Flying Car Takes Off

**cigaretteman** · 03-24-2009, 11:43 AM

Flying car takes off in upstate New York -- Newsday.com

**Stewo** · 03-24-2009, 11:47 AM

Worst. Idea. Ever.

**jdoggivjc** · 03-24-2009, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by Stewo

Worst. Idea. Ever.

Actually, from what I have heard, most people disagree with you - opens flying up to more people who wouldn't be able to do it otherwise.

**CloneFan65** · 03-24-2009, 11:53 AM

Someone may want to let them know it's already been done. It's called the airplane.

**justincl** · 03-24-2009, 11:55 AM

The real question is...was it on a treadmill?

**jdoggivjc** · 03-24-2009, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by CloneFan65

Someone may want to let them know it's already been done. It's called the airplane.

Difference being this thing is street-legal (meaning you don't have to pay for a hangar at the airport) and it runs on regular gasoline (meaning you don't have to pay for uber-expensive aircraft fuel).

**Stewo** · 03-24-2009, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by jdoggivjc

Actually, from what I have heard, most people disagree with you - opens flying up to more people who wouldn't be able to do it otherwise.

Great. So, now there will be even more "plane" crashes. Chicken Little would be right in this sense, the sky would be falling. Plus, you would still have to clear with FAA at least 24 hours in advance to fly and you would have to have a flight path plotted so that no one else would be in that area at the same time as you. Do you think people would actually do that? I don't and if this idea does actually take off(sea wut eye dyd thur?), I'm building a house under-smurfing-ground!!

**isutrevman** · 03-24-2009, 11:59 AM

Is it legal to fly though? Can you just take off whenever you feel like it?

**jdoggivjc** · 03-24-2009, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by Stewo

Great. So, now there will be even more "plane" crashes. Chicken Little would be right in this sense, the sky would be falling. Plus, you would still have to clear with FAA at least 24 hours in advance to fly and you would have to have a flight path plotted so that no one else would be in that area at the same time as you. Do you think people would actually do that? I don't and if this idea does actually take off(sea wut eye dyd thur?), I'm building a house under-smurfing-ground!!

Pretty sure people are still going to have to have a pilot's license and adhere to other FAA regulations in order to own/fly one of these things, just like automobiles are open for the general public to purchase, but one must have valid licenses, registrations, and insurance in order to own one. But nice try, though...

**clone52** · 03-24-2009, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by Stewo

Great. So, now there will be even more "plane" crashes. Chicken Little would be right in this sense, the sky would be falling. Plus, you would still have to clear with FAA at least 24 hours in advance to fly and you would have to have a flight path plotted so that no one else would be in that area at the same time as you. Do you think people would actually do that? I don't and if this idea does actually take off(sea wut eye dyd thur?), I'm building a house under-smurfing-ground!!

More likely to die in a car than in an airplane.

**Stewo** · 03-24-2009, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by jdoggivjc

Pretty sure people are still going to have to have a pilot's license and adhere to other FAA regulations in order to own/fly one of these things, just like automobiles are open for the general public to purchase, but one must have valid licenses, registrations, and insurance in order to own one. But nice try, though...

Riiiiight. Are you familiar with Americans? Not all of us are upstanding citizens. Too easy of access. If it became mainstream, they would end up in the hands of the wrong folks. The negatives outweigh the positives.

**Stewo** · 03-24-2009, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by clone52

More likely to die in a car than in an airplane.

What's the ratio of airplanes to cars? Exactly. Plus, would you trust a bounch of these things flying above your house, work, park where your kids play? It's one thing to have experienced pilots flying, it's a different story when any Joe off of the street can go to the dealership and buy one.

**superdorf** · 03-24-2009, 12:08 PM

This looks more like a plane that's a car... Than a flying car to me..

The difference being that this is an airplane FIRST and a car second. Think of it from a buisness perspective... You can fly to the local airport... then drive it to the local destination.

**Phaedrus** · 03-24-2009, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by Stewo

What's the ratio of airplanes to cars? Exactly. Plus, would you trust a bounch of these things flying above your house, work, park where your kids play? It's one thing to have experienced pilots flying, it's a different story when any Joe off of the street can go to the dealership and buy one.

Actually, not trying to bust your balls, but the incidence of plane crashes are much less than car crashes. That means, they are already considering the ratio of planes (actually flight hours) to cars (actually driving hours) when this well-proven stat is thrown out.

Personally, I think it's a bad idea from a maintenance standpoint. No machine will hold up to both the stresses of driving and flying. None. That's where you're going to see this turn out to be a bad idea. And even if it could, the maintenance costs will be horrendous, due to your car requiring aviation-style maintenance.

Bad idea.

**The_Architect** · 03-24-2009, 12:27 PM

Flying cars will never be doable until some sort of auto pilot running on some virtual roads exist in the air. "Car crashes" in the air would be infinitely worse than on the ground.