Flying Car

PICTURES: PAL-V – The World’s First Practical Flying Car?

By Jackson Chung January 2, 2008

Think of the single-passenger PAL-V as half car, half gyrocopter. On land, it reaches 60mph in just 5-seconds and has a top speed of 125mph. While in the air, this vehicle will reportedly have a 340-mile range and a maximum cruising speed of 120mph. No word yet on if this concept will go into production. Click here for first picture in gallery.

The autogyro technology means that it can be steered and landed safely even if the engine fails as it descends upright rather than nose-diving. Unlike a helicopter, the rotor of an autogyro is driven by aerodynamic forces alone once it is in flight

[via ThisisLondon]

VIDEO: Terrafugia Transition Flying Car

By Jackson Chung October 12, 2007

A group of MIT students says that their Terrafugia Transition flying car vehicle might hit the skys by the end of 2008. Video after the break.

This summer, they demonstrated the aircraft’s automated folding wing, one of the biggest challenges to the design, and it worked perfectly, opening and closing over 500 times without incident. Says Terrafugia chief operating officer Anna Dietrich, “We’re building the rest of the first vehicle now. Our schedule calls for us to start flight testing by the end of 2008, and so far we’re on track for that.”

[via Gizmodo]

VIDEO: Paul Moller’s $90,000+ M200G to Begin Production

By Jackson Chung July 22, 2007

Finally, Paul Moller’s M200G will begin production. At $90,000+, it “can allegedly operate up to 10 feet in altitude.” Video after the jump.

Of course, while Moller Industries offers lots of exciting talk about the future of transportation (as well as t-shirts, models, and investment options) to its customers, the company has never brought a vehicle to market

[via engadget]