At Last: A Flying ‘Car’ That Flies!

06 Wednesday Jun 2018

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Slowly. And it’s more of a (barely) flying kayak drone than a car. Anyway, you can certainly trust the Google guy who invented those murderous “autonomous” vehicles.

With a gentle touch on a sliding nob, Rachel used her hand to take off inside the Flyer from a dock on Lake Las Vegas, 25 miles from downtown. Using a simple Atari-esque joystick in her other hand, she began to carefully pilot the Flyer around, traveling between three and 10 feet above the lake. (Her speed was capped at 6 mph — experienced pilots can fly up to 20 mph).

As Rachel glided above the lake, Kitty Hawk’s mission control team monitored her flight from a small building nearby and provided guidance through speakers in her helmet. Five minutes later, Rachel returned to the dock, landing the Flyer like a pro.

She threw her arms up in celebration. We all cheered.

20 MPH, a 100 Mile range, and a video game controller. Call George Jetson. Tell him to leave the family behind (no passengers) and set aside plenty of extra time.

At least it kind of flies.

Faster than a sickly snail, able to leap smaller sickly snails with a good running start. CNN.

When Ubers Fly…

08 Tuesday May 2018

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BS, flying cars, technology, Uber

Here. We. Go. Again.

Uber announces a totally real flying car!

Uber has unveiled its “flying car” concept aircraft at its second annual Uber Elevate Summit, which showcases prototypes for its fleet of airborne taxis.

A “concept.” “Prototype.” Coming along in 2020. 2023. 2174. Never.

As my personal heuristic for this field involves “I’ll believe it when I fly it,” and Uber rides are notoriously driven by others, and this POS is an “autonomous” drone concept, then I will never really believe in it.

But you, Buck Rogers, you get that App warmed up…

1a3z8s

I’ve Had It! Perrin is Going to Build the Damn Flying Car!

14 Thursday Dec 2017

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flying cars, future, green space chickens, transportation

Okay. Here we go again with the flying car thing. Soon. Next year. Next spring, they say.

Samson Motors has announced the Switchblade is ready for launch in spring 2018.

And more than 240 people have already reserved a model from the Oregon-based company.

The two-seater vehicle has extendable wings and a retractable tail that fold out.

It will have a cruising altitude of 13,000 feet and will reach speeds of 200mph in the air and 100mph on the ground.

The mind boggling creation is 5.1m in ground mode – the same length as the standard Mercedes-Benz S-Class – and would expand to 6.2m in the air when the tail is extended.

Call me a skeptic, but I’m a little skeptical here. Maybe it’s the 25 years of waiting and listening to ever-nebulous promises. Jades a man. Anyway, maybe this Sampson has it in the ~~bag~~ ~~air~~ wind-tunnel.

Sampson-flying-car-1170029

Sampson/The Sun.

200 MPH at 1-3-0, eh. The thing is certainly plausible, no doubts about that. It’s just the timing. Spring of 2018? Do they really mean 2023? 2028? Never?

I’m curious. How many of the 240 reserve buyers requested a test flight? You ever buy a plane or a car without flying/driving it first? Do they even have a test model? Simulator? I’ll warrant the collective answer is “no.”

As I’ve said before, I’ll believe it when I fly it. Until then … wait … then is only until next Spring. Let’s give them through the end of the season. Heck with it, I’ll just call it a July 1, 2018 delivery. Then we’ll see. Maybe I’ll do a YT video of me on a test run (or more likely of me listening to excuses and promises on the phone). We’ll see.

In the meantime, I am proud to tentatively announce that I will SOON develop, release, and market a flying car of my own (name yet to be determined). More on that later. For now, just know that it’s going to be nuclear powered, capable of Mach 1+ while carrying up to 8 passengers, and may be exoatmospheric. Price, like the name, to be determined – she’ll be worth the money, trust you me. Expect production to commence no later than the third quarter of 2138 at the latest.

Don’t Worry, Buy a Tesla!

27 Monday Nov 2017

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Elon Musk, flying cars, future, Perrin hates robots, robots, technology, War

Mr. Musk sees a statistically unpleasant outcome from the robot wars:

Elon Musk has been very vocal about his concerns over artificial intelligence, and now the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has quantified his worries.

In a recent talk, Musk claimed that efforts to make AI safe only have ‘a five to 10 per cent chance of success.’

The warning comes shortly after Musk claimed that regulation of artificial intelligence was drastically needed because it’s a ‘fundamental risk to the existence of human civilisation.’

Of course, of course – regulation always fixes everything. Trust in the government. See their shining work in eradicating: war, poverty, drugs, terrorism, obesity, etc.

In the meantime, please by a Tesla…

OR!

Buy a FLYING CAR!!!!!

Available in 2020! (2020 in Flying Car advertising talk translates to 2220 in actual time…).

the-jetsons-car_100322637_m

Hanna Barbera.

When Hogs Fly…

20 Wednesday Sep 2017

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flying cars, future, technology

Here they go again.

Well, it’s not a flying car. It’s a motorcycle. Prototype. Concept. Test. Not just quite ready for the market at this time.

Three years! 2025! Couple of decades. 23rd Century….

Whatever.

Introducing-the-Kitty-Hawk-Flyer-YouTube

Kitty Hawk.

Nice concept. However, I think 8 feet above water might be about right. As built, or as looks, this thing could have no glide factor. If the engine dies, pilot/rider dies. And obviously not suited for Class A cruising.

Anywho, plenty of YEARS to work that out, Buck Rogers.

“Here Comes the Flying Cars …

05 Tuesday Sep 2017

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flying cars, Lilium, yeah...

That was an actual Drudge headline. See:

nimbus-image-1504612607532

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This story is a little different than the usual flying car hype job in that a German startup did really get a prototype off the ground.

Lilium/YouTube.

2.6 Million viewers – not bad. And I am impressed that the thing flew. However, that does not equate to being able to purchase and fly one for personal transportation. Not yet.

Neither the Times story nor the company placed the usual time frame on delivery. That’s usually anywhere between “later this year” and “never.” Remember, I’ve been following these things for over 25 years.

300 KPH (186 MPH) ain’t bad. A 300 Km range is. And I’d like to see the prototype operate with passengers. Could it?

I’ve said before, “I’ll believe it when I fly it.” I stand by that. And I really do want to believe.

So, let’s go, Lilium, or whomever. Wheels up!

Fly Me Outrageous: More Lies About “Flying” Cars

24 Monday Apr 2017

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BS, flying cars

Here we go again. And this story isn’t even about a flying car. It’s a flying …. motorbike? Jet ski?

CLEARLAKE, Calif. — On a recent afternoon, an aerospace engineer working for a small Silicon Valley company called Kitty Hawk piloted a flying car above a scenic lake about 100 miles north of San Francisco.

Kitty Hawk’s flying car, if you insisted on calling it a “car,” looked like something Luke Skywalker would have built out of spare parts. It was an open-seated, 220-pound contraption with room for one person, powered by eight battery-powered propellers that howled as loudly as a speedboat.

The tech industry, as we are often told, is fond of disrupting things, and lately the automakers have been a big target. Cars that use artificial intelligence to drive themselves, for example, have been in development for a few years and can be spotted on roads in a number of cities. And now, coming onto the radar screen, are flying machines that do not exactly look like your father’s Buick with wings.

Silicon Valley is on the case. Problem solved. Now you too can zip around, 15 feet off the ground, at 15 MPH. Without passengers. Or luggage. Or protection from the elements. For about five minutes. Best to do it over water. Wear a helmet. And, as always, “now” means some indeterminate time in the future.

nimbus-image-1493053057092

Carlos Slim’s Blog.

I have to admit that this thing looks kind of cool, in a Daffy Duck in the 25th and 1/2 Century kind of way… (Remember his suit or wings or whatever?) And it is very impressive it actually works – slowly, lowly, and for a very short time.

The Bezos-Gates-Google-Apple, flying, toy drone, Duck Rogers go-cart! Coming to a dealer near you! Sometime. Sometime tomorrow… Next year. 2030. Maybe…

I’ll believe it when I fly it.

Fly This: Another “I Told You So”

20 Thursday Apr 2017

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flying cars

A week or so ago I exposed the lie that is the flying car market. Or racket. Or just “lie”. Lies, lies, and more lies. Next year…

Then, I predicted that AeroMobil’s prototype toy would be a mere prop at the (then) upcoming show. Today I read this headline: Flying cars take off on French Riviera. Complete and utter BS!

Dutch and Slovak companies unveiled their designs as world premieres in the tiny well-heeled principality, where luxury automakers have gathered until Sunday for the Top Marques showcase event.

Bratislava-based Aeromobil, whose first prototype presented two years ago suffered an accident, is back with a “new generation” of flying vehicle named after the firm which makes it.

“We are taking reservations from today for deliveries expected in 2020, after the process of (regulatory) approvals is completed,” the Slovak firm’s spokesman Stefan Vadocz told AFP.

What did I say? 2020. 2030. 2150. NEVER. Lies. Lies. Lies. And more and bigger lies.

nimbus-image-1492736648632

This is FAKE NEWS. The little car-plane that couldn’t. Phys.org.

One will note the expected delivery date is ALWAYS nebulously in the uncertain future. One will also note this sad display took place at a convention hall in Monaco. Cote d’Azur and La Mole were available, with all runways open. Then again, if you’re “prototype” can’t fly, what’s the point?

The good news is that your $1 Million, or whatever they claim, will go a long way in the general aviation market – towards a real product that actually fly – today, not in 20…never.

The bad news took place farther north in France today. I’ll be on that in a second, as soon as WP refreshes.

“Flying” cars … geesh….

I’ll Believe This When I Fly One: Dawn of the Flying Car?

11 Tuesday Apr 2017

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flying cars, green space chickens, Perrin

Little known fact: Perrin is (was) obsessed with flying cars. I have studied these concepts (they’re never anything more than a concept) for over 25 years. Every two or three years it’s the same thing: “The Flying Car is Here! Today! Err…Tomorrow! Soon…ish…. sometime. Sometime soon, maybe in a year or 40….” Like this, today:

IF flying cars are the future, the future is right now.

The first ever production-ready flying car is due to be shown off later this month at the world’s most exclusive supercar show – Top Marques Monaco.

Why chose between driving or flying when you could do both?

Built by Slovak pioneering company AeroMobil, the vehicle was first revealed as a concept in 2014, and now a much improved version is ready for the world’s richest to take for a spin and purchase if they wish.

Fully functional as both an aircraft and a four-wheeled car, it is powered by hybrid propulsion, with wings sweeping back against the body when the vehicle is in driving mode.

nintchdbpict000315908526

The Sun.

“If”. If is the worst, damnedest word in the all of auto-aviation. “The future is here, today! Well, today is next month at the auto show … where the think will be a mock-up. Flight testing in 2019. On sale in ~~2022~~ ~~2260~~ never….”

Spare me. That thing looks cool, much like the Moller Skycar … in 1990…

Moller_Skycar_M400

Never. Took. Off. Moller / Wikipedia.

I’m waiting patiently as I have for the past 1,000 years or so. In spite of my (what?) 1,000,000+ miles driving experience, I really, really hate traffic. That, coupled with my rudimentary and aging flying skills, make me the perfect driver/flyer for this, the Moller, or anything else that will get me up over and off of the Interstates.

Must I duct tape a hang-glider to a dirtbike or something?

How about this?

th_2