An inventor in the Philippines has created a flying car.
It’s not the world’s first flying car, which really looks more like a large drone with a passenger compartment. But it does seem to have a lot of potential after a very successful maiden flight.
Kyxz Mendiola is a former dancer and camera operator-turned mad scientist. He’s created his very own take on the flying car using the same technology as found in most octocopter drones and a bit of fabricating knowhow.
The chassis and control arms that contain the rotors are all made of super strong but also lightweight carbon fiber. Weight is obviously a big issue in a flying car which has a significantly lower maximum payload. In this case, that payload is 220 lbs. There’s no luggage compartment--practicality is still something that Mendiola is working on.
Power is supplied via six lithium-ion batteries which power a total of 16 electric motors (two for each arm). Maximum altitude is about 20 feet, with a top speed of around 40 mph, depending on headwinds.
He calls it the "Koncepto Millenya", and it just took its first flight last weekend.
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Rolled out from a warehouse and then taken to a farmer’s field, Mendiola managed to not only get his invention airborne but also fly around for a solid 10 minutes. At no point did he seem in danger of crashing or losing control, and he looked extremely confident in his aviator’s helmet.
Flying the Millenya is just like flying a drone. All the controls are operated via radio frequency from a handheld controller, meaning that you could theoretically pilot the car from outside the cockpit--at least until your radio signal was lost.
There are a few problems with the prototype. First, it doesn’t have an enclosed cockpit, which means goggles and helmets are a necessity. Second, with the entire car being operated by radio frequency, it’s possible for hackers to hijack the signal and thus kidnap both you and the car.
But on the plus side, it’s a flying car, which means when everyone else is stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, you’ll be above it all still on your way to your destination. That’s more than worth the risk of a little kidnapping if you ask us.