Down the Line: Flying Cars: One Step Closer to Reality?
People who drive on the Dan Ryan expressway in Chicago, one of the busiest roads in the world, often wish they could press a button and hover above all the congestion. Motorists have fantasized about flying cars for many years. In fact, the concept of "roadable aircraft" has existed since at least 1918, when a U.S. patent was issued for a vehicle capable of both driving on surface roads and flying through the air.
Numerous designs appeared in the 1940s and 1950s. A few concepts even got off the ground, such as the 1937 Aerobile, the 1947 Airphibian and the 1956 Aerocar. In recent years, visionaries such as Paul Moller have kept the dream alive. Moller has been working on a personal vertical takeoff and landing vehicle for more than 40 years. His four-person fan-powered Skycar is currently undergoing initial flight-testing in California.