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While the list of probable flying cars that have failed to take off – excuse the pun – is long,
there is still hope yet, albeit only now in this new millennium. In 2004, Moller International began accepting deposits to secure delivery positions for the M400 Skycar, after successfully testing tethered hovering flights. A ten percent deposit of US$100,000 on the list price of US$1 million lands you within the top 100 delivery positions for this four-seater dual-purpose vehicle capable of vertical takeoff and landing, cruising speeds of over 600 kilometers per hour, and a range of about 1200 kilometers. The Moller M400 Skycar is slated for delivery no later than 2008.
Another company taking orders for a flying car is a start-up who call themselves Terrafugia, formed by a team of MIT graduates. The Terrafugia Transition is a Personal Air Vehicle designed to drive like a car on public roads, that can transform itself into an aircraft at the nearest airport by lowering its 9-meter-wide wings and taking off. As an aircraft, it reaches a top speed of over 200 kilometers per hour and has a range of about 800 kilometers, carrying a payload of 200 kilograms, or two adults with luggage. Compared to the M400 Skycar, the Transition is drastically more affordable with an anticipated price of just US$148,000, with projected deliveries by 2009.
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While nothing is assured yet in the realization of the flying car, few would argue against it inevitably becoming a mode of transport in the years to come. Growth in air travel is expected to soar over the next 30 years and beyond, and there is a real possibility that the aircraft industry will struggle to keep up. Manufacturers are also under pressure to cut noise and emissions from aircraft. Innovative new technologies may come to the rescue, but only if they satisfy the financial bottom line.
More practical, and hence, more likely to reach actualization is the idea of flying taxis. United Kingdom-based company Avcen unveiled the concept in 2004 aimed at giving urban commuters an airborne option. The Jetpod is a small twin-jet aircraft with a new VQSTOL (Very Quiet Short Take-off and Landing) technology that reduces noise emissions by up to 50 percent, and enables short-distance travel in built-up urban areas.
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With the ability to take off within just 125 meters and 300 meters to land, the company hopes that busy metropolises such as Moscow, Tokyo, and New York will embrace the Jetpod and build elevated runways above harbors, roads, and railway tracks to handle arrivals and departures from ‘park-and-fly’ terminals located in the suburbs. It is envisioned that commuters will drive to a pick-up site, get on the eight-seater Jetpod, and fly off into the cities. This ability to move quickly from point to point over medium distances additionally means the Jetpod is ideal for the uses of the military, police, and emergency services. This plausible adoption of the concept by public services would arguably expedite the Jetpod’s conversion into commercial and private use, making aerial taxis more viable than flying cars in the near future.
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