[quote]
Wed Jun 30, 9:35 AM
by Mike Krumboltz
Yahoo! Buzz
Weird-looking cars are a dime a dozen. Far less common are weird-looking cars that can also fly AND have approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Indeed, as far as we know, there's only one of those babies: The Terrafugia Transition.
The private aircraft/funky-looking car has been in the news before. But the recent announcement that it's going into production sparked mega-searches on the Web. Almost immediately, online lookups for "terrafugia transition" and "terrafugia transition pictures" both, well, took off.
A popular article from the UK's Daily Telegraph explains that the FAA's special exemption allows the vehicle to function as both a "light aircraft" and a car. Normally, for a plane to meet the "light aircraft" designation, it can weigh no more than 1,200 pounds. The Terrafugia Transition weighs 1,320, due primarily to the number of car-related safety features, like airbags and crumple zones. The "light aircraft" designation is key, because licenses for planes with that label require only 20 hours of flying time. Fewer hoops to jump through means more potential sales.
So, how does the plane/car work? Check out the flying car's official video below. So far, 70 people have placed a deposit. The total retail cost: $194,000. Expensive, but really, can you put a price on skipping commercial flights? [/quote]
[url]http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/yahoocanada/100630/canada/flying_car_a_step_closer_to_reality[/url]
[img]http://d.yimg.com/ca.yimg.com/p/100701/capress/i127801788013827369.jpg?x=300&y=199&sig=Uua25.Y_H.k0qCy_lxY4MA--[/img]
[img]http://d.yimg.com/ca.yimg.com/p/100630/ydownload_cp/i/ca-a42907eefdb72246044dd242d416f0d0.jpeg?x=400&y=281&sig=w77BNbKxnUPkRirnPyE9PA--[/img]
Is that Bill Gates?
[img]http://inspiration101.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/bill_gates.jpg[/img]
Bitches don't know bout my flying car.
They've been on the market for years now.
Late.
I want one. So bad.
Now, all they need to do is figure a way so it can be powered by something other than gasoline. If they can figure a way to have a generator create power because of the spin of the propellers, and have the propellers electrically run, then bam you have a flying car that would only need a good battery.
[QUOTE=purvisdavid1;23059880]Now, all they need to do is figure a way so it can be powered by something other than gasoline. If they can figure a way to have a generator create power because of the spin of the propellers, and have the propellers electrically run, then bam you have a flying car that would only need a good battery.[/QUOTE]
Power a propeller with power generated from the motion of it spinning? :wtc:
[QUOTE=purvisdavid1;23059880]Now, all they need to do is figure a way so it can be powered by something other than gasoline. If they can figure a way to have a generator create power because of the spin of the propellers, and have the propellers electrically run, then bam you have a flying car that would only need a good battery.[/QUOTE]
Do you know anything about physics? I am not sure if you are just joking.
Damn it Gates! Always getting flying cars while we have to drive....
Still waiting on personal jetpacks.
[editline]yeah[/editline]
That won't kill you.
[QUOTE=kellybear;23059948]Power a propeller with power generated from the motion of it spinning? :wtc:[/QUOTE]
holy shit a perpetual motion machine!!
The problem with car boats and car planes is that they don't do either of the things they are supposed to do well
Since you're going to an airfield anyway to take off you might as well have yourself a nice car and a plane left at the airfield instead of a crappy car plane
I can just imagine driving behind one of these down a highway, thinking how weird it looks. Then the wings come down from the sides, and it starts to lift off the ground.
[QUOTE=PieClock;23060486]I can just imagine driving behind one of these down a highway, thinking how weird it looks. Then the wings come down from the sides, and it starts to lift off the ground.[/QUOTE]
I don't think you can take off from a road.
[QUOTE=wonkadonk;23060572]I don't think you can take off from a road.[/QUOTE]
I don't see why not.
What are the police gonna do?
[I]Drive[/I] after you?
Though, I guess it wouldn't be too hard to find a flying car..
[QUOTE=purvisdavid1;23059880]Now, all they need to do is figure a way so it can be powered by something other than gasoline. If they can figure a way to have a generator create power because of the spin of the propellers, and have the propellers electrically run, then bam you have a flying car that would only need a good battery.[/QUOTE]
Oh hey perpetual motion, what the fuck you doing here?
[QUOTE=xxxkiller;23059998]Do you know anything about physics? I am not sure if you are just joking.[/QUOTE]
I'm not going to lie, I don't. I also don't necessarily know why this is dumb, aren't there types of energy producing generators that can produce electricity by some type of spinning motion. My idea was hook a belt like the one in a car to the shaft of the propeller and to a generator. Again, I'm probably missing something.
[editline]12:35PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=bravehat;23060711]Oh hey perpetual motion, what the fuck you doing here?[/QUOTE]
I really should take Physics next year then, shouldn't I. =\
Efficiency my chap, we could do perpetual motion if there was no energy lost from the machine, but there always is and it's impossible to stop.
So the best you could get is some flight time but as time goes on then you lose a lot of energy and will literally just plummet from the sky.
[QUOTE=purvisdavid1;23059880]Now, all they need to do is figure a way so it can be powered by something other than gasoline. If they can figure a way to have a generator create power because of the spin of the propellers, and have the propellers electrically run, then bam you have a flying car that would only need a good battery.[/QUOTE]
Bitches dont know bout thermodynamics.
[QUOTE=bravehat;23061023]Efficiency my chap, we could do perpetual motion if there was no energy lost from the machine, but there always is and it's impossible to stop.
So the best you could get is some flight time but as time goes on then you lose a lot of energy and will literally just plummet from the sky.[/QUOTE]
i wouldn't say plummet, maybe descend slowly.
[QUOTE=oOaltOo;23061418]i wouldn't say plummet, maybe descend slowly.[/QUOTE]
I've gotta be honest, that car does not look aerodynamic in the slightest.
Imma wait for the Moller Skycar.
[editline]11:40PM[/editline]
VTOL is the way forward.
[QUOTE=purvisdavid1;23060953]I'm not going to lie, I don't. I also don't necessarily know why this is dumb, aren't there types of energy producing generators that can produce electricity by some type of spinning motion. My idea was hook a belt like the one in a car to the shaft of the propeller and to a generator. Again, I'm probably missing something.
[editline]12:35PM[/editline]
I really should take Physics next year then, shouldn't I. =\[/QUOTE]
You need to put in a certain amount of energy into the engine which then converts up-down motion into a circular motion. Converting the energy is always coupled with loss of energy as there is no such thing as a 100% efficient motor (at least that I know of). Having only part of the energy made by the engine go into the rotor and the other part going into the generator would cause loss instead of gain.
Yes, because when I think of a flying car, I think of needing a RUNWAY.
Also who the fuck put the wings on the bottom? You want MORE positive stability. Unless you plan on doing fucking barrel rolls, stick the damn wings on TOP.
God there are like a thousand other problems here.
The wings are a point of failure. Aircraft tires take huge amounts of wear. Cockpits are jammed enough WITHOUT adding in car control interfaces. Needing a runway defeats the majority of the point. Aircraft are equipped with three sets of tires, not four, for a reason.
We haven't even gotten to the part where the pusher configuration makes the thing a goddamn deathtrap.
Welcome to 50 years ago...
[IMG]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b100/89Sunbird/flying-car.jpg[/IMG]
They look so ridiculous :frown:
[QUOTE=SuperHoboMan;23064565]They look so ridiculous :frown:[/QUOTE]
Ridiculously awesome. :v:
[QUOTE=Ridge;23064550]Welcome to 50 years ago...
[IMG]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b100/89Sunbird/flying-car.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
The difference in the new one is that it doesn't look like it's a bomb about to be dropped.
It's about fucking time.
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