Moller Int has made and tested a scale model flying car based on the current Ferrari599 GTB and the conclusion is that it's feasible for production.
Paul Mollers unique company in California, USA has been working on the development of flying cars since the early 80s though has yet to successfully put one into production.
The Autovolanter is Moller's latest creation, with its target to be a stylish, desirable sports car that can also occasionally fly.
Moller's targets for the project include a range on the ground of 150 miles, with 75 miles of travel possible in the air. The Autovolanter must also be easy to fly, with no specialist pilot knowledge necessary.
To achieve the car's flying capability, it will be necessary to fit an artificial stability system similar in theory to that used by the Eurofighter jet, where the craft is inherently unstable, but the computing power on board is quick enough to control movement. However, this does require the fitment of a large wing, which folds over the back of the car.
Moller calculates that the Autovolanter will require over 800 bhp to achieve his objectives, but even a highly tuned version of the Ferrari V-12 would be of no use, as it's a heavy engine that is not suited to Moller's propulsion system.
Instead, the Autovolanter utilises a hybrid system of rotary engines with about 320 bhp and electric motors with nearly 500 bhp. The car's range is limited by the amount of fuel it carries on board, as extra weight means less time in the air and more power required to get airborne.
Our sources suggest that Moller requires substantial investment to take the Autovolanter to the next stage of development, so don't expect a swarm of flying Ferrari's anytime soon.
-------------------- It isn't so much that liberals are ignorant. It's just that they know so many things that aren't so. Posts: 6949 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Pentagon mad-science division Darpa is helping build thought-controlled robotic limbs, artificial pack mules, real-life laser guns and "kill-proof" soldiers. So it comes as no surprise, really, that the agency is now getting into the flying-car business, too.
Darpa hopes its "Personal Air Vehicle Technology" project, announced yesterday, will ultimately lead to a working prototype of a military-suitable flying car -- a two- or four-passenger vehicle that can "drive on roads" one minute and take off like a helicopter the next. The hybrid machine would be perfect for "urban scouting," casualty evacuation and commando-delivery missions, the agency believes.
Flying cars have been a just-around-the-corner promise for decades, of course. Today, several companies swear that they are just on the verge of manufacturing such machines. Terrafugia claims its folding-wing mini-plane will be ready to deliver by 2009. Pal-V has a three-wheeled gyrocopter thingy. Urban Aeronautics promises to do the whole thing without any wings or rotors at all. And let's not even get into the personal flying saucers.
Darpa says its Cessna-sized combo vehicle should be able to cruise at 60 mph on land, and 150 mph in the air. It should be able to stay aloft for two hours on a tank of fuel. "The challenge," the agency says, "is to define the major components of such a vehicle that would be suitable for military scouting and personnel transport missions, yet are small enough, inexpensive enough, and easy enough to operate that it can be widely used."
To make the flying car work, Darpa believes, makers will have to use "morphing wings" to ease the transition from road to sky; "optimized disk loading" propulsion, "for the combined fly/drive mission"; and strong flight control software. Darpa isn't making an enormous commitment to the flying car, just yet. This is a project aimed at small business; contracts of this type are typically under a million dollars per year. But maybe, with a small Pentagon push, the flying car dream could finally clear the ground.
-------------------- It isn't so much that liberals are ignorant. It's just that they know so many things that aren't so. Posts: 6949 | Registered: Apr 2004
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