Flying Cars?

DON’T EXPECT THEM ANYTIME SOON

Are flying cars coming to earth anytime soon? The idea is as old as the automobile. Remember when the Jetsons zipped around in a flying-saucer station wagon? How about when Luke Skywalker piloted a floating hot rod? Naturally, most of us assumed we, too, would be gliding and hovering at some point. Yet here we are, deep in the 21st century, still rolling on rubber tires.

It’s not for a lack of effort. Countless engineers have tried their hand at flying cars over the years. In the 1950s, the Piasecki Aircraft Corporation built a test vehicle for the army called the Airgeep, which flew on two large, enclosed (or “ducted”) fan blades. It only ever reached a few feet above the ground. In the 1970s, inventor Paul Moller unveiled a UFO-like contraption called the Discojet, propelled by eight ducted fans. It remained earthbound, too, though a later iteration, the Moller Skycar, lifted off in 2003—only briefly, while attached by a tether to an overhead crane.

The idea of the flying car is undeniably cool, but at this stage of development, there’s little reason to expect that a personal hovering vehicle can succeed. The technical hurdles are just too huge.

The big problem is energy storage. Today’s batteries are a hundred times heavier than a tank of gasoline holding an equivalent amount of energy. Then there’s the problem of control. The simplest way to guide this type of craft is to put a trained pilot in it. But there’s a worldwide pilot shortage. While everyone loves the vision of hopping around in a zippy, non-polluting air taxi, the estimated $1 billion or more that has been invested in the field so far has almost certainly been squandered.

While things aren’t looking too good for flying cars, what we do have is companies like Boston Corporate Coach™, a worldwide leader in ground transportation. We’ve got an amazing fleet of vehicles that will get you to your business appointment or to the airport for your annual vacation in no time. Just call us at +1-800-664-4480 to make your reservations or visit https://bostoncorporatecoach.com/reservations/. Let us do the driving.