It's 2015; where are our flying cars?
Robert Zemeckis' popular time travel movie series "Back to the Future" promised a variety of new tech developments in 2015 that would include self-drying clothes, hover boards and robotic waiters, but the one idea that really left an imprint on our imaginations was the flying car. We were supposed to have flying cars available for mass production before 2015. What happened?
Well, one company is trying to make up for it. Automobile startup AeroMobil is currently trying to be the first company to take its version of a flying car from the prototype stage to a fully-developed product in the next two years.
During an interview with Engadget, AeroMobil cofounders Juraj Vaculik and Stefan Klein said that their desire to develop a flying car was an expression of their goal to "escape the oppression of the then-communist (now-defunct) government of Czechoslovakia." Vaculik believes that while Czechoslovakia is a free nation, it is limited by a number of economic features; specifically traffic jams, expensive air travel costs and roadblocks. But what if one could eliminate such a problem by abandoning the road?
Vaculik believes that a flying car could help some people save money and time by avoiding traffic and completing short flights without visiting the airport. However, this project isn't something that a person can invent and sell without any restrictions. The vehicle will need to be approved by the local and national government, as well as hold up to modern safety car standards. AeroMobil currently has the support of the European Union, who will help AeroMobil certify the vehicle as well as provide funding for its development.
AeroMobil plans to release its flying cars to a group of "affluent" drivers who will help develop the product and figure out what's required.
