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.
Taylor Aerocar
(1949) Taylor Aerocar
Previous failures of flying cars had investors disheartened with the concept, but regardless, the idea to transition car into plane stuck on. This time, instead of just detaching the airplane assembly and leaving it behind, the wings could be folded up along the rear tail section and towed just behind the ‘car’. Though Taylor projected 500 units, insufficient funds meant only six Aerocars were actually built.
