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.
Piaseki Airgeep
(1958) Piaseki Airgeep
Initially developed under contract to be a ‘flying jeep’ for the U.S. Army, this UFO-looking VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft was intended to be smaller and easier to fly than a full-scale helicopter. Results were impressive, as it was stable to fly at low altitudes as well as several thousand feet above ground. By 1962 however, the U.S. Army was no longer interested in the project, focusing more on the development of conventional helicopters.
