Here's a flying car that's now for sale

If you want to buy a flying car next Christmas it will cost you 50,000 dollars.

It looks a little dangerous to me but fun. The landings look rough. It's called Parajet Skycar.

The Parajet SkyCar is a very cool flying car developed in the UK. It combines a modified dune buggy car with a parafoil to achieve sustained flights at altitudes of up to 3,000 feet.

In January 2009 the Parajet Skycar expedition team, led by former British army officer Neil Laughton and Skycar inventor Gilo Cardozo, successfully completed its inaugural flight, an incredible journey from the picturesque surroundings of London to Tombouctou.

www.technovelgy.com...

www.parajetautomotive.com...

It looks like fun but get your helmet for those landings.

Is that what they call a flying car ?? it's basicaly a Go-Cart with a parachute attached to it.

50,000 pounds for that !!! that's more unbelievable than the car itself.

Something tells me that we won't see the skies filled with those for the morning commute.

That seems like a very special purpose vehicle, for lack of a better description.

Very cool!!

Looks rather safe..... over flat terrain =)

reply to post by Matrix Rising


I think I'll wait for the Transition being built by Terrafugia with first customer delivery expected in 2011.

$200,000 instead of $50,000, but immensely more practical.

reply to post by Matrix Rising


Look up the Moller Skycar.

Much much closer to what we want.

reply to post by OZtracized


Except that it's been in development for how many decades? Except that the latest prototype is apparently only capable of getting 15 feet off the ground? And except that the first commercially available models are expected to cost one million dollars each?

But other than that...yes, the Skycar is pretty cool.

Maybe slower, less practical and more expensive than a helicopter that goes faster, flies higher and has the same VTOL capabillity, but fairly cool nonetheless.



[edit on 25-12-2009 by LordBucket]

reply to post by LordBucket


You're mostly right.

It has been in "development" for 15 years or so and it does carry a high price tag but it is perfectly capable of getting off the ground (most testing has been performed tethered).

The problem is getting the thing to remain stable and SAFE before any licenses can be granted and it sold to the public.

Maybe THAT will never get off the ground.....

Originally posted by OZtracized
reply to post by Matrix Rising

 

Look up the Moller Skycar.

Much much closer to what we want.

The problem with the Moller Sky Car, as with all 'flying cars' is the same thing: ambitions vs the reality of current power plant technology.

Sky cars by the very nature of their design, need compact, light, and very powerful power plants! The problem is, cheap ones don't exist, and the ones we do have make it economically unviable to use in a production sky car.

There are many sky cars alleged to be 'close to production' - but sadly that's where most - if not all - will stay, until the day arrives where cheap. light and powerful power plants come into the mainstream.



[edit on 25-12-2009 by mckyle]

Originally posted by OZtracized

The problem is getting the thing to remain stable and SAFE before any licenses can be granted and it sold to the public.

And do you realise just how difficult that is in a multi-engine VTOL?

Go and read up how many millions and years were spent making the Harrier stable in take-off!

[edit on 25-12-2009 by mckyle]

Originally posted by OZtracized
reply to post by LordBucket

 

You're mostly right.

No disrespect, but LordBucket is completely right!

Originally posted by IntastellaBurst


Is that what they call a flying car ?? it's basicaly a Go-Cart with a parachute attached to it.

50,000 pounds for that !!! that's more unbelievable than the car itself.

4 wheels, one nut behind the wheel an engine and air beneath it as it goes places - the realist in me says that it does technically tick all the boxes for a flying car... Didn't they already have snow mobiles a bit like this? They had them in a James Bond film.

So its basically a souped-up powered-parachute ultralight?

If I thought I could get 50k for that I would have done it a long time ago...

Oh, wait here you go, in case your're interested...

www.usairnet.com...

Makes it look like its a fancy go cart w/ a parachute and pusher prop attached. No way it should cost 50k!
I don't see much of a market for this, as you will have to have a pilots license/sport pilot license to fly it(won't qual as a Ultralight,maybe a LSA if under 1250Lbs.) If you do have a sport or PPL for that 50k you can get a nice used plane or some newer Light sport planes...

[edit on 25-12-2009 by JJRichey]

I'm all for the progression of flying cars. Gotta start somewhere.

Originally posted by OZtracized
reply to post by Matrix Rising

 

Look up the Moller Skycar.

Much much closer to what we want.

Yeah -- but even the Moller Skycar is not a successful design. It has been in development for 40 years (I remember seeing the Moller Skycar on the TYV show That's Incredible! back in the early 1980s), but it has yet to fly successfully. About 8 years ago, one hovered at a height of 15 feet, but that's the best so far -- that's a far cry from a "flying car".

Moller has yet to prove that his design can carry an engine that is capable of turning his empty shell into a "flying car".

As for the "car" in the OP...it's not really a flying car, but a car attached to a parafoil/hang-glider. I could have attached a Lazy-boy chair (a "comfy chair") to a parafoil and say "I invented the flying chair". Heck, I could have strapped a wheelbarrow to it and said "I invented the flying wheelbarrow!"

[edit on 12/26/2009 by Soylent Green Is People]

I guess one of the neat things about this is the ability to land at an airport and drive to your destination...

Personally, I'd rather land in my backyard with practically the same system, minus the car. I'm talking about powered paragliding. Strap the fan to your back and away you go.... I guess they are sensitive to cross winds, so they are only practical during some summer months. But still, I'd think they would be fun to try.

Powered Paragliding

I wonder if these cars are susceptible to the same cross winds? I imagine they still try to keep the weight to a minimum.