Submitted by taustinoc on Sat, 08/15/2015 - 12:35am.
Flying cars have been around for at least 50 years. In a technological sense, they've been quite practical most of that time. But flying is a lot more complicated than driving, and the consequences of crashing are much more serious, so they won't be practical transportation for the average person until and unless they can fly themselves (which isn't going to happen any time soon). And at a price tag around that of a house, they won't be practical financially any time soon, either.
The real question is, how many equipment points does it cost? Looks like 8.
Submitted by DwD Studios on Sat, 08/15/2015 - 8:25am.
Terry is absolutely correct. I am not sure as to anyone on our fair site's age accept Bill (Friends for ten years now), Tristam--my son, and myself but I clearly remembeer Popular Science articles when I was a young lad about flying cars, and a breakdown on exactly how they work with operational prototypes and talks about marketing the device.
Submitted by taustinoc on Sat, 08/15/2015 - 2:15pm.
Flying cars date back as far as 1917, by none other than Glenn Curtiss. Some have gotten as far as FAA certification, but none have been promising enough to get financial backing.
Today, there are a bunch of individuals (and their companies) developing flying cars. The most mature design is the Moller Skycar, which, if it ever goes in to commercial production, will carry a price tag of around $1 million. But Moller says that mass production could bring that down to as little as $60,000 (which is realistic - there's certainly a market for regulars cars in that price range). it's also capable of vertical takeoff and landing, and runs on almost anything liquid or gas that burns, which makes it much more practical. But you still need a pilot's license.
To be fair, the article I posted does actually mention the Curtiss Autoplane being unveiled at the Pan-American Aeronautic Exposition in New York in February 1917. I am fully aware that flying cars have been around for almost as long as man has been flying; I posted the article because it's really showing some of the new versions that are likely to become available for public consumption in the near future.
Submitted by DwD Studios on Mon, 08/17/2015 - 3:09pm.
I guess my question is, do you really think it will happen? The market is so small, the expense with a small market so high, and in the end how far can they really go? And the very idea of them becoming common and ubiquitous would lead to all sort of FAA problems, crash concerns, and safety issues I just can't image them ever being practical.
Submitted by taustinoc on Mon, 08/17/2015 - 7:23pm.
DwD Studios wrote:
I guess my question is, do you really think it will happen? The market is so small, the expense with a small market so high, and in the end how far can they really go? And the very idea of them becoming common and ubiquitous would lead to all sort of FAA problems, crash concerns, and safety issues I just can't image them ever being practical.
I've gotta agree. Aside from cost (anything on the market any time soon will cost more than a house), flying it a lot more demanding than driving a car, with mandatory regular medical checkups, and much more restrictive rules (and it's a lot easier to lose your license for not following them). And the maintenance requirements are brutal, both in terms of how many licensed mechanics would be needed and cost (which will easily be more than the cost of the plane over its lifetime).
And, even if all that is overcome, imagine, for a moment, 150 million airplanes in the air during rush hour every morning. With the same morons you drive next to every morning. Then go change your shorts.
There's certainly a market for private aircraft - there has been for a century. They're expensive - toys for the rich, or for the upper middle class who pool their resources - and the cost and restrictions (which have gotten a lot worse since 9/11) have seen a decline in their popularity, but this isn't at all an unexpected next step in the hobby. And it may well be time for a renaissance in small aircraft. If so, the price will certainly come down, and it will become rather more accessible. But it'll still be limited to people with a significant amount of extra money and time on their hands.
Submitted by The GIT on Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:12pm.
I can certainly see that flying cars will be something available for the wealthy in the near future. Will they be the ones to fly them? Unlikely - but a chauffeur/pilot is a natural progression in this area.
150,000,000 aircraft during rush hour? No, I do not see that happening. The advantages of having a privately owned flying car that allows a powerful/wealthy individual to ignore the pain and delay of using an airport - that I can see.
Submitted by taustinoc on Tue, 08/18/2015 - 3:38pm.
The GIT wrote:
I can certainly see that flying cars will be something available for the wealthy in the near future. Will they be the ones to fly them? Unlikely - but a chauffeur/pilot is a natural progression in this area.
Rich people is a market that's been around for a long time. Currently, that market owns helicopters and Leer jets, and yes, they have professional pilots to chauffeur them around. The current round of "flying cars" (of the Moller Skycar sort) combines a lot of the more popular features of both - vertical takeoff and landing, decent fuel economy (comparable to a large car or SUV), fairly high speed - and will probably end up with a price point lower than that of a helicopter. That means it's at least as practical for a daily commute as the copter.
Nothing there is new, it's just the latest, greatest toy for the rich.
The intriguing possibility is that it might actually server to somewhat revive recreational flying for the upper middle class. People who join a club to get access to the plane they can't possibly afford on their own, and sign up to take it out on the weekend. In the past, that's been a fairly significant hobby, but it's mostly died over the years due to costs (among other things). If the prices for "sky cars" really can be brought down to five figures, that might change.
The GIT wrote:
150,000,000 aircraft during rush hour? No, I do not see that happening.
Not more than once, anyway.
The GIT wrote:
The advantages of having a privately owned flying car that allows a powerful/wealthy individual to ignore the pain and delay of using an airport - that I can see.
The really important thing here is that such aircraft are entirely practical for player characters to want. It's OK to accomplish the mission, but it's far, far better to do so in a suave and sexy way. This whole discussion reminds me of the BD-5, back in the day (specifically, the day they used them in the Coors ad (as the "Silver Bullets") and a James Bond movie.
The really important thing here is that such aircraft are entirely practical for player characters to want. It's OK to accomplish the mission, but it's far, far better to do so in a suave and sexy way.
This really is the most important point as far as I'm concerned - any interesting vehicles, no matter the real life practicalities, should be posted in these forums to help characters have that cool moment in game :)
Within the scope of the game a flying car is awesome. That being said of the two pictured above the red one is much more cinematic.
Mark
I agree about it being more cinematic but, as a flying car, it doesn't look like it would be great as a car - I prefer the first image because it looks like it could be adapted as a car/aircar in a similar way the Lotus Esprit was adapted in to a submersible in The Spy Who Loved Me.
Within the scope of the game a flying car is awesome. That being said of the two pictured above the red one is much more cinematic.
Mark
I agree about it being more cinematic but, as a flying car, it doesn't look like it would be great as a car - I prefer the first image because it looks like it could be adapted as a car/aircar in a similar way the Lotus Esprit was adapted in to a submersible in The Spy Who Loved Me.
The Cessna ripoff is awesome as a VTOL airplane, and yes is great for cinema, but calling it a "car" is what is stupid. It's like calling a new species of elephant a zebra. It doesn't magically turn it into a zebra.
Flying cars have been around for at least 50 years. In a technological sense, they've been quite practical most of that time. But flying is a lot more complicated than driving, and the consequences of crashing are much more serious, so they won't be practical transportation for the average person until and unless they can fly themselves (which isn't going to happen any time soon). And at a price tag around that of a house, they won't be practical financially any time soon, either.
The real question is, how many equipment points does it cost? Looks like 8.
Terry is absolutely correct. I am not sure as to anyone on our fair site's age accept Bill (Friends for ten years now), Tristam--my son, and myself but I clearly remembeer Popular Science articles when I was a young lad about flying cars, and a breakdown on exactly how they work with operational prototypes and talks about marketing the device.
Mark
Flying cars date back as far as 1917, by none other than Glenn Curtiss. Some have gotten as far as FAA certification, but none have been promising enough to get financial backing.
Today, there are a bunch of individuals (and their companies) developing flying cars. The most mature design is the Moller Skycar, which, if it ever goes in to commercial production, will carry a price tag of around $1 million. But Moller says that mass production could bring that down to as little as $60,000 (which is realistic - there's certainly a market for regulars cars in that price range). it's also capable of vertical takeoff and landing, and runs on almost anything liquid or gas that burns, which makes it much more practical. But you still need a pilot's license.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/flying-car1.htm has an overview (though it's a big dated) of recent efforts.
To be fair, the article I posted does actually mention the Curtiss Autoplane being unveiled at the Pan-American Aeronautic Exposition in New York in February 1917. I am fully aware that flying cars have been around for almost as long as man has been flying; I posted the article because it's really showing some of the new versions that are likely to become available for public consumption in the near future.
I guess my question is, do you really think it will happen? The market is so small, the expense with a small market so high, and in the end how far can they really go? And the very idea of them becoming common and ubiquitous would lead to all sort of FAA problems, crash concerns, and safety issues I just can't image them ever being practical.
Mark
I've gotta agree. Aside from cost (anything on the market any time soon will cost more than a house), flying it a lot more demanding than driving a car, with mandatory regular medical checkups, and much more restrictive rules (and it's a lot easier to lose your license for not following them). And the maintenance requirements are brutal, both in terms of how many licensed mechanics would be needed and cost (which will easily be more than the cost of the plane over its lifetime).
And, even if all that is overcome, imagine, for a moment, 150 million airplanes in the air during rush hour every morning. With the same morons you drive next to every morning. Then go change your shorts.
There's certainly a market for private aircraft - there has been for a century. They're expensive - toys for the rich, or for the upper middle class who pool their resources - and the cost and restrictions (which have gotten a lot worse since 9/11) have seen a decline in their popularity, but this isn't at all an unexpected next step in the hobby. And it may well be time for a renaissance in small aircraft. If so, the price will certainly come down, and it will become rather more accessible. But it'll still be limited to people with a significant amount of extra money and time on their hands.
I can certainly see that flying cars will be something available for the wealthy in the near future. Will they be the ones to fly them? Unlikely - but a chauffeur/pilot is a natural progression in this area.
150,000,000 aircraft during rush hour? No, I do not see that happening. The advantages of having a privately owned flying car that allows a powerful/wealthy individual to ignore the pain and delay of using an airport - that I can see.
Rich people is a market that's been around for a long time. Currently, that market owns helicopters and Leer jets, and yes, they have professional pilots to chauffeur them around. The current round of "flying cars" (of the Moller Skycar sort) combines a lot of the more popular features of both - vertical takeoff and landing, decent fuel economy (comparable to a large car or SUV), fairly high speed - and will probably end up with a price point lower than that of a helicopter. That means it's at least as practical for a daily commute as the copter.
Nothing there is new, it's just the latest, greatest toy for the rich.
The intriguing possibility is that it might actually server to somewhat revive recreational flying for the upper middle class. People who join a club to get access to the plane they can't possibly afford on their own, and sign up to take it out on the weekend. In the past, that's been a fairly significant hobby, but it's mostly died over the years due to costs (among other things). If the prices for "sky cars" really can be brought down to five figures, that might change.
Not more than once, anyway.
The really important thing here is that such aircraft are entirely practical for player characters to want. It's OK to accomplish the mission, but it's far, far better to do so in a suave and sexy way. This whole discussion reminds me of the BD-5, back in the day (specifically, the day they used them in the Coors ad (as the "Silver Bullets") and a James Bond movie.
This really is the most important point as far as I'm concerned - any interesting vehicles, no matter the real life practicalities, should be posted in these forums to help characters have that cool moment in game :)
I agree absolutely. We're not exactly drowning in posts, and such things are entirely relevant.
Within the scope of the game a flying car is awesome. That being said of the two pictured above the red one is much more cinematic.
Mark
Mark
Mark
I loved that car! The one I owned "cough" couldn't do the loop-d-loop but it was fun for the imagination off road dunks in the sink!
http://www.amazon.com/Esprit-Hot-Wheels-Series-Vehicle/dp/B00ON9YCZS
The Cessna ripoff is awesome as a VTOL airplane, and yes is great for cinema, but calling it a "car" is what is stupid. It's like calling a new species of elephant a zebra. It doesn't magically turn it into a zebra.