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.
Moller Skycar
(1970-TBA) Moller Skycar
Perhaps one of the most expected flying car of our time, the ‘Skycar M400’ wooed the press in 2002 with its wingless, sleek design, presenting the world with a new image of flying cars. For power, four Wankel engines drove four rotating fans, allowing it to turn into a VTOL-type aircraft with no extra assistance. The Skycar’s designer/developer, Paul Moller, said vehicle has all-automated controls, making it as easy to drive as a normal, road-going car. That is, in theory. The Skycar has yet to prove it can take off to the skies on its own, having so far demonstrated only a few feet of supervised flight off the ground.
