Ever since the cartoon series “The Jetsons” became a household word in the 1980s, we’ve fantasized about owning a car that could fly. And, if you live in a megalopolis like Southern California,.jpg)
you dream about rising above it all. Former UC Davis professor Paul Moller, who designed his first helicopter at the age of 15, went beyond the dream stage and has spent his life developing a flying car. After more than 20 years of development, his company, Moller International, has produced “the first and only feasible, personally affordable, personal vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle the world has ever seen.” On his website, Moller has the following anonymous quote about new technology:
“First it is ridiculed by those ignorant of its potential. Next, it is subverted by those threatened by its potential. Finally, it is considered self-evident.”
Moller could have said this himself because he has gone through all these stages in his effort to prove that he could create a flying car. He has accomplished that. So why aren’t we seeing these cars flying above the traffic jams? Perhaps because disruptive technologies like flying cars often take decades to perfect. When you think about it, you may not be flying humans into space, but you are flying humans and that presents all sorts of problems, not the least of which is the FAA, the need for a Highway in the Sky infrastructure, and Congress needing to put aeronautics higher on its list of priorities. Is that going to happen anytime soon? Don’t bet on it. We don’t have the infrastructure in place to support the electric car or the hydrogen car so that they can achieve mass adoption, and these types of land-bound cars have been around for years.
- Plan on the development and commercialization process to take the better part of your life.
- Plan on losing friends and family if you get too obsessive about it (check out the movie “Flash of Genius” about Robert Kearns and the intermittent wiper blade).
- Understand what needs to be in place to support your technology once it’s ready for market. You can’t develop technology in a vacuum.
- Think about how you’re going to fund your development effort, perhaps over decades.
Check out Paul Moller's 2004 TED talk to meet the man.
I'm excited to see one flying. Just the though of seeing one is like a dream come true. Thumbs up for <a href="http://www.thefutureflyingcars.com/moller-international">moller international</a>! They did great job with the moller skycar.