Maverick - The Flying Car that does..

Steve Saint drives his flying car from Florida, where Maverick has been certified to fly with a S-LSA/E-LSA certification, to Oshkosh.
The inovative wing deployment system allows easy maneuvering control and integrated fly-by-wire aerial controls allow the steering wheel to control the car driving or in flight. with a 40 MPH airborn speed, this could be as easy to fly as driving a car with automatic transmission.
Source

Video: Here

Pretty impressive. 0-60 in __ seconds...Watch video to find out.

I think this could revolutionize travel, at least at the local level, and who knows what the future generations of flying cars will bring, this is a step in the right direction, IMHO.

Wow thats really impressive, fantastic idea and innovation...I want one

i like this one better video.yahoo.com... just go to weird sciencs and check out the Terrafugia

Originally posted by imd12c4funn
Pretty impressive. 0-60 in __ seconds...Watch video to find out.

Nice story and video!

The bystander guessed 20 seconds...I might have made a similar guess, buy how wrong we were!

But, it is a pretty small lightweight vehicle so that helps acceleration even if the engine is small.

It actually looks somewhat practical...but performance is opposite what you'd normally think. 95mph+ on the ground but only 40mph in the air? Still, 40mph would be a lot better than a lot of the traffic jams I've seen. The problem is, it's impossible to land it in a traffic jam, so takeoff and landing severely limits the applicability.

The Moller M400 SkyCar was supposed to have VTOL which would avoid that problem and make it more practical:

www.moller.com...

You've always known it was just a matter of time before the world demanded some kind of flying machine which would replace the automobile. Of course, this machine would have to be capable of VTOL, be easy to maintain, cost effective and reliable. Well, we at Moller International believe we have come up with the solution. That solution is the volantor named M400 Skycar....

Can any automobile give you this scenario? From your garage to your destination, the M400 Skycar can cruise comfortably at 275 MPH (maximum speed of 375 MPH) and achieve up to 20 miles per gallon on clean burning, ethanol fuel. No traffic, no red lights, no speeding tickets. Just quiet direct transportation from point A to point B in a fraction of the time. Three dimensional mobility in place of two dimensional immobility.

They talk about it like they already have it but I'm not sure they do, they've been developing it forever it seems.... 275mph would be even better than 40mph, and the VTOL is a must to give it practical use (it's also one of the most challenging engineering aspects).

I did a project on flying cars before and I included the Moller. I would love to have one, but what would be the limitations on it? Would you really be able to fly them from point A to point B without pissing off FAA? Or is there a certain altitude that you could fly under without pissing them off?

Originally posted by Extremador
what would be the limitations on it? Would you really be able to fly them from point A to point B without pissing off FAA? Or is there a certain altitude that you could fly under without pissing them off?

You can avoid FAA regulations if your aircraft meets the definition of an ultralight:

www.usua.org...

To be considered an ultralight vehicle, a hang glider must weigh less than 155 pounds; while a powered vehicle must weigh less than 254 pounds; is limited to 5 U.S. gallons of fuel; must have a maximum speed of not more than 55 knots; and must have a poweroff stall speed of no more than 24 knots. Both powered and unpowered ultralight vehicles are limited to a single occupant. Those vehicles which exceed the above criteria will be considered aircraft for purposes of airworthiness certification and registration, and their operators will be subject to the same certification requirements as are aircraft operators. These rules for ultralight vehicles are needed to achieve an acceptable level of air safety by reducing potential conflict with other airspace users and to provide protection to persons and property on the ground.

The FAA has chosen not to promulgate Federal regulations regarding pilot certification, vehicle certification, and vehicle registration, preferring that the ultralight community assume the initiative for the development of these important safety programs. The ultralight community is expected to take positive action to develop these programs in a timely manner and gain FAA approval for their implementation. Should this approach fail to meet FAA safety objectives, further regulatory action may be necessary.

The Moller, and I presume the car in the OP, don't meet the ultralight classification, so they'd have to follow every FAA rule just like any other plane. The OP car is a lot closer to meeting the exemption though, did they mention the total weight? It looks heavier than 254 pounds to me but if they trimmed it down to less than that, it might qualify as an ultralight.

It seems like it would be a pain to file a flight plan, etc every time you want to go somewhere. But going at 275mph in a Moller might make it worth it.

I remember in 2000 I saw a Ripley's Believe It or Not episode where an "aero car" was built and working. The car had a box that unfolds into wingspan and tail, making the car into an airplane. I know, not as cool as this one seems to be, but trust me we;ve had this tech for awhile.

The word WE will mean different things depending on your perspective.