Prepare for flying cars in the mid-20s, claims journal

ONCE pure science fiction, flying cars soon may be reality, based on dramatic technical advances by companies such as European aircraft manufacturer Airbus and a start-up backed by computer chip maker Intel, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The current designs are less about cars with wings and more about small vehicles for short commutes by air that take off and land vertically. In their modes of operation, some of these flying cars evoke the Harrier Jump Jet, made world-famous by the British military in the 1982 Falklands War, and others such as the tilt rotor Osprey used by the US military.

The critical advantage that these new designs have over helicopters is that they are smaller and more compact, the journal says. In particular, these prototype flying cars do not have the long, protruding rotor blades that make the safe operation of helicopters difficult, if not impossible, in cramped urban settings. Meanwhile, ride-sharing co-ordinator Uber Technologies is working on its own concept, but has released few details.

Some prototypes already are being tested in the air, while others are planned to take off within the next few years. Promoters of the flying car concept predict that such aircraft will be in service early in the 2020s, but that seems rather optimistic to the journal. – Investopedia