By Leonardo Yana-Romero and David Chung
What is a Flying Car?
The term, flying car, is pretty self-explanatory. But just in case you don’t know, a flying car is a vehicle that travels not by road but by the air. The revolutionary inventions are becoming more prevalent in our modern society, but first, we should take a step back and look at how we got to these aerial automobiles.
The History of Aviation:
As told multiple times, the Wright Brothers invented and flew the first controlled airplane in 1903. It was a revolutionary achievement that would lead to many more milestones in technological flight. The history of flying cars doesn’t stop there though. The dream of having a flying car was carried through fiction as well. In 1962 the animated series, The Jetsons, which depicted a futuristic family whose mode of transport was none other than a flying car. After the premiere of The Jetsons, flying cars have made several appearances in movies and TV shows throughout the decades. From The Jetsons to Back to the Future Part II to Blade Runner, flying cars have been ever present in our dreams and works of fiction. But in fact… they’re already here.
Flying Cars Today:
In the modern world, we’re only getting closer to having flying cars being a part of our everyday lives, and the production and research of them does nothing but increase. In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the California based company Hoversurf has given the police force a complete set of S3 2019 Hoverbikes for their officers to use. The bikes take off vertically using four propellers, which would classify them as quadcopters (like an everyday drone). These machines can reach a max speed of 60 mph and have been accepted by the Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, which means that you don’t need a pilot’s license to fly it. Another company to participate in the flying car industry is Kitty Hawk. Kitty Hawk has two products: Flyer, which is a personal flying vehicle, and Cora, which is a flying taxi. Both take off like helicopters, which eliminates the need for a runway of any sort. Both Flyer and Cora are fully electric, which is part of Kitty Hawk’s green initiative. Another company that’s more familiar to the public eye is Uber. Their plan for the future is to enact Uber Air. Uber Air, in essence, is like the taxi service that Uber has, but instead using flying cars. Starting in 2023, you will be able to request a flying vehicle to take you to your destination in certain cities. These lucky cities include Los Angeles, Dallas, and an international city.
The Future of Flying Cars:
Flying cars, whatever they’ll look like, will have some place in everyday life in the future if we keep challenging and breaking the boundaries of what technological advancements we can make as time goes on..
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