NASA crowns winner in $250k "flying car" contest

Flying cars come pretty high up the average gadget geek's wishlist, so it's pretty encouraging to see NASA funding a $250,000 contest that could eventually produce a pioneering vehicle that can fly and drive. Although none of the winners this time around can actually achieve the two feats, they all have features that tend towards the PAV (or Personal Aircraft Vehicle) area of the General Aviation spectrum. The winner was the Pipistrel Virus, a $70,000 aircraft that can do 50 MPG and take off on short runways, whilst having a top speed of 170 MPH. The industry still seems to have a while to go yet, seeing as NASA awarded a prize to the Cessna 172, which has been flying in one form or another for practically half a century.

[DickHardknocks @ Aug 12th 2007 11:07PM]

Flying cars will NEVER take off...no pun intended.

I'd love to see it happen but for god's sakes, we can't even keep Jets from being hijacked. The obvious evolution of terrorism would see these flying cars being used as SUICIDE MISSILES laden with explosives.


I am suprised they can get 50 MPG out of an airplane and not my Chrysler 300C. :(

[paul34 @ Aug 12th 2007 11:20PM]

Heh, another victim of the fear machine I see ;-)

That isn't really the concern with these cars. Small aircraft operators can easily fly into buildings; but they wouldn't really do any big damage. They may kill one or two people, but the same can easily be accomplished by running out onto a street with a knife and stabbing a few people. Should we ban knives? Or maybe just ban running? ;-)

The real concern here are the people themselves. Most people in the US don't know how to drive, and are completely incapable of figuring out how to, so I really don't want to be in the air with these same people.

Until personal transportation is conducted via centralized computer (such as in I, Robot), high-speed personal transportation will never be possible.

[Borat @ Aug 13th 2007 1:39AM]

The terrorists really have won.

[Bad Beaver @ Aug 13th 2007 4:10AM]

Worst Comment This Week.

[Steve R @ Aug 13th 2007 8:32AM]

Apparently the terrorists not only hate our freedoms, they hate our innovation, our love of new things, and our entrepreneurial spirit.

And apparently they've cowed the whole lot of us.

I agree, the Americans are gone as a world force. Not because of the terrorists, but because the Americans have reacted to the terrorists with genuine terror. They now think like a bunch of wussies and have stopped doing cool things if they're afraid one or two people will get killed.

If this is what happened to Brave America, the terrorists have indeed won.

[commonsense @ Aug 13th 2007 9:43AM]

Doesn't anyone have any commonsense anymore. What difference does it make to terrorists if these flying cars come on the market. They already use car bombs and they could use single engine planes or ultralights today. Point being made is they already have the tools to do tyhe work to day and adding these flying cars won't make a even a small difference. Thesea flying cars will also be safer than driving. If you put all the cars in the world in the air today their would still be miles of airspace separating them. They will also fly themselves with GPS and will take human error out of the equation. nextlevelrealty.com

[NovaLand @ Aug 13th 2007 9:59AM]

When four dimensional travel becomes available, three dimensional travel will be cheap enough for everyone to use.

[ryan @ Aug 13th 2007 8:15PM]

Flying cars won't take off because of Terrorists!!!! WOW, priceless.

[DickHardknocks @ Aug 12th 2007 11:10PM]

considering this PAV was designed to fit several people, why not automate it and use it as a UCAV?

I'm sure you could put more missiles on this thing than a Predator drone. Devote the passenger space to electronics, cameras and extra fuel.

[Bad Beaver @ Aug 13th 2007 4:26AM]

...it turned out that he was simply fed up with their fees.

[Khaytsus @ Aug 13th 2007 4:49PM]

Have you banked with Bank of America? He probably had a reason..... I don't condone it, etc etc..

[DickHardknocks @ Aug 13th 2007 12:02AM]

Shortly after September 11th, a White American boy inspired by the attacks named Charles Bishop took a Cessna 172 and slammed it into BANK OF AMERICA in tampa.

That is more than enough to warrant fear of an airborne America.

If an Islamic terrorist Attack can inspire White American teens to copycat mass murder what isn't possible?

And with enough explosives and airplane does become a missile.

[granny down east @ Aug 12th 2007 11:25PM]

So what is the aircraft in the photo? It isn't a Pipistrel. Sexy, tho, a pusher with low wing configuration.
The Rotax 912, which powers the stock Pipistrel virus, might give around 3 gph but won't do 150 mph. Wonder what the modders used to achieve that speed.

[kilikili @ Aug 13th 2007 12:13AM]

I with a former co-worker created that shot that you see above for NASA LaRC. It's an animation of the Civetta concept.

[dmdallas @ Aug 13th 2007 8:07AM]

I remember that, he only killed himself because he was too stupid to remember that people go out on lunch breaks around the noon hour. They had the entire wall rebuilt and operational in a coupe of weeks. That guy was an idiot who apparently had mental/stability issues. Personally, I'm surprised that he even figured how to take the plane off the ground.

To sum his up, IT WAS A FLUKE. NOBODY HAS DONE THAT SINCE. In other words, you are altogether too paranoid. Chancs are you will never be harmed by a terrorists. You probably won't ever even see one unless you go out of your way to fid one.

[Dahk @ Aug 13th 2007 12:02AM]

Richard Hammond and James May from Top Gear should've entered with their Reliant Robin =P.

[locknroll @ Aug 13th 2007 12:28AM]

Wow some of you guys really hate progress. Why are you here?

[petey @ Aug 13th 2007 2:16AM]

Enabling drunk a-holes who currently drive into trees to instead fly into houses is not "progress." Never mind the environmental cost! If you must have a high tech solution to our out-of-control traffic problems that (as usual) doesn't involve public transportation, getting serious about telecommuting would be far smarter than emulating the Jetsons.

[Logboy @ Aug 13th 2007 12:35AM]

Vulcan Starfire baby!! Whoever knows what I'm talking about post..i'm eager to know if anyone else has seen this obscure concept.

I think they are rewarding current forward-thinking designs. While they aren't flying cars per se, they are interesting designs.

And what the previous poster said...there will never be flying cars. Most people can't parallel park. Imagine them landing in bad weather.

[kyle allen @ Aug 13th 2007 3:07AM]

Im sure they wont sell these to people who don't have a pilot license, im not too worried about it..

[Garst @ Aug 13th 2007 3:15AM]

Fear doesn't always hinder progress. Sometimes it's actually a good reason not to do something. If you had cross a 15 foot gorge on your way to work by jumping off a ramp to clear it? No, most people would be afraid to do that. We all know can make the jump, but there are too many things that could go wrong.

I'm wrapping up three months of serving on a grand jury. On average, we have 15 cases that we sit through for people that were driving with license revoked. Most of those cases are after the people have a DUI. And that's just the people who get caught. This is a rather unpopulated county that the jury serves, and it take me a half hour to get to jury duty, most of which I see nothing but corn fields. Do you really want to give drunks an opportunity to fly?

What about all those people who do everything but drive while they're behind the wheel? How many of you communte and don't see at least five people yelling at their cell phones, eating, applying make-up? And you think things are going to be better when they're in the air? Not only will the people flying have to watch out for these people, but everyone on the ground will have to watch out for fall aircrafts. Then there are also the people who wouldn't be ideal pilots. You'll have the risk takes that will like "barn-storming" around cities, people that try to ascend to fast that stall they craft, and all those people who have mechanical problems. There'll be people who run out of fuel, engine problem, along with people who just don't service their aircraft. We all know who those people will be; they'll be the same ones who don't take care of their cars.

This will not be progress. This will be state-approved genecied to eliminated all the idiots in the country. After most of the idiots are dead then you'll might be able to call it progress if there are enough people around to really be able to call it that.

[kyle allen @ Aug 13th 2007 3:41AM]

as much as we all like the idea of flying cars, i believe that is going to be its downfall. insurance companies wont insure them, and the police cant pull over an airplane. there may be a fiew, but its not guna be a big revolution or anything, probably about as big as amphibious cars were.

[Garst @ Aug 13th 2007 3:30AM]

Probably, not, but it doesn't look like it too difficult to get a pilot's license.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2464_private-pilots-license.html

It doesn't sound like I would have to do too much more than what I had to do to get my driver's license (steps 4 and 8 are really the only things extra that isn't required for a driver's license). It costs quite a bit more, but it's probably worth it to zip around the world on your own.

[kyle allen @ Aug 13th 2007 3:47AM]

its simple but expensive, some flight instructors charge $100 an hour for flight training, and you have to get 30- 40 hours, that alone is 3-4k $. than theres the testing fees and class time.

[Mark @ Aug 13th 2007 1:03PM]

It's not difficult to do it if you have half a brain but flying is NOTHING like driving. Flying cars will never happen until they are fully automated. The general public is just too stupid.

[Twitchy @ Aug 13th 2007 7:16PM]

A PPL won't let you carry passengers. If you want to fly your kids to school you will need an ACPL. And it wouldn't surprise me if most people who are likely to drive drunk would fail the physical and/or the psych exams.

[Kizul Emeraldfire @ Aug 13th 2007 4:06AM]

Cool! Flying cars! :D

Now. When will they start up anti-gravity racing machines and start up the F-0 Grand Prix? :) Sure, they might need Nintendo's, the EAD Team's, and Shigeru Miyamoto's permission to be able to CALL it that, but hey — F-Zero's one of the best racing games that I've ever played, so… I think it'd be worth it. :)

And they could have people in flying cars filming the race from different angles, hundreds of feet in the air! :D Or was it thousands? I don't remember.

Also, related to this article:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBRHetKH4MQ

[Kizul Emeraldfire @ Aug 13th 2007 4:07AM]

Er, start MAKING anti-gravity racing machines. Sorry.

[tedinasia @ Aug 13th 2007 8:36AM]

The key is "government-sponsored competitions", once again, our Tax Dollars at work...

No wait !

Ahh...this is why they won...
[www.pipistrel.si]

The NASA Government wonks wanted a Euro vacation to "Certify" the winner.

Isn't anyone else concerned that:
1. A USA Centennial Challenge is open to all countries.
2. Our Tax $ don't go to supporting "Made in USA" entries.
3. $150,000USD goes to Slovenia ?
4. Slovenia is now the aircraft design capital of the world ?

Write your Congressman...
When they get back from Ajdovscina...

[Quinn @ Aug 13th 2007 6:31PM]

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Flying Cars :-( . I hate those. In fact I hate cars already. They speed & kill people who walk. & Cyclists like me. I hate the fact that they pollute & make people unsocial. When you drive you'll get stressed. Imagine Cars that can go up & down. That's going to be shittier.

[I hate the dancing alien. @ Aug 13th 2007 1:45PM]

What about the moller skycar - http://www.moller.com/ I think that qualifies.

[TRCoach @ Aug 14th 2007 6:00AM]

Just noticed your comment after putting a comment myself, about the Moller Skycar. (Great minds think alike.) Can't wait to drive a Skycar - just like the Jetson's.
Tom - TRCoach (http://trcoach.com )

[Aljaž @ Aug 13th 2007 6:57PM]

What the ? This plane is made in Slovenia BTW and the picture is totally wrong. It can hold mora than twice more of its own weight and with 3.8 litres you can make 80 kilometers. Plane costs about 70.000$.

And here it is, the real picture

[Z @ Aug 14th 2007 11:39PM]

Are we back to this "flying car" crap?

"Wheeeeeeee!!! Flying cars!!!" It's nothing short of amusing as well as annoying listening to naive people wax quixotic about one day owning and operating flying cars.

There's never gonna be mass adoption of this for civilians. Nope. Not gonna happen. Ever. Military only.