehicle" cannot be greater than 8 feet in width, with some states having a limited exception of 8.5 feet for buses and RVs. Best estimates of the width of the most recent incarnation of the Moller 400X is approximately 12-14 feet. At this width, The Moller vehicle is NOT legal to travel on any US road.
In Moller's own website; FAQ statement 4.10 - 4.13, this aircraft is limited to taking off and landing from an FAA approved airport and must travel on roads to-and-from the actual intended destination. Unless you live on a runway, you cannot get to an airport with this aircraft. It would be the same legal situation as trying to drive a CESSNA down a freeway to a local airport.
Furthermore, in NO place on the Moller website is the claim made that the vehicle is a "CAR", but it does fictitiously claim to be legal to drive on a road.
The references to the Moller aircraft being a "CAR" are completely bogus and a marketing ploy to generate free advertising and monetary gains. Overall, this AIRCRAFT should not be included on the FLYING CAR (AUTOMOBILES) article, which is the title for this page. --Mlabiche 20:26, 20 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Moller should be included
I completely agree that the Skycar is 100% aircraft and 0% car. However, it has been touted as a flying car and the average person will expect it to be at-least mentioned in an article about flying cars. I added a reference to the Skycar with proper disclaimers. Rsduhamel 20:20, 24 May 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Definition of a flying car
I also completely agree that the current definition of a flying car in this article--an aircraft that can be legally driven on public roads--is a good definition. However, I have done a quick straw poll and three out of three people asked think a flying car could also be defined as an aircraft that can be used for the purpose that most people use cars for today. In other words, a flying car could be a practical aircraft that can take off from your driveway and land in the parking lot at work, school or the grocery store. By this definition, a flying car does not need to have any properties of a roadable vehicle at all. It would be a flying car instead of a driving car. This is, of course, pure science fiction today. A helicopter doesn't coun't because it's large rotor makes it impractical to use as an every-day "car". The Skycar may be a step in the right direction but has it's own issues. (Aside from it's size I'm sure your coworkers wouldn't appreciate you sandblasting their cars as you land beside them.) Rsduhamel 16:24, 26 May 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Science Fiction Based Flying Car
I have three problems with the definition of a Flying Car that does not meet the definition of an automobile.
First, if the vehicle no longer needs a road, it is no longer a "car", so call it what it really is, a personal aircraft or Personnel Air Vehicle (PAV). There is already a section for PAV on Wikipedia, so put Moller's vehicle there.
Secondly, If we are going to include science fiction based concepts of a flying car on this article then it should clearly be denoted in the page. Not until we have anti-gavity engines will a pure science fiction based, George Jetson, like flying car be socially or technically acceptable to the public. Current technology is too dangerous to take off from the drive way of the common public. A flying car today must utilize an automobile road to deliver "point-to-point" travel.
Lastly, using a science fiction style definition blures the line of what people think is possible and what is practical. This is counter-productive to the current Flying Car movement. --Mlabiche 16:42, 30 May 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Other prototypes in development
Israeli Rafi Yoeli is also building one http://www.urbanaero.com/Frame-whatsnew.htm His development pace is somewhat less anemic than Mollers but not at lightingspeed either
What about Volante Aircraft ? they call their creation a Flying Car http://www.volanteaircraft.com/index.htm
Does Fanwing development also classify as flying car ? ( www.fanwing.com ? )
