Flying Cars Edge Closer To Reality
By Daksha Morjaria on April 26, 2017
Flying cars have been in the works since 1946, when aeronautical engineer Ted Hall created two prototypes of the ConvAirCar. Unluckily, a crash landing due to low fuel caused the hybrid vehicle’s manufacturer, Convair, to lose interest and shut down the venture within a year. While there have been numerous attempts since, none have gone beyond the experimental stage. That is about to switch thanks to a slew of fresh and established companies that are determined to make this 70-year-old quest a reality.
On April 25, California-based start-up Kitty Hawk made headlines when it unveiled a movie of its flying vehicle that will be available before the end of the year. The single-seater, propeller-powered Kitty Hawk Flyer is classified as an ultralight aircraft by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and approved for recreational flying in “uncongested areas.” Tho’ the jet-ski-like vehicle, which can only be flown over water, is not fairly the futuristic flying commuter car one would have envisioned , Kitty Hawk says they have other models in the works.
AeroMobile
On April 20, Slovakia-based AeroMobil announced it was accepting pre-orders for its namesake hybrid vehicle, scheduled for release in 2020. The sleek prototype, unveiled at the ultra-fancy Top Marques Monaco auto showcase, converts from car to airplane in less than three minutes and needs just a few hundred meters of pavement or grass to take off and land. The 20-foot-long gas-powered vehicle’s foldable wings can be neatly tucked by its sides when on the ground.
The AeroMobil boasts a top ground speed of ninety nine mph and air speed of two hundred twenty four mph and can fly up to four hundred thirty five miles on a single tank of gas. The vehicle comes with many safety features, including a parachute for emergency landings as well as airbags to protect passengers in case of both road and airborne crashes. Of course, at a price of $1.Three million USD, you very likely will not see too many of them flying around!
Pop.Up
Pop.Up, unveiled by French aircraft manufacturer Airbus at the Geneva Motor Showcase on March 8, is a battery-operated brainy vehicle that can be used both on ground and air. Airbus envisions that during mighty traffic, the self-driving pod will make its way to a docking area where a drone with four rotors will link and airlift it off the ground. However it sounds titillating, Pop.Up is presently just a concept and Airbus is providing no insight into when this fantastic car/airplane will become a reality.
Transition
Massachusetts-based start-up Terrafugia has been attempting to build a flying car since 2006. The latest model of their fully autonomous hybrid vehicle, Transition, has a range of five hundred miles and is expected to come to market by 2023.
Earlier this week, San Francisco-based Uber, which pioneered ride-sharing, joined the fray with an announcement that it had partnered with Dubai and Dallas to roll out a fleet of flying cars by 2020.
Pop.Up by Airbus (Photo Credit: Airbus.com)
Of course, perfecting the vehicles is just one of the challenges faced by the manufacturers. They still need to obtain regulatory approvals before their inventions can loosely fly in our increasingly crowded skies. In the case of autonomous vehicles, it means crafting an entirely fresh set of rules, which may take many years. Thus for the foreseeable future, we all have to be pleased with our boring, but safe, terrestrial vehicles.
Flying Cars Edge Closer To Reality Kids News Article
Flying Cars Edge Closer To Reality
By Daksha Morjaria on April 26, 2017
Flying cars have been in the works since 1946, when aeronautical engineer Ted Hall created two prototypes of the ConvAirCar. Unluckily, a crash landing due to low fuel caused the hybrid vehicle’s manufacturer, Convair, to lose interest and shut down the venture within a year. While there have been numerous attempts since, none have gone beyond the experimental stage. That is about to switch thanks to a slew of fresh and established companies that are determined to make this 70-year-old quest a reality.
On April 25, California-based start-up Kitty Hawk made headlines when it unveiled a movie of its flying vehicle that will be available before the end of the year. The single-seater, propeller-powered Kitty Hawk Flyer is classified as an ultralight aircraft by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and approved for recreational flying in “uncongested areas.” However the jet-ski-like vehicle, which can only be flown over water, is not fairly the futuristic flying commuter car one would have envisioned , Kitty Hawk says they have other models in the works.
AeroMobile
On April 20, Slovakia-based AeroMobil announced it was accepting pre-orders for its namesake hybrid vehicle, scheduled for release in 2020. The sleek prototype, unveiled at the ultra-fancy Top Marques Monaco auto display, converts from car to airplane in less than three minutes and needs just a few hundred meters of pavement or grass to take off and land. The 20-foot-long gas-powered vehicle’s foldable wings can be neatly tucked by its sides when on the ground.
The AeroMobil boasts a top ground speed of ninety nine mph and air speed of two hundred twenty four mph and can fly up to four hundred thirty five miles on a single tank of gas. The vehicle comes with many safety features, including a parachute for emergency landings as well as airbags to protect passengers in case of both road and airborne crashes. Of course, at a price of $1.Three million USD, you most likely will not see too many of them flying around!
Pop.Up
Pop.Up, unveiled by French aircraft manufacturer Airbus at the Geneva Motor Demonstrate on March 8, is a battery-operated clever vehicle that can be used both on ground and air. Airbus envisions that during strong traffic, the self-driving pod will make its way to a docking area where a drone with four rotors will fasten and airlift it off the ground. Tho’ it sounds titillating, Pop.Up is presently just a concept and Airbus is providing no insight into when this fantastic car/airplane will become a reality.
Transition
Massachusetts-based start-up Terrafugia has been attempting to build a flying car since 2006. The latest model of their fully autonomous hybrid vehicle, Transition, has a range of five hundred miles and is expected to come to market by 2023.
Earlier this week, San Francisco-based Uber, which pioneered ride-sharing, joined the fray with an announcement that it had partnered with Dubai and Dallas to roll out a fleet of flying cars by 2020.
Pop.Up by Airbus (Photo Credit: Airbus.com)
Of course, perfecting the vehicles is just one of the challenges faced by the manufacturers. They still need to obtain regulatory approvals before their inventions can loosely fly in our increasingly crowded skies. In the case of autonomous vehicles, it means crafting an entirely fresh set of rules, which may take many years. Thus for the foreseeable future, we all have to be pleased with our boring, but safe, terrestrial vehicles.
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