Real Viking?

[Rake]

http://www.theage.com.au/drive/motor-news/flying-cars-closer-to-reality-20091113-idqt.html

Who ever said transforming stuff was impractical? Here we see the beginnings of the Viking.

:p

[Alzarath]

Ugh, thinking deeper into this, this could be disasterous... How many people are going to even be capable of learning to fly, then doing it daily? People suck at driving as it is.

[Quirel]

With any luck, only idiots who can afford flying lessons will be able to afford these planes. And hopefully, the autopilot will be smarter than anyone dumb enough to buy one of these.

Anyhow, as relating it to the Viking, I DARE you to take it out in a warzone. Not only will it get shot to pieces by a lone man with an AK-47, but A-10 Warthogs will fly circles around it.
A mech that can walk on the ground AND is built to fly will be even worse.

Anyhow, for your reading pleasure...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_XFY

[mr. peasant]

With any luck, only idiots who can afford flying lessons will be able to afford these planes. And hopefully, the autopilot will be smarter than anyone dumb enough to buy one of these.

Anyhow, as relating it to the Viking, I DARE you to take it out in a warzone. Not only will it get shot to pieces by a lone man with an AK-47, but A-10 Warthogs will fly circles around it.
A mech that can walk on the ground AND is built to fly will be even worse.

Anyhow, for your reading pleasure...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_XFY

I'm kind of confused... What's your point with the article? If it's that not all experimental technology and ideas are winners, I think that already goes without saying.

[DemolitionSquid]

If we make it past 2012, we need to start building up instead of out, and in those multi-mile high towers of New Coruscant we'll need these hovercars.

[MattII]

This thread is totally OT for its location, but what the hell. Personally I don't see this being much more successful than its almost 55 year old big brother (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Aerocar), and for similar reasons (you still need an airstrip to use it, it's too expensive, and very few will ever really qualify).

[KillaKhan]

I honestly thought you would post something about Chitti Chitti Bang Bang.

[phazonjunkie]

If we make it past 2012, we need to start building up instead of out, and in those multi-mile high towers of New Coruscant we'll need these hovercars.


Weren't we all supposed to have hovercars, rayguns and moonbases by now?

[sandwich_bird]

This is obviously not the right way to make practical flying car. People need to watch more sci fi movies...

[DemolitionSquid]

Weren't we all supposed to have hovercars, rayguns and moonbases by now?

Only if you were born in the 50's.

[Quirel]

Only if you were born in the 50's.
I, for one, pine for the 1950s... and pretty much the rest of the Cold War.
Knowing that, at any moment, the surface of the Earth could be consumed in a massive fireball and eliminate all possibility of life until the end of the universe is kinda sexy.

Anyhow, I think that a true flying car would be closer in design to the Moller Skycar...
Even if the actual Moller is a piece of crap.

[MattII]

Instead of sky-cars, why don't they just fit Chinooks with seats, hey presto, sky-buses. It'll still cost an arm and a leg of course, but you won't need to get a licence yourself and you won't need to worry about parking (and this is as big an issue with sky-cars as with normal ones, probably more in fact).

[n00bonicPlague]

Anyhow, for your reading pleasure...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_XFY
All they need to do there is place a window under the cockpit and allow the seat to tilt forwards 90 degrees. Then, when it comes in to land, the pilot can rotate his seat and view the ground from a normal orientation. They also need to add some spoilers and airbrakes as they said themselves.