Mark Megahan
A flying car, like those ones the Jetsons promised us in the seventies, is one step closer to reality. U.S. manufacturer Alef Aeronautics just released a video demonstrating their Model A, driving along the ground before going airborne. It then lands and drives off. Up until now, all the designs have been modified helicopters that fly but don’t drive.
Model A flying car
Just like there’s a huge difference between Henry Ford’s Model A and a Mustang, the Alef Aeronautics Model A flying car has a lot of room for improvement.
As you watch the video, just remember they scoffed at the Wright Brothers for their December 17, 1903 flights of less than 200 feet. Now, we complain about the departure delays on regular trans-continental service.
The press is making a huge deal about the “groundbreaking fly run.” The black test vehicle is 100% electric.
The video shows it “driving along a road in California. Then, all of a sudden, it lifts off vertically and soars over another car like a less futuristic scene from the film ‘Back To The Future II.‘”
According to Alef CEO Jim Dukhovny, “this drive and flight test represents an important proof of technology in a real-world city environment.” It confirms that an entirely new form of transportation is possible. The flying car.
That’s what Popular Mechanics said about the home-built Scorpion helicopter kit in 1972. It could allegedly drive but wasn’t street legal and you had to stop and tie down the rotor blades.
Distributed electric propulsion
The idea behind the Model A’s propulsion system is electric motors that apply the power where it’s needed most at the time. There’s a “mesh layer covering propeller blades to allow air to flow through the vehicle.”
In a separate press release, Dukhovny bragged “this is the first publicly released video of a car driving and taking off vertically.”
He also “compared the automotive milestone to the Wright Brothers’ revolutionary Kitty Hawk video from 1903.” Alef representatives “assured viewers that the maiden flight took place on a closed-off road so that no people were in peril on or near the flight path.”
What’s different about their flying car, they explain, the Model A is a fully functional driving vehicle. It’s just a really slow one. A “suburban neighborhood-friendly” 25 mph. “Previous videos exist of cars using a runway to take off or soaring while tethered,” they note, while “this was the first footage of a roadster both driving and achieving straight-up liftoff.”
It features “eight different rotors that can spin independently at varying speeds, allowing it to soar in different directions.” On the ground, it’s perfectly suited for navigating a parking lot.
“As for terrestrial capabilities, there are four small engines in each of the wheels that will allow the Model A to move like a normal electric car. It can also park similarly to a normal vehicle.” They start at around $300,000 and come equipped with “an obstacle detection and avoidance system, glide landing and a ballistic parachute.“
