The idea of a flying car has been on people's minds for a long time, with early developments dating back to the early 20th century. We all continue to wonder, when on Earth, if ever, we'll see flying cars become a reality?
With autonomous driving and mainstream electric cars finally here, we have to wonder, will the next 'at last' in the automotive world indeed be flying automobiles?
Let's take a closer look at the concept of a flying car and why they've failed to become mainstream so far.
A History Of Flying Cars
Discussion of flying cars has been around for several decades, at least. The first model was preconceived by Henry Ford. Years after he revolutionized the way automobiles are manufactured, he took on another daring task; cars that can give aircraft manufacturers a run for their money.
While you've certainly heard of the Ford Mustang, you've probably never heard of the Ford Flivver. The Flivver was the name given to the first prototypes of carplanes by Ford.
Unfortunately, the first test sample crashed into the Atlantic ocean in 1928, killing the pilot. In 1931, Ford launched another attempt. It was named the 'Stout Skycar' and was a bit more successful.
However, with the Great Depression and a lack of interest in personal flying cars at the time, these prototypes weren't really going anywhere. Ford continued to tinker with designs and possibilities. Henry Ford himself, who was very optimistic about this daring dream, admitted at some point that the timing might be a little too early.
When you think of massive car brands like Ford, a few other names might come to mind. Chevrolet and Dodge are some standout examples. However, none of these automakers took a shot at a flying car (although we'd certainly love to see a flying Dodge Challenger someday, perhaps to drag race an Air Mustang in the clouds).
With that being said, another individual who worked on the concept at the same time as Ford was aeronautical engineer Molt Taylor. Through his knowledge of aeronautical engineering, Taylor coupled a car and an airplane into one monster machine called the Aerocar.
The Aerocar was a hybrid of a different kind; it could fly in the air and drive on the road. Taylor's project was government-approved, but unfortunately, he couldn't get anyone to invest in his dream; hence hopes of mass-production were dashed. Only six aero cars ever made it out of the factory.
Why We Haven't Seen Them Yet
So, why exactly haven't flying cars become a reality? Generations have passed since the earliest prototypes were created, and still, we wait (and some may be losing hope at this point!).
1. Noise Pollution:
Noise cancellation companies would certainly have a task on their hands if they were asked to solve the problem of loud flying cars keeping the world awake at night.
By design, for cars to remain airborne, propellers and duct fans (or similar technology) need to be present as they are in airplanes. These are both loud parts of an aircraft.
With so many cars in the air at the same time, our cities would be intolerably loud. Just consider the sound produced by the Bell J-2A, a two-man helicopter that makes about 100 dB of noise.
Sometimes, you may hear a helicopter passing overhead and complain that it's keeping you awake. But imagine having a constant flow of Bell J-2As in the sky!
If we want flying cars to become the norm, this issue must be dealt with.
2. Energy:
The world is currently making efforts to leave behind our dependence on oil. With our carbon dioxide emissions hitting all-time highs, the possibility of our cars flying will depend on the efficiency of a suitable alternative energy source.
Rolls-Royce, Toyota, and Volvo are a few of the companies looking into battery-powered vehicles (on the ground). Apart from gas emissions, fuel efficiency will be called into question.
Commercial airplanes use a lot of fuel, but the number of passengers they can carry per flight increases their fuel efficiency. So, just imagine what it would cost to refuel a flying car! Even recharging an electric flying car would be expensive in the current paradigm.
3. Expertise:
Imagine you board an international flight (perhaps as your first getaway after the pandemic), and by chance, you happen to see an old pal from high school is being welcomed into the cockpit. At first, you assume they're a commercial pilot and just kept it on the DL, but instead, they announce to the passengers that aviation rules have changed, and now anyone with a driver's license can pilot a plane.
Your friend is about to fly a passenger aircraft into the sky with no special training or qualifications. More than likely, you're getting off.
As wild as that scenario sounds, that's more or less what we'd be looking at if we were to have regular people in control of flying cars. And learning to fly a car would surely take far more training and knowledge than it would to drive a car.
So, we suspect autonomous flying cars would be needed to make these vehicles mainstream. And such a development, of course, could take another decade or two just for ground-based cars.
Final Thoughts On Flying Cars
While we now have large aircraft and small drones offering us access to the skies, it seems we'll be waiting quite some time still for flying cars to become mainstream.
Since autonomous driving, EVs, and sufficient noise-cancellation tech could take another decade or two to truly take over (with the latter being a little more 'up in the air'), we'd probably be waiting until at least the 2040s.
However, when you consider how long it takes for a new sector to take off (consider that Tesla launched their first car in 2008), don't be surprised if it's around 2050 or 2060 before regular people are buying flying cars en masse. Then again, similar predictions have been made many times before, and we've been left disappointed. So, who really knows? We'll simply have to wait and see.