SkycarSkycarI remember when I was a kid, riding the back seat of the car with my parents during rush hour traffic and daydreaming about what it would be like if our car could just take-off and fly, well now that day is here, of course if you have the money. The Moller M400 Skycar (Fig 1) is the dream machine of Dr. Paul Moller . He started developing hovering aircraft back in the 1970’s but the M400 is by far the most advanced and is viewed publicly as having a serious possibility of being on the market if all the right pieces fall into place such as: communications with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), further flight test go as planned, and the consumer market stays as fertile as it seems now. With there being a four year hiatus between now and when the first FAA certified models will be released speculation is building and so list of people that would like to get their hands on one of the first Skycars. The technologies behind the Skycar are fairly similar to that of aircraft. In this paper we will look at how the design and technologies are integrated together and also what the future possibilities for a vehicle such as the Skycar might be along with the regulations and safety issues a new technology such as this would have to deal with.
Figure 1: Moller M400 SkycarThere are many questions that come to mind when thinking about a car that can fly but the main one that comes to mind is, “How will it be integrated into our society?” We have been driven along by engine powered vehicles for a little under a century, do we really think that the average American is ready to handle a flying car. Not only do some people think they are ready for the technology they are already lining up for it. The main goal of the M400 is to provide consumers with a new style of vehicle, maybe something they used to dream, or to create added convenience for customers, or just to have fun. The Skycar will do all of these things and more for its consumer. But aside from being a fun, new technology, there are some issues that are going to have to be dealt with by not only consumers but also the FAA. The one major issue with the Skycar is what it will be classified as and what different certifications and licenses will be needed in order for a person to operate one. Since the vehicle will definitely be in national airspace Moller executives have been working with the FAA to classify the Skycar and as of right now the M400 is being classified under the “powered lift normal” category . This places the Skycar under the same regulations as airplanes (single and multi-engines), helicopters, and gliders3. So to answer this question in order for a person the operate their Skycar they would need to obtain a “Powered Lift” pilots license in order to fly they would also have to be familiar with navigation and flight management . So in other words you would still have to go through all the certifications and testing to still be able to fly because though the flying is difficult, you have to be in communication to ensure the safety of all of those around you. In the future Moller is hoping to make the Skycar into a completely automated flight system which would in turn not require owners to obtain a piloting license because they would just be passengers why the automated system flew the vehicle by the FAA system and regulations2.
Some other question that will be touch upon in this paper is “What impact would a large influx of personal aircraft (i.e. The Skycar) have on an already failing and aged air transportation system?” My initial guesses would be a larger one than expected and if nothing else if there was money enough in the movement to purchase Skycar’s then it might just be reason enough for the government to pay more attention to issues that already exist but are just being ignored and made to deal with on a last to do basis. Also other questions that come to mind deal with topics such as pollution (air and noise), reliability, and maintainability.
The motivation for the invention of the Skycar is quite interesting and when compared to personal aircraft. Though at initial glimpse the technology might not seem that affordable which, it is not for the average person right now, but in the future Dr. Moller hopes that the Skycar will become enough of a success that it would be the price of an mid to high end luxury car, ranging from $60,000 to $80,000. It seems as though the aim of Moller is to create an affordable means of transportation for consumers that will let them travel farther, cleaner, faster than ever before, and by being a Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) the accessibility to enter the flight stage would be easily achieved. This would completely revolutionize
The Future
Dr. Moller is just a prototype. A few others may have developed this invention and if their work was well received, it would make it into a reality.
To date, a flight of SkyCar is being tested (by some of the same competitors including Uber, Lyft, and UberX) and they are both working on it. So far it seems that at least 50,000 units are in production and there is still only one to go when at least a dozen launch units will be built. With only a little investment we will move the Skycar into mass production and a great many more will follow soon as you can probably imagine.