Flying car or folding plane?
In the past few days, news of the first flight of a “flying car” has been splashed all over the headlines. Am I the only one to find this news laughable?
When you first read the headline, images of the Jetsons pop in your head and you think “I will have a flying car in my garage in my lifetime!”. But alas, the news is much more disappointing. The over hyped “flying car” by start up company Terrafugia is nothing more than an ordinary airplane that has wings that can fold. There is nothing new here. Folding wings have been common on aircraft since cramped space on aircraft carriers became an issue in WWII.
I know, you are saying, “but this plane can drive on the road!”. So? This is not a new concept. The idea was pioneered in the 1950′s by Aerocar. The car received much attention, but it never gained a manufacturer (gee, I wonder why?). The problem with this concept is that it’s not an actual flying car. It’s merely an airplane that can drive on the road too. What good is this? You still have to drive to the airport. You still have to take off on a runway. The only thing it saves you is getting out of your car at the airport and getting into the airplane. So this is a big expense that just saves you a few hundred feet of walking… and maybe a rental car when you get to your destination. Personally I would much rather have good driving car and a solid aircraft than a device that can do both, but really isn’t good at either. This is a device with no market.
But isn’t this a stepping stone to flying cars? If it is, we are still ways off. In order to have a true flying car, several criteria must be met. First, the car must be able to vertically take off and land. This will enable you to take flight from your home and land at any destination you desire. This would give you true mobility and allow you to replace your existing car. Second, the flying car must be able to fly by itself and preferably eliminate all human interaction. I know, for all you wannabe pilots out there like me, this would be a major let down. However, think about it. Look at the people driving cars on the roads around you, do you really want them all flying over your home? Besides, the flying car would never get mass adoption if everyone had to attend flight school in order to drive one. A self flying car isn’t even a possibility until air traffic control switches over to a GPS based system. At that point a centralized (and powerful) computer system will need to be developed to route all flying cars to avoid collisions. And finally, the biggest hurdle to the flying car is safety. They will have to be equipped with some sort of automated parachute for the entire vehicle in case of emergency. Something that requires no training and no thought or effort from the occupants of the car. The dangers of the imminent fall must be eliminated.
We’re still a ways off from an actual flying car. This isn’t even a teaser. Until then, we can still dream… or maybe look into ultralights! 
