Written By: Aaliyah Khan
Imagine being able to travel by air to school, work, and anywhere in between. An invention idea that has been circulating pop culture for decades seeks to make this a reality. Flying cars, to many, are an impossible feat of engineering. With this invention comes many questions. Is it as unfeasible as it seems? Who came up with the idea? And most importantly, when, if ever, will this invention become available to consumers across the world?
The introduction of flying cars.
A stranger to none, the flying car, in one form or another has been introduced within a plethora of different mediums. Famous films such as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Back To The Future, Blade Runner, and many more have implemented flying cars into their storyline. Amidst all of this, where did the idea for a flying car truly begin? Well, in 1841 William Samuel Henson and John Stringfellow created a patent for the first-ever flying car. This was the first real event in its development. Even with the patent, the two men were unsuccessful in creating a functioning model of their designs. Since then, there have been many attempts at bringing their imaginative concept to fruition.
Progression of the flying car.
- 1841 – The Henson Aerial Steam Carriage
- 1917 – Curtiss Autoplane
- 1923 – Pitcairn PCA-2
- 1937 – Waterman Aerobile
- 1947 – ConVairCar Model 118
- 1959 – Ford Levacar
- 1966 – Aero-Car
- 1973 – AVE Mizar
- 1990 – The Sky Commuter
- 2003 – M400 Sky-Car
- 2009 – Terrafugia Transition Roadable Aircraft
- 2010 – AeroMobil 3.0
To you, these may seem like a whole bunch of meaningless titles. In a nutshell, all of these planes show the most relevant inventions and progressions in the journey to build the flying car. Some were more successful than others, but the scientific innovation in each model is historic and unprecedented.
Where is it now?
So, where is it today? Sadly, seeing flying cars in the sky likely won’t be a reality for at least a few decades. The most recent model is the Aero, a personal flying machine created by NASA. The problem with this creation is similar to those of the older models: the price. The cost of producing these vehicles are, in short, unrealistic to present to consumers. Only the richest of the rich would be able to purchase one, and that would make it difficult to create transportation systems supporting them. As a result, it would be virtually impossible for the “cars” to be used in their intended manner.
When you think of what the future could look like, flying cars are one of the first things that come to mind. We’ve been shown many variations of what one could look like, and how they would operate, making it even more incredible to envision what a world of flying cars could look like. So although they may not be an item of the near future, that doesn’t mean we should stop our imaginations from running. The invention has come far from where it began, so for all we know, we could have our hands on flying cars before we know it!
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