Is it a car?  Is it a plane?  It’s a FLYING car!

If you haven’t come across recent news about flying cars, you soon will.  The news is trending because a company called AeroMobile has recently unveiled a flying car in Monaco.  You can check out the pictures here.

Shortly after AeroMobile’s unveiling, another company called Kitty Hawk also debuted a flying aircraft called The Flyer.  The company is partially backed by Google co-founder, Larry Page.  The Flyer is an aircraft that you can fly on over open water, and it is expected to go on on sale later in the year.

What Do I Think About Flying Cars?

I love the idea of a flying car.  Imagine if you can zip across states with a quick flight?  How convenient is that?  How can anyone also not admire how far technological advances have come?

In reality, I am not if the world is ready for them yet.  To be clear, I don’t expect flying cars to hit the mainstream market any time soon.  There are regulatory hurdles and legitimate safely questions that needs to be addressed.

You do not need a pilot’s license to operate The Flyer, though it’s not clear if it’s the same for AeroMobile’s Flying Car.  Frankly, I think the categorization of both vehicles as “flying cars” feels like a misnomer.  AeroMobile’s flying car seemed more like a plane…with wheels.  The Flyer simply struck me as a recreational or sports aircraft to be ridden near water.

Which of the Two Would I Prefer?

Neither. I  still prefer a regular car on the road and a regular plane for up in the air.

If I have to pick one, I like AeroMobile’s version better.  It looks more developed, though it looked rather clumsy as a car.  The Flyer didn’t strike me as very safe and reminded me of a drone.  Flying one looks cool but it takes practice and skills to not crash it.

I think that flying cars might take off sooner in the marketplace if they are autonomous.  In the same way that Google and Uber are testing autonomous cars,  an autonomous flying car might reduce some of the safety and operator risks and may gain faster acceptance as a result.

All that said, it’s not likely that anyone will see these vehicles in action anytime soon.  After all, AeroMobile’s version of the flying car cost a cool $1.3 to 1.6 million dollars USD.

 

What do you think about flying cars?  Do you think they make sense?  Would you even feel comfortable driving (or flying) one?