The Future Is Here: Flying Cars Were Just Approved By The FAA
My view: Oh, great. Road rage behind the steering wheel in the skies. This is a really bad idea. -Carl The FAA approved the flying car for testing and some…
Since the beginning of time. Since before the automobile was actually invented man has tried to create a flying vehicle that had wheels. (OK, maybe that’s a big much, but go with me on this for a sec.)
(Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)My view: Oh, great. Road rage behind the steering wheel in the skies. This is a really bad idea. -Carl
The FAA approved the flying car for testing and some people are pretty psyched because it takes off vertically, just like a helicopter. It's a feature story on today's No Sweat News!
Imagine this: you're sitting in traffic on the Garden State Cashcow (Parkway) and you're running late for work. You press the, "liftoff" button and zoom-you-go up in the air. You fly right over the traffic and then land down the road a bit and continue on your way.
You don't see a problem here? How the hell are people going to merge with cars landing from the air on the GSP?! You people can hardly merge with cars coming onto the parkway north at exit 105...
The company behind this is called "Alef" and they're calling this their Model A. They unveiled the concept last fall but the FAA approved the flying car testing just this week so it's a big deal. It's also a big dent in your wallet because they're expecting these to cost $300,000. You can put a deposit down for $150 (or get in the "priority queue" for $1500.
Prob be a while before they're actually in use. The FAA approved the flying car for testing. Not for use in the general public.
This Is What The New Flying Car Looks Like
To review: The FAA gave it's thumbs up to a flying car that looks promising for taking our daily commute to the skies!
Here's what that might look like!
The Sizzle Reel
Anytime this kind of thing is announced, the company already has a sizzle reel where everything looks all new and shiny. Here it is. We don't get much beyond a cool video with upclose video shots but it's still pretty cool to see.
Scroll down for more, including artist rendering of what this could look like in daily life.
This set of pictures clearly show that this thing looks like a car... a flying car. LOL. There's no wings or exposed propellers like a plane or a helicopter might have... despite the fact that it can - supposedly - fly. This pic is what they say it'll look like when you're flying around a right turn. Looks pretty cool.
On The Ground
Here's what the flying car could look like while driving around on the ground on a country road. Kinda spacey and futuristic but still clearly a car; just with weird covers on the tires. Are the tires covered because of aerodynamics? Or is that part of the lift off system?
Here's What The Flying Car Might Look Like In Traffic
Here's where the rubber hits the road... if you don't mind me using a totally outdated saying, considering this topic of flying cars.
The question is: How would this actually work in practice? Like, say you're stuck in traffic in one of these things. You press the helicopter lift off and up and away you go. Are there traffic rules? Are there stop signs hovering hundreds of feet in the air? What's to stop this becoming a massive mid-air free for all where everyone is zooming around in every direction?
Doesn't that sound crazy dangerous? I see road rage on the Jersey roads on a daily basis? You gonna tell me a coupla mooks from Bergen county aren't gonna fly down to "da shorr", get in some kind of mid-air toast up and not come crashing down on me in my Jeep Wrangler with the top down and stereo blasting? Yeah. My hopes aren't flying too high.
