So it's finally been done?

[sameoldbloodrush!]

Re: So it's finally been done?

That's scary.

[Afrobean]

Re: So it's finally been done?

Neither was the car when it was first built. Things like this tend to go down in price as technology enables cheaper production while demand increases. If this actually works, you can bet that a lot of people would want their own flying car. It may be a toy for the rich now, but I'm not sure it'll remain that way, considering the massive profit potential from selling these to the masses.

So long as most people DO NOT have a license to operate an aircraft, demand for this sort of a product will remain absurdly low.

And like I said, THIS SORT OF PRODUCT HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE POSSIBLE IN THE PAST. The reason it is not a mainstream product is because it is not useful for ANYONE.

The only point wherein a flying car could be useful is in a world like BttF's 2015 (i.e., air travel by hover rather than by lift, air "lanes" clearly defined in the sky, cheap technology available to all), but even then, it would require a special license and not be useful in a practical sense for most people.

But yeah, flying an airplane is a LOT tougher than driving a car, and as much as people might like the concept of a flying car, they DO NOT want a drive-able airplane.

[jump_the_bullet]

Re: So it's finally been done?

The only point wherein a flying car could be useful is in a world like BttF's 2015 (i.e., air travel by hover rather than by lift, air "lanes" clearly defined in the sky, cheap technology available to all), but even then, it would require a special license and not be useful in a practical sense for most people.

this

i dont see why this couldnt be done eventually. people would just have to get used to the new technology. im more curious of how the people in BttF's 2015 went along with the idea and how that many people would've gone with the idea. here in the real world people are too scared to even open up to the idea of these things. hell my mom still doesnt own a computer.

i think our generation have a more open mind when it comes to technology and everything really. So i wouldnt be surprised if more of the "futuristic" ideas became more popular in the next 20 years or so

[virus003]

Re: So it's finally been done?

i wonder how good its gas mileage is

[dragon890x]

Re: So it's finally been done?

JETSONS!!

[footbull3196]

Re: So it's finally been done?

Also, don't forget that hundreds of thousands of people drive cars every day, and if every single person got a flying car, there would have to be some sort of traffic control.

The only thing I can think of is that an area is cleared for these "flying cars" to fly through, maybe a shortcut where there are no roads, that only these flying cars can access.

Don't get me wrong, these are awesome. I just don't think there will be any real way to control it.

Yet.

[ScaryArrows..]

Re: So it's finally been done?

Seems alright...might be hard to control air traffic and such. =\

[jchinzilla]

Re: So it's finally been done?

i'm going to mount a turret on my planecar.

VRROOOMMMmmrattATRATATTRATTAT attaaTATRrrmmmMMMmm

[tofurox]

Re: So it's finally been done?

!

[coraleaterlinda]

Re: So it's finally been done?

i want to go for a ride.

[Reach]

Re: So it's finally been done?

It's a small step in a good direction.

I think some of you like bynary are forgetting that in 50 years it is likely that you won't be able to buy a car that can't drive by itself via computer. These types of cars that can drive themselves are already in the works; planes are obviously not that much different.

It would be very easy to regulate air traffic if the system was completely computerized. People would not be flying in an ideal system; all flight would be auto pilot. 'air lanes' and all of this nonsense would be unnecessary. GPS positioning and basic AI would ensure there were no accidents, given you could track the position of everyone at any given time, and we certainly wouldn't have to worry about ...terrorists or people doing dumb ****.

As such, something like this will be highly useful in the future. A larger number of small, localized airports for these cars could make commuting very effective.