Paul Moller

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Paul Sandner Moller (December 11, 1936, Fruitvale, British Columbia Canada) is an engineer who has spent the past forty years developing the Moller Skycar personal vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle.

The engine technology developed for the Skycar has also been adapted as a UAV platform called the aerobot. The rotapower engine itself has been spun off to a separate Moller company, Freedom Motors.

In 1972, Moller founded Supertrapp Industries to market his invention of an engine silencing system. Moller sold Supertrapp in 1988 in order to fund development of his Skycar and its rotapower engine.

In 2003, the Securities and Exchange Commission sued Moller for civil fraud (Securities And Exchange Commission v. Moller International, Inc., and Paul S. Moller, Defendants) in connection with value of shares after the initial public offering of stock, and for making unsubstantiated claims about the performance of the Skycar. Moller settled this lawsuit without admitting guilt by agreeing to a permanent injunction against claiming projected worth of Moller International stock and paying $50,000.[1] The shareholders of Moller International - collectively known as SOMI ("Shareholders Of Moller International) banded together on a website to tell the Moller-side of the SEC issue.

Moller is a professor emeritus at the University of California, Davis and lives in Davis. He was featured in Popular Science's January 2005 issue[2] and recently appeared on the Coast To Coast AM[citation needed].

Moller holds a D.A.M. (Diploma Aircraft Maintenance) PITA, 1957; D.A.E. (Diploma Aeronautical Engineering) PITA 1958; Master of Engineering, McGill University, 1961; Ph.D. in Aerodynamics, McGill University, 1963.

In 2007, Moller announced that the M200G Volantor, a successor to the Moller Skycar, would hopefully be on the market in the United States by early 2008.[3] His proposed Autovolantor model includes an all-electric version powered by Altairnano batteries.[4]

Moller's credibility has been questioned in recent years because of the vaporware nature of his creations. In April 2009, the National Post characterized the Moller M400 Skycar as a 'failure', and described the Moller company as "no longer believable enough to gain investors".[5]

On May 18, 2009, Dr. Moller filed for personal protection under the Chapter 11 reorganization provisions of the federal bankruptcy law; however Moller International (corporation) did not file for bankruptcy and continues to do business as of this writing.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Securities And Exchange Commission v. Moller International, Inc., and Paul S. Moller, Defendants from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website
  2. ↑ Jeff Wise Paul Moller: Artful Dodger, with Eyes on the Prize, Popular Science, January 1, 2005. Retrieved 09.24.2009.
  3. ↑ "'Flying saucer' nears US take-off". BBC News. 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2007-08-30. 
  4. ↑ Paul S. Moller Autovolantor –An Automobile That Can Occasionally Operate Above Traffic, (presented at the 2008 SAE Wichita Aviation Technology Congress & Exhibition, August 21, 2008), www.moller.com website. Retrieved 09.24.2009.
  5. ↑ [http://www.nationalpost.com/cars/story.html?id=1486209, "Flying cars"; National Post, April 9, 2009]

External links

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