Flying car inches closer to reality - NBC News

[TexasTowelie]

A startup in California says it is close to pioneering a piece of future tech many have dreamed of: a flying car. Alef Aeronautics gives NBC News’ Steve Patterson an exclusive demo of the car, its abilities and limitations.

[speak easy]

1. Its a drone

[bucolic_frolic]

2. The idea and startups have been around for 30 years

Last edited Wed Feb 19, 2025, 08:53 AM - Edit history (1)

I recall articles in Business Week with prototypes. Likely to be a pain to insure against liability.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-12-me-5320-story.html

COSTA MESA : Owner Gives Wing to His Flying Car
By TOM McQUEENEY
Aug. 12, 1992 12 AM PT

Edward Sweeney is no George Jetson. But he’s close.

George could hop into his bubble-car and zip into the sky on his way to work at Spacely Sprockets. Sweeney can jump into his car and zip into the sky too. But converting his 1956 two-seater Aerocar I into an airworthy vehicle requires two people and half an hour to bolt on the fuselage and wings.

Sweeney, 49, is the proud owner of one of the few cars ever built that can go from the freeways to the airways.

https://paleofuture.com/blog/2015/1/7/flying-car-prototype-from-1990-going-up-for-auction

Flying Car Prototype From 1990 Going Up For Auction


Want to own your very own flying car? Will you settle for a prototype that never left the ground? Well then you're in luck! Because the Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona has a 1990 prototype with your name on it.

The car is called the Sky Commuter and was produced in 1990 by a company in Washington state known as Sky Innovations. Started by former employees of Boeing, Sky Innovations was so full of promise back in the late 1980s. But they proved better at burning through money than getting cars to fly.



Want to own your very own flying car? Will you settle for a prototype that never left the ground? Well then you're in luck! Because the Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona has a 1990 prototype with your name on it.

The car is called the Sky Commuter and was produced in 1990 by a company in Washington state known as Sky Innovations. Started by former employees of Boeing, Sky Innovations was so full of promise back in the late 1980s. But they proved better at burning through money than getting cars to fly.

Sky Innovations set up shop just outside of Everett, Washington and reportedly spent over $6 million trying to make the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) flying car a practical reality. Stories syndicated by the Associated Press boasted that the car would one day cruise at 85 miles an hour at distances of 225 miles.

The company even claimed that they had successfully performed test flights. Curiously, they never could produce any visual documentation of these flights.

[TexasTowelie]

4. Collision and comprehensive insurance aren't going to be cheap either.

I guess that George Jetson was the only paid employee at Spacely Space Sprockets and Mr. Spacely had the other jobs done through AI since it would take a small fortune to insure such a vehicle.

[Maninacan]

3. Useless article

In my trade we called that blacksmithing. Look up The Dale 3wheeler.

[marble falls]

5. Its barely a mock up.

[The Madcap]

6. You want to cut waste in general?

Here is the sort of thing that would need to just go away. Useless stuff.

[bluedigger]

7. A fine choice for the national news.

Keeping us informed on everything that matters.

[Ray Bruns]

9. Thank you. I saw this garbage on NBC the other night.

Usually I can last until NBC’s last segment happy news crapfest when I turn the channel.

But this was unwatchable.

[groundloop]

8. A flying car was built in 1949 - I've seen it in action.

Granted, it's a different concept, but it was an actual working flying car. AND I have serious doubts about this new concept car, it takes a huge amount of power to produce enough lift without the aid of wings or a rotor (in other words it'll likely be a big gas guzzler).