Monday, February 22, 2016

Wings + Propeller + Car = A Flying Car !


     Welcome everyone to the second post of my technology blog. Now, as some of you may already know, I lied about the flying cars in the previous post. In fact, seeing as this concept has been around since the dawn of vehicles, it's only logical to assume that we have achieved some sort of prototype or model of the flying car. That being said, there have been many different attempts throughout the XXth century to construct and market these pointless innovations, but all have fallen short of the goal line.  For example, the ConvAir Model 116 flying car, built in 1946, was a flying car that did manage to fly. However, due to a plane crash with one of their prototype models, the flying car never managed to be sold or marketed.
Image result for conv air 118
Despite it's lack of creativity (let's be honest...it's a car that's seemingly attached
to a plane), the Convair Model 116 is what I would consider to be the first flying car.
     Nonetheless, people persisted with their efforts towards the flying car until, with the more elaborate and complicated technology of the XXI century, many companies managed to develop and market these futuristic machines. As a matter of fact, Terrafugia, a flying car company, has already released it's flying cars into the world and have been considered completely legal. Another car company, Aeromobil, plans to distribute their flying cars by the year 2017.

     The video up above demonstrates the flying capabilities of Aeromobil's flying car: the aeromobil 2.5. This is one of many prototypes that have led to the creation of the Aeromobil 3.0, the machine that will be released later in the year 2017.

     If I do say so myself, the car itself is very sleek in design, and brings out the very definition of the future. It brings hope to the people of the world by presenting us with a glimpse of the possibilities that lie ahead of us.

     Unfortunately, despite the impressive appearance of these machines (at least the ones of the XXI century), these flying cars will be nothing but trouble in the future, due to the fact that the positive contribution they have on the world, even indirectly, is very limited. In truth, seeing as the flying car's base price is near a couple hundred thousand of dollars (the Terrafugia's base price is 279 000$), there are very few people who would even consider purchasing a flying car. In addition, seeing as these vehicles require a pilot's license, that group of people is reduced dramatically. As a consequence, this new and developing industry will never grow to a large enough scale to even scratch the surface of a nations economy.

     Also, due to the fact that flight is less eco-friendly than driving (at least when it only carries one or two people), this car does nothing to contribute to the ongoing efforts to protect the environment (or what's left of it). That being said, the owner of this car will also have to pay a hefty gas bill (it doesn't matter anyway... the people who own these vehicles are rich, remember?)

Image result for the fastest way from point a to point b
The first line represents the path we would choose to take
 with a flying car. It isn't very practical when compared to
 the path that we would take when using a regular car. 
     In addition, these vehicles aren't very practical in terms of commute and transportation. In fact, the majority of the world population have relatively short travel times and a flying car wouldn't be of any benefit to them. To add, a flying car would need a place to land, perhaps an airport or an open field a couple of hundred meters long. However, these locations are generally very far out from a work office and would only increase a persons commute time.

     In short, flying cars are a waste of human innovation that, in my opinion, are intended only to be a toy for multimillionaire playboys (no offense, batman), because they have no real benefit or positive impact on the world. Why do we even need flying cars in the first place?

Sources:

1. http://listverse.com/2013/05/17/10-amazing-flying-cars-that-really-existed/
2. http://www.terrafugia.com/aircraft
3. http://www.aeromobil.com/#s-about
4. http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/aeromobil-s-flying-car-will-go-on-sale-in-2017-company-says-1.2996116
5.http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0403/Terrafugia-flying-cars-cost-279-000-each-already-have-100-pre-orders-video
6http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_juice/2014/07/driving_vs_flying_which_is_more_harmful_to_the_environment.html

2 comments:

  1. Hey Ryan! That flying car from 1946 looks pretty funny! I'm surprised a prototype came out that early! Anyway, I understand your concerns towards the car, your presumptions are fact-based. However, is there anything being done to let people with driver's licenses drive these cars, or lower the cost of it, or switch to hybrid or even fully electrical cars? Whatever it is, I look forward to reading another blog post about our future in technology!

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  2. Hey Camelia! I'm going to have to agree with you on the flying car of 1946. It did look a little primitive in comparison to the newer models of flying cars. Anyway, in response to one of your questions, the price of flying cars will be, as I see it, constantly lowering. This is because more and more of these planes will be released on the market, making them more common. As a consequence, the product is produced in larger quantities for a lower price.

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