Air Rage
Technically speaking, Moller’s SkyCar is a “volantor,” which is defined as “a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that is capable of flying in a quick, nimble, and agile manner.” Volantors work much like the British Harrier Jump Jet. They use a directional thrust system that lets the vehicle take off and land vertically, hover in place, or shoot forward by redirecting the thrust of the engine. This gives the volantor the flexibility of a helicopter without losing the fast speed of a high-performance aircraft.
It is just me, or does this sound like a really bad idea? How many drunk-driving or stupidity-influenced DRIVING accidents are there each year? Now we think we can take to the skies, like any trained pilot? Doubtful. Just this last weekend, I saw a woman go into a tailspin at 65+ mph on I-25 for no reason. There was no one around her. It seemed she just wasn’t paying attention, or her car malfunctioned for some reason… BOTH of which are valid points for why the dream of the guy on the IBM commercials (“I wanted flying cars. WHERE are my flying cars?”) won’t come true, I think.