FallingJordan 0 #1 October 13, 2008 http://www.livescience.com/technology/081010-sb-flying-car.html this is an article about two possible flying cars... my question is, what would the mass availability of flying cars that can make it all the way to 25,000 feet do to the sport of skydiving? It wouldn't kill it, thats for sure...but would it kill dzs? discuss... JordanI'm like a chocolate covered pretzel...I might be kind of melty but dang, I'm exquisite! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alanab 0 #2 October 13, 2008 wow! i remember reading this in 3rd grade (1990-ish)... we used to get these science articles that we would have to read and discuss as a class. i distinctly remember an article we read about there being flying cars in the future! i don't know why that always stuck with me, but it's surprising to see this now! random Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #3 October 13, 2008 You think the occasional sport pilot over flying your DZ is bad now... --"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 798 #4 October 13, 2008 no shit. Couple of idiot jumpers and a Moller Skycar. Especially once they hacked the flight control system. lost more current: Skycar Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #5 October 13, 2008 It wouldn't kill it, thats for sure...but would it kill dzs? Quote Nope, just make getting there and parking A LOT more fun! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nanook 1 #6 October 13, 2008 There would be skydiving still. That's because if one quarter of the population have air cars, the sky would be extremely conjested. It would be near impossible to fly through a rural area let alone an urban area. Traffic jams would still be common, except not only waiting in line to turn left or right, you are waiting in line to change altitude. The Jetson cartoon accidently was correct on there being traffic jams (the producers needed enough relateable mundaneism). The DZO's would charge you for letting you use the cleared airspace of their dropzone for you to drop buddies off. Or maybe for a ride up in their air busses_____________________________ "The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #7 October 13, 2008 ...use the cleared airspace of their dropzone for you to drop buddies off. Puts a whole new slant on those little yellow "Skydiver on Board" signs...follow to close and ya get a 4way stuck in the grill! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
auburnguy 0 #8 October 14, 2008 http://jalopnik.com/5049196/moller-planning-flying-ferrari-599-gtb-for-russian-businessman"If you don't like your job, you don't strike! You just go in every day, and do it really half assed. That's the American way." - Homer Simpson Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VectorBoy 0 #9 October 14, 2008 It would make it easier to get up to the fixed object. The reality of it is mollar has been ripping investers off with nothing but a pipe dream for decades. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bfilarsky 0 #10 October 14, 2008 I know that the past has not shown very many people to be right that said "never," so I won't, but lets at least say a very long time! I don't see it happening while I'm alive, and I certainly hope I don't! As a pilot, I like having lots of sky to myself and others who have gone through a training process much more rigorous and expensive than any drivers. I don't want your average Joe Blow idiot to be flying around - not as a pilot or as a skydiver! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
auburnguy 0 #11 October 14, 2008 Moller is making something for a market that doesn't exist. There are currently two excellent ways of getting around through the air. a helicopter and an airplane. If you want to take off in short distances get a ch-701. It takes off in 50 feet."If you don't like your job, you don't strike! You just go in every day, and do it really half assed. That's the American way." - Homer Simpson Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 798 #12 October 14, 2008 I went to the Zenith Air factory a few years back. Man do I want one of those.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
downwardspiral 0 #13 October 14, 2008 If you think people can't drive....wait till you see them fly.www.FourWheelerHB.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrwrong 0 #14 October 14, 2008 It's gonna be FUN“The sum of intelligence on the planet is a constant; the population is growing.” - George Bernard Shaw He who dies with the most toys, wins..... dudeist skydiver # 19515 Buy quality and cry once! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 798 #15 October 14, 2008 At least we wouldn't have THIS problem! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrewEckhardt 0 #16 October 14, 2008 QuoteIf you think people can't drive....wait till you see them fly. They won't. Their flying-car computer will use GPS to navigate "highways in the sky", communicate with other cars via a mesh network to make traffic flow more smoothly, and have sensors as backups. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bfilarsky 0 #17 October 14, 2008 What happens when the computer crashes - or the electrical system dies? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 798 #18 October 14, 2008 Blue Screen of Death has a whole new meaning! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #19 October 14, 2008 Quote Quote If you think people can't drive....wait till you see them fly. They won't. Their flying-car computer will use GPS to navigate "highways in the sky", communicate with other cars via a mesh network to make traffic flow more smoothly, and have sensors as backups. But will there be a 'Stuckys' in the sky so ya can pull over, take a leak & buy a Nut Log ? ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #20 October 14, 2008 I don't know, but I think traffic stops could be a bitch! --"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrewEckhardt 0 #21 October 14, 2008 QuoteWhat happens when the computer crashes - or the electrical system dies? Same thing that happens when the auto-land system fails on a zero-visibility landing in a comercial jumbo-jet, the computers fail on a newer fly-by-wire model, or your Cypres fires during a swoop. Redundant systems make failures exceedingly unlikely. For example, you can build rotary engines (which have a great power-to-weight ratio for aircraft) with a $100 ECU on each rotor which will run when one or more of the computers have failed. An airframe mounted balistically deployed parachute could be used as a backup too. If the car dies it fires with reefing devices staging deployment until you reach a safe airspeed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
downwardspiral 0 #22 October 14, 2008 QuoteQuoteIf you think people can't drive....wait till you see them fly. They won't. Their flying-car computer will use GPS to navigate "highways in the sky", communicate with other cars via a mesh network to make traffic flow more smoothly, and have sensors as backups. I can see computer assisted but never completely computer controlled. Not because it's not possible. We're just too independant as Americans and as a species.www.FourWheelerHB.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
porpoishead 8 #23 October 14, 2008 flying cars..LMAO!!! while were at it, i wonder what flying fucking unicorns would do for skydiving..i mean you can pile at least a 4-way on one of those fuckers, it would suck to get a unicorn horn up your ass in freefall though BWAHAHHAA!!! if you want a friend feed any animal Perry Farrell Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 798 #24 October 14, 2008 IIRC, the FAA has insisted on this unless folks get a pilot's license. The fully automated flight would be entirely via computer control. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
downwardspiral 0 #25 October 14, 2008 That makes sense but damn it I want my flying motorcycle! And to be honest it's not that hard to fly....it's just too damn expensive.www.FourWheelerHB.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites