The flying car I'd like in my garage first:
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- By the end of 2026, how useful do you think agentic/multi-agent AI systems will actually be in your daily work or personal projects? Posted on March 11th, 2026 | 40 comments
DeLorean (Score:2, Funny)
With Mr. Fusion, of course.
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Whoa, this is heavy.
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And I never thought I'd see Sam Neill creepier than he was in Jurassic Park.
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I suspect most who voted the last option did so because the other options are meaningless.
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Generally speaking, any option that has wings is going to have a margin of safety over those that do not.
Further, any of the "fan only" models with only one engine are just asking for trouble. Granted, most have a parachute at least as an option, but I would not consider it optional. Even if you land in trees or the roof of some building, there is likely to be expensive damage, even if you walk away without a scratch.
Helicoptor (Score:3)
Does a helicoptor count? If not, why not?
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No and here is why;
1. Most require a difficult license to fly.
2. Can only land and take off at designated places except in emergencies
3. Large danger area during takeoff and landing
4. Inability to move under own power on land
5. Footprint usually much larger than car
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The neighbors don't like it, but it isn't violating any law or regulation.
That would be on private property. I bet there would be an issue if he landed his helicopter in a public parking spot as of it was a car. Hence helicopters not being flying cars.
Yes, and Cessna's have such a small takeoff and landing "danger area",
Neither helicopters nor Cessnas are flying cars so your point is moot. (By the way the plural of Cesna does not require an apostrophe. That would make it a possessive not a plural.)
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No and here is why;
1. Helicopters can not move on land under their own power like a car.
2. Helicopters have a large danger area during takeoff and landing. You will notice that most flying cars use short rotors or ducted fans.
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2. Is the danger area thing really necessary for defining whether it is a flying
Re:Missing option (Score:5, Informative)
Moller Skycar is a long time investment scam. The "working" version has never flown high enough to clear its ground-effect after 20 years of "demonstrations", because of, ummm, "insurance", which somehow doesn't affect any other experimental and novelty aircraft designer.
Skyrider is a straight rip-off of Moller's design, and purely a paper-plane.
Xplorair PX200 is more about its completely new propulsion system. If the propulsion worked as advertised, it would be a useful product for conventional aircraft. That the inventor is using it to get investors for a flying-car is a pretty big indicator that there's nothing there.
Terrafugia and Aeromobil are actually flying. Which is kind of impressive. Both are just folding-wing planes awkwardly squeezed into a vaguely roadable shape. But, honestly, you really don't want to drive your fragile aircraft on a road.
More realistically, if you want to fly without getting a full licence, buy an ultralight [wikimedia.org], paraglider [dreamstime.com], or gyrocopter [gyrate.co.nz].
VeloCopter (Score:2)
http://www.e-volo.com/ [e-volo.com]
While not quite as efficient as a helicopter, it is orders of magnitude simpler to build, maintain, and is way safer (a few rotors could go out and you'd still be able to land okay). Right now it is fully electric (Quiet!) but they have plans to put in an in-series rotary generator to extend its range.
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Sorry but the VeloCopter is not a flying car as it can not move around on the ground like a car. It is an unconventional helicopter.
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The point of a flying car is that you don't have to. A "Velocopter", if it was practical, is something that could land in your driveway.
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Sorry but there will always be places that one can not fly to. For example, downtown in large cities. Just because it is a small helicopter that can land on a driveway does not make it a flying car. Another minimum criteria would be having a footprint similar to a car. The Velocopter would take about three parking spaces wide and two long.
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Shockingly there are also places you can't drive to.
However, most SF "flying car" scenarios assume we'll adapt new infrastructure around VTOL capability. For example, downtown in large cities.
Until we develop anti-gravity, no "flying car" will truly qualify for the SF image. Drivable-planes like Terrafugia and clones still need runways. Moller's Skycar, even if it wasn't a scam, wouldn't be allowed in real world cities. (BTW, it also isn't drivable, yet few would say it's not a "flying car" (again if it was
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Shockingly there are also places you can't drive to.
If you can't go where a car can go then it is not a flying car.
assume we'll adapt new infrastructure around VTOL capability
Would this new infrastructure include six times as many parking spits to deal with huge fixed rotor arrays? Even the Moller Skycar can fit into a parking spot.
My point is that you're being pedantic and stupid.
What you call pedantic I call accurate. The Velocopter meets only one of the many criteria as a sky car. By the way, did you notice the "copter" in the name? Even the makers think it is more related to a helicopter rather than a sky car. Re-labelling a helicopter a sky car does not make it
TR-3B (Score:2)
AKA "Black Manta"
Google it.
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and it has great emergency brakes. Kind of rough on the slowpoke, though.
Delorean (Score:5, Insightful)
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and if it flies and doesn't ride on it's wheels, it gets rid of the most problems with a real delorean.
Delorean (Score:1)
Moller Skycar (Score:2)
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Problems. (Score:2)
There are generally two different kinds of flying cars. VTOL and convertible. The strength of a VTOL is that it can take off anywhere. Most VTOLS move a lot of air during takeoff/landing. This restricts where they can operate as that can cause a danger to people nearby and a danger to themselves due to foreign object ingestion. Convertible flying cars require a runway to take off which negates most of their usefulness. To make a flying car you have to work with two diametrically opposed objectives, weight a
I'll let you know after a test drive/flight (Score:2)
Then after that, I'd want to have a test drive/flight in each to get a feel for the myraid non-numerical factors that go into a big purchase like this. How is the visibility, leg room, fit and finish, and the layout of the various inst
either one of these two (Score:3)
either a Williams X-Jet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
or the Mallory astronautics hover bike (not the scale model they are selling to fund the full size)
https://www.kickstarter.com/pr... [kickstarter.com]
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Empty weight: 401 pounds (182 kg) (182 kg)
Loaded weight: 550 lb (250 kg)
I think the fact that the Williams X-Jet had a lifting capacity of only 150lbs might be an issue.
Spinner (Blade Runner) (Score:1)
Clearly the coolest flying car.
http://www.devo.com/bladerunne... [devo.com]
http://www.crmoon.com/Blade%20... [crmoon.com]
Firefly. And a new garage, (Score:2)
Goku flying nimbus (Score:2)
That's nice, efficient, ecologic, fast, and easy to park :D
The DeLorean from BttF 2 (Score:1)
I have no garage you insensitive clod (Score:2)
And I have no car. So this is presently no problem. Furthermore, were I life there is not enough space and distance to make use out of a flying car. I rather would have an autonomous Android. So it can go shopping while I work or sleep. And it could do the dishes (true there are special machines for that task, but there is no space in the kitchen).
Re:I have no garage you insensitive clod (Score:4, Informative)
A police box isn't a phone booth. The direct-line handset is on the outside (behind that little door), the inside is more of a lock-up shed for local bobbies to store their equipment. (Such as wet-weather ponchos, first-aid kits, logbooks, etc.)
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IIRC Bill&Ted's excellent time machine didn't actually fly and didn't do anything special with space, such as being bigger on the inside. (I suppose it is in itself compact, therefore saved space, compared to, say, a flying Delorean. But that's not the meaning I took from the original comment.)
Moller Skycar but I don't have a garage! (Score:2)
Well it does look cool and I remember in 1980s when they were promoting it will be on the market in a few years (which they've been repeating for 30 years like for past 60 years we will have fusion power in 10 years, or in past 50 years we will be on Mars in 20 years). Probably never will get off the ground but hey looks cool, and I don't have a pilot's license so what difference does it make.
Other than that, Paul Moller wrote a paper about vertical lift and he derived an equation of engine power and blad
Centauri's car (Score:2)
From Last Starfighter
mark
RAH (Score:1)
Gay Deceiver (with Burroughs contua device and two bathrooms)
Chitty-chitty bang-bang (Score:2)
The first flying car I ever saw on TV.
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Sorry, Dick Van Dyke is still alive - it's in his garage.
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Actually, it's in Peter Jackson's garage. [wikipedia.org]
PAL-V One (Score:1)
http://pal-v.com/ [pal-v.com]
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My first thought as well. How do I mod this one up? At least the PAL-V actually rides and flies, today!
I'm disappointed (Score:2)
This far into the comments, and still no mention of Corbin Dallas' cab from The Fifth Element?
Or even the police car from the same film, driven by Captain Hollister?
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I wouldn't want that cab, it was shot to hell and has a huge hole in the roof.
Mainair Blade (Score:2)
Saturn Weekender (Score:2)
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Missing option (Score:3)
George Jetson's (Score:4, Insightful)
The one that folds up into a briefcase that you can carry.
Cheers,
Dave
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Go go gadget helicopter
http://media.giphy.com/media/4... [giphy.com]
Why wasn't this a choice? (Score:2)
http://marvel.wikia.com/S.H.I.E.L.D._Flying_Car
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Lola? [wikia.com]
This is a stupid question (Score:2)
After all, any car (and pigs) with sufficient propulsion do fly. Landing is slightly more difficult, however.
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After all, any car (and pigs) with sufficient propulsion do fly. Landing is slightly more difficult, however.
It's not hard at all! Just throw yourself at the ground and miss.
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They been in trouble with the law since the day they was born.
My option would be from Star Wars (Score:2)
SoroSuub V-35 Courier [wikia.com]
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Hey, if an X-34 was good enough for Luke, it's good enough for me!
Parajet Sky Runner (paraglider + dune buggy) (Score:2)
It's basically a paraglider attached to an all-terrain dune-buggy. Granted, I don't think it's road legal, but this is the way to go if you want to drive a little and then fly a little.
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Since it uses a paraglider wing the drag will be massive. The fact that its got a 125HP engine and it maximum airspeed is just 55mph says a lot. ...So as it is VERY inefficient in the air, that means slow flight, short range and very low MPG.
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How about (Score:1)
Never have to worry about engine fires, and should save the cost of the car on gas by the end of the year.
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This.
Anything not intended to be a millionaires toy. (Score:2)
Seriously.
Very few of these flying cars ever make it to be actual products, and even then they are all priced and planned to be toys for millionares.
Any realistic flying car concepts need to be fundamentally aimed at the mass market i.e. for average working joes, meaning people that need to commute to/from work every day and can only afford say $50k max to buy it.
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There will be flying cars for the super rich. The critical mass we need to produce enough super rich to provide the financial incentive to create practical flying cars is just about the point when you are either super rich... or on the dole. We've made HUGE progress toward that point over the past 10 years.
Hovering is good enough for me (Score:2)
I'll take a Land Speeder [technovelgy.com] please...
Plane + car, not flying car (Score:5, Insightful)
Flying cars are a terrible compromise by design. They're woefully underperforming as airplanes, and have terrible handling as cars. The additional mechanical complication of having a car and airplane in the same design means additional points of failure and reduced reliability. And finally, they're more expensive than buying a separate car and plane. The Terrafugia sells for more than a quarter of a million. One could buy a Cessna and a luxury sports car for a lot less, and still have money leftover for round-trip fare to the local airport on a daily basis for that price.
So, no, I'd rather have a separate car and plane rather than plunking money on a poor compromise.
VW E-up! 2? (Score:2)
All options are fictional (Score:1)
A Cision Dauntless (Score:2)
A Cision Dauntless, so i could turn even my asari neighbors green with envy!
Actually (Score:2)
Seeing the drivers I see on the road everyday on my 30 mile each way commute to and from work, I do not EVER want the general public having "flying cars"... won't need terrorists for much to go horribly wrong...
Gay Deceiver (Score:1)
None of the above (Score:2)
No skycar. At all. I have enough trouble dealing with nitwits on the road in 2-D.
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How About a Car That Happens to be Flying? (Score:2)
Under appropriate circumstances any car can be a flying car.
What, no Supercar? (Score:1)
From Cowboy Bebop (Score:1)
Battlestar Galactica Viper (Score:2)
From the original series, to boot. Nothing else will come close - except maybe a two seater version?
Simple (Score:2)
Hover board.
V-PAL (Score:2)
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stupid (Score:2)
None of that shit will ever be practical. I like sci-fi as much as the next nerd, but practical, common use "flying cars" in any form, are not jumping from page to reality anytime this century. Probably not the next one either.
Delta Flyer (Score:1)
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Re: Moller has a long history of failed promises (Score:2)
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While Gay Deceiver was cool, I think Asimov nailed it better with Solaria - a future where you don't travel, but conduct all business and relations online. Travel is for robots, not humans, who can be freed to spend their time and efforts on cerebral activities and arts.
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Exactly, punch in a destination, get me there in 6 hours or less cross-country.