OK. So we've gotten really good at moving an object quickly on four wheels - we've even installed hydraulic winglets on a car's exterior shell for better aerodynamics. But what about the ability to fly? Has that notion been forgotten?
Not exactly. As it turns out, we've been at it for quite some time, thanks to a few brave engineers who looked towards the sky rather than at roads. The following 10 'flying cars' aren't the type we got used to in comic books and sci-fi films; they don't have anti-gravity thrusters, fancy glass domes or special gull-wing doors. They are, in fact, powered by conventional means of modern flight, such as jet-engines, turbo-props or electric-powered air fans.
Fulton Airphibian
(1946) Fulton Airphibian
By 1946, engineers had realized that a flying car couldn’t safely be driven on roads if it had large wings and moving propellers, unless there could be an easy way to transition freely between car and plane-mode. The ‘Airphibian’ was the earliest concept of this theory, as its wings and entire rear tail section could be detached for road use. Despite the innovative concept, only four were built due to lack of funds.
