1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: Get in touch with technology with tex Stuff from half 2 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 1: Stuff either everyone, and welcome to tex Stuff. I'm Jonathan 3 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: Strickland and I'm Lauren both of them. And boy, these 4 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: podcasts just fly by, and today we're gonna talk about 5 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 1: flying cars. I was wondering if I could get a 6 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 1: chuckle I was getting, I was getting the grin, Okay, 7 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 1: So I tried try not to encourage him. Guys, it's 8 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: too late. It's I have well passed the age where 9 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 1: that can ever be changed. So we really did want 10 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:40,159 Speaker 1: to talk about flying cars. It's one of those subjects 11 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 1: I can't believe we haven't really talked about on tech 12 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:44,879 Speaker 1: stuff before. But it's one of those things that, you know, 13 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: it's the typical if this is the future, where's my 14 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: flying car? Where's my jet pack and flying car? Why 15 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: aren't my meals in pill form? It's because jet packs 16 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: and flying cars are really dangerous. Yeah, they're not practical 17 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:00,280 Speaker 1: very much and at least not yet, and uh, they're 18 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: really tricky to do in a way that is safe, 19 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: you know, even if you're talking about completely automating it. 20 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 1: And we're gonna talk about some cars where they're taking 21 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: that approach where they're making it as automated as possible. 22 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: It's you know, it's there's a lot of logistics to 23 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: work through. I mean just imagine, like in my neighborhood alone, 24 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: if I had a flying car and it was all 25 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:24,760 Speaker 1: automated and everything and it could detect other flying cars, 26 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: I still have to worry about things like power lines. 27 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 1: And we don't have autonomous cars that go on a 28 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 1: two dimensional plane yet, So I mean adding that third 29 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: dimension is more complicated than it probably sounds. So the 30 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: flying car, I mean, obviously that's been something in science fiction. 31 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: What might surprise you is how old the concept of 32 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: a flying car is. It did not take very long 33 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: after the invention of both cars and planes for someone 34 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 1: to say, hey, wouldn't it be awesome if a car 35 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: was also a plane. So back in eighteen eighty five, 36 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 1: that's when you get your first gasoline powered automobile, which 37 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: was invented by a fellow named Carl Friedrich Benz and 38 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: Mercedes Benz. And then in nineteen o three we had 39 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: the first flight of the Wright brothers, right, which, depending 40 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:18,359 Speaker 1: upon your view of history, was the first you know, uh, 41 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: solid like heavier than air flight. Uh, there's definitely some 42 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: debate there, but in the historical ranks, generally speaking, people 43 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 1: say n first flight. At any rate, it was right 44 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: around that time. So e eighty five was the first 45 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:36,799 Speaker 1: gasoline powered automobile. Keep in mind that there were other 46 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 1: types of automobile, steam powered, electric powered ones, but gasoline 47 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,799 Speaker 1: powered started in the late nineteenth century early twentieth century. 48 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: You get the Right Brothers. So how long did it 49 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: take before someone came up with an idea of making 50 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:57,359 Speaker 1: up car slash plane? Seventeen fourteen years after the Right 51 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: Brothers flew, someone says, clearly, two things can be combined. Right, 52 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: this is the chocolate and peanut butter of the technological age. 53 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: They must become one. And that person was but Glenn Curtis. 54 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 1: He created the Curtis auto Plane. Then the names of 55 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: these things, by the way, are my favorite that they 56 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:20,640 Speaker 1: really only get better. Yeah, it's sort of like what 57 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: you encounter when you when you look at steampunk, where 58 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:27,600 Speaker 1: people come up with the most creative uh, goofy goofy 59 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 1: like like multi collaborate names. So the Curtis auto Plane 60 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 1: wasn't really a true flying car in what we would 61 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: think of today, right, it didn't look like a car 62 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 1: that could suddenly take off and you wouldn't he have 63 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: Doc Brown say where we're going, we don't need roads, 64 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 1: and then you have the big Back to the Future 65 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: music come up. It's it looked more like a plane 66 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: that you could sort of drive around if you needed to. Um. 67 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: So it was a plane, a small plane, relatively small 68 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 1: plane with a forty foot wingspans about twelve you very much. 69 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 1: And it had a rear mounted four bladed propellers, so 70 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 1: the propellers on the back of the plane and so 71 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:08,800 Speaker 1: have on the front of it, which is fairly common 72 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: in a lot of the designs we'll be talking about today. 73 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 1: Um and uh. But but it never really flew, now, 74 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: it just kind of hopped off the ground a couple 75 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:19,040 Speaker 1: of times, never really caught flights. So if you ever 76 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: watch any of those kind of like a toddler going 77 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 1: and flying and they started jumping really hard. Yeah, if 78 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,280 Speaker 1: you look at any of those old timey movies where 79 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:30,280 Speaker 1: people were working on the early early versions of airplanes, 80 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:32,720 Speaker 1: and you see lots of planes that get a little 81 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:34,839 Speaker 1: bit off the ground and then immediately come right back down, 82 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:37,800 Speaker 1: that's kind of what this thing did. It never never 83 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: attained true flight. To be fair, at the time, I 84 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:42,799 Speaker 1: think that a lot of especially kind of hobbyist created 85 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: planes exactly we're just you know, we're really just hopping. 86 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 1: So that probably wasn't terrible for no, for a first 87 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 1: attempt at making a car that was also a plane. 88 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:55,960 Speaker 1: Not bad, not great, but not bad, And it would 89 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,679 Speaker 1: take another twenty years before someone would create something similar, 90 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:02,600 Speaker 1: at least according to all the research I was doing. 91 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:06,480 Speaker 1: There probably were other people, hobbyists, mechanics, engineers who are 92 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: trying to do the sort of thing, but not all 93 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 1: of their attempts have been recorded for posterity's sake. But 94 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:19,800 Speaker 1: in seven Waldo Waterman created the aerobile or aerobill or 95 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 1: aerobilly anyways, it was. It was a student baker, which, 96 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: as we all know from the Muppet movie is a 97 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:32,159 Speaker 1: bear's natural habitat, so student aker not. If you were 98 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:33,840 Speaker 1: to look at a picture of a student baker, I 99 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 1: don't think the first thing that you would think is 100 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 1: that looks like that sucker could fly through the air. 101 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: And yet Waldo Waterman was determined, Yeah, this one was 102 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 1: that was a three wheeled car, but the wheels were detachable. Yeah, 103 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:50,880 Speaker 1: well I had detachable wheels and a rear mounted propeller, 104 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:55,040 Speaker 1: and it never ended up getting uh sufficient funding. The 105 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:58,279 Speaker 1: wings itself were also detachable. That's also a very common 106 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:00,680 Speaker 1: thing and a lot of these early designs where you know, 107 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 1: you would take all the parts that you didn't need 108 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 1: off for it to be a car, and then once 109 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:08,479 Speaker 1: you got to wherever, them in a very large trunk 110 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:11,159 Speaker 1: and run. Yeah, or a trailer that you would tow 111 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: behind the car get to wherever you're going, like whatever 112 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:16,920 Speaker 1: airstrip you're going to put your plane together, Yeah, you'd 113 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:19,040 Speaker 1: actually have to assembol it and then it would be 114 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:20,720 Speaker 1: a plane. So it was, which is something that is 115 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:22,800 Speaker 1: very worrying for me. I have to say, guys, I 116 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:26,240 Speaker 1: I personally do not have the kind of engineering background 117 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:28,920 Speaker 1: to really feel comfortable flying in something that I have 118 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:31,640 Speaker 1: just built. Can you imagine looking into the trailer and 119 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:34,040 Speaker 1: you're seeing like three or four just random nuts and 120 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 1: bolts in there and think that's good enough? Uh? You 121 00:06:37,279 --> 00:06:39,799 Speaker 1: know it's because it could be like going to Ikea, 122 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 1: Like you put your furniture together and you're like, it's 123 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:44,200 Speaker 1: always a few spare bits, and you're like, well, you 124 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:46,480 Speaker 1: didn't say there were spare bits, but I could have 125 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:48,840 Speaker 1: sworn I followed the instructions. Yet that was sort of 126 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:52,920 Speaker 1: what these early flying cars were like too. So really, 127 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:55,839 Speaker 1: you're gonna notice while we talk about this, for these 128 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:58,000 Speaker 1: early ones, it's going to sound more and more like 129 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:01,520 Speaker 1: it was a plane that could bend into a vehicle 130 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:04,720 Speaker 1: that could travel on Rhods. That's the case for most 131 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: of these early ones. Robert Edison Fulton Jr. A distant 132 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: relative to another Fulton. We talked about in how steam 133 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:18,480 Speaker 1: engines were the steamboat the steamboat Fulton. Yeah, so steamboat 134 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 1: Fulton was not. He was not a direct descendant of 135 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:26,280 Speaker 1: Robert Fulton, the steamboat engineer. Uh. Robert Fulton, I believe 136 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:29,920 Speaker 1: had one son who never had any kids, but several daughters. 137 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:33,119 Speaker 1: But obviously you wouldn't have last name Fulton through that line, 138 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: So we're talking like a cousin distantly related in that sense. 139 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 1: But still his dad was a friend to a certain 140 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:45,200 Speaker 1: Thomas Edison, which is why ed had had the Edison 141 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 1: in his name. Um, yeah, I would guess that if 142 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: it were Robert Nicola Fulton, we would all be just 143 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:58,720 Speaker 1: fawning over him because of Tesla's and I know we 144 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:01,760 Speaker 1: both lost some geek c there I think anyway, His 145 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: version was an aluminum body car that had detachable fabric 146 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:11,400 Speaker 1: wings to turn it into a light plane, and it 147 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:14,440 Speaker 1: also had a detachable propeller that would serve as propulsion. 148 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:18,080 Speaker 1: And they built four prototypes but it never went into production. 149 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: UM and the following year, Consolidated Vaulty developed the convert Car, 150 00:08:26,520 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 1: which was a two door sedan with detachable airplane unit. 151 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:31,440 Speaker 1: So in this case, it's like an entire kind of 152 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:35,200 Speaker 1: airplane kit that you could fit on top of this car. 153 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:38,600 Speaker 1: And they had some success, at least, well, they had 154 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 1: limited early success with their with their tests. Didn't think, Yeah, yeah, 155 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:46,920 Speaker 1: they had two successful tests. Um, they had two successful tests. 156 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: Improved they could it could fly for about an hour 157 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:52,840 Speaker 1: and travel it around forty five p seventy two. I'm sorry, 158 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:55,559 Speaker 1: not forty five. I could travel a total distance of 159 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 1: forty five miles or seventy two kilometers on a gallon 160 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:01,959 Speaker 1: of gas. But it was pretty good. Yeah, so to 161 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:07,199 Speaker 1: flights going pretty slow, but unfortunately the third flight not 162 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 1: so successful. Yeah, and that that was pretty much the 163 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:12,760 Speaker 1: end of the project, right. They were trying to get 164 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:15,280 Speaker 1: some marketing dollars behind it. After the crash. That was 165 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:19,439 Speaker 1: a complete disaster for them, and it was it was scrapped. 166 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:23,920 Speaker 1: They decided not to go forward with it. Molten B. 167 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 1: Taylor builds the Arrow Car, which was actually inspired by 168 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:33,600 Speaker 1: Robert Edison Fulton Junior's design. It also had detachable wings 169 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 1: and a detachable tail so they could stash those in 170 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 1: a in a trailer. Yeah, this is one of those 171 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:41,320 Speaker 1: that you would put all those parts in a trailer, 172 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:44,920 Speaker 1: tow it to the airport, then take everything out, assemble 173 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: it on the car. And according to the Wall Street Journal, 174 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:51,480 Speaker 1: a practiced owner could assemble the Arrow Car from into 175 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 1: flying form within ten minutes. Ten minutes to turn into 176 00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:59,480 Speaker 1: an airplane. I can't assemble a microwave dinner, and ten 177 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: I don't. I certainly anyone who watched me play Minecraft 178 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:07,439 Speaker 1: knows ten minutes is not enough time for me to 179 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 1: assemble anything. This was another tail end propeller yep, and 180 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:14,120 Speaker 1: it looks like a mini car and only six were 181 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:17,040 Speaker 1: ever built. In fact, one of them I think was current, 182 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 1: was on the market recently for just over like a 183 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 1: million dollars or something like. It actually looks very quaint 184 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:27,599 Speaker 1: like it looks like a quaint little antique car that 185 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:31,480 Speaker 1: for some reason has had an airplane tail merged onto 186 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:33,360 Speaker 1: the end of it and wings that sprouted out of it. 187 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: So yeah, but if you, if you, you could easily 188 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:40,360 Speaker 1: imagine removing those and it would look like a little Yeah. 189 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 1: So this one was more of a car, although again 190 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:46,920 Speaker 1: you could not, you know, effortlessly convert to flying form, 191 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 1: which is really what we're going for here, right. We 192 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 1: want a car that you could drive on the streets 193 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 1: and then when traffic is getting really badly, you put 194 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:56,880 Speaker 1: press button and it transforms like in an anime. And 195 00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:59,160 Speaker 1: it would be a while and still will be a 196 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:02,600 Speaker 1: while before we see something like that. Uh So, nineteen sixty, 197 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:07,440 Speaker 1: Paul Maler introduces the x M two. Now Maller will 198 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:09,960 Speaker 1: be well, we'll go ahead and tell Mahler's story. It's 199 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:13,559 Speaker 1: kind of a disappointing story. But the x M two 200 00:11:13,679 --> 00:11:17,120 Speaker 1: was the first prototype of his sky car concept that 201 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 1: one would hover, but he couldn't get it to fly. 202 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:23,720 Speaker 1: So he would continue to to kind of refine this design, 203 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:29,120 Speaker 1: and in ninety nine was the first one. Nine he 204 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:32,599 Speaker 1: introduces the M two hundred X, which could fly in 205 00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:36,079 Speaker 1: an altitude of about fifteen meters or around fifty feet, 206 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,400 Speaker 1: and then He would later introduce the sky car M 207 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:42,680 Speaker 1: four hundred, which is a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft 208 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 1: vt o L vertical takeoff or landing really, which could 209 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:50,920 Speaker 1: reach speeds theoretically of four hundred miles per hour or 210 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:55,360 Speaker 1: six hundred forty four kilometers power. But the cruising speed, Yeah, 211 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:59,559 Speaker 1: can you imagine your average motorists controlling a vehicle traveling 212 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:03,840 Speaker 1: traveling at that speed, I literally cannot have the cruising speed. Now, 213 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:05,839 Speaker 1: that was the top speed. The cruising speed was three 214 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:08,760 Speaker 1: fifty miles per us. Oh well that's much a better 215 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 1: or five hundred sixty three kilometers per hour. Fuel for 216 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:17,520 Speaker 1: the vehicle included simple, simple household items. The asolene was 217 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:22,520 Speaker 1: one diesel okay, alcohol okay, kerosene and propane all at 218 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: the same time. Yeah. Well it's you know, because it 219 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:28,880 Speaker 1: was using some pretty powerful sure which which also yeah, exactly, 220 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:31,560 Speaker 1: the average voters just has those lying around all right, exactly. 221 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:33,559 Speaker 1: You know, you can just go to one filling station 222 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:35,600 Speaker 1: and find all of those. Some filling stations you might, 223 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:38,840 Speaker 1: but not many had a range of about nine hundred miles, 224 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:43,040 Speaker 1: which is about hundred fifty kilometers. Is that the same 225 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 1: as it's car mode range. Uh no, No, it's Kira 226 00:12:46,679 --> 00:12:48,760 Speaker 1: moded hat a mileage of twenty miles per gallon or 227 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 1: thirty two point two kilometers per gallon. I know, really 228 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,200 Speaker 1: usually do leaders per kilometer, but there's only so much 229 00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:58,319 Speaker 1: conversion I can do. Guys, I have to apologize for 230 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:02,160 Speaker 1: my American nous. Yeah, but the initial price for the 231 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:06,040 Speaker 1: M four hundred was quoted to be a millions Macarou's 232 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:10,720 Speaker 1: one million bucks. But the promises of Mueller never quite 233 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:13,199 Speaker 1: panned out. So in two thousand three they did a 234 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:17,400 Speaker 1: demonstration where the M four hundred hovered, but it hovered 235 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:19,559 Speaker 1: on a tether like it was tethered to the ground. 236 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:24,320 Speaker 1: It did not fly. Um, so it wasn't really awe 237 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:27,600 Speaker 1: inspiring or giving a lot of people confidence in the project. 238 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:31,160 Speaker 1: And in fact, by two thousand nine they still didn't 239 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:33,600 Speaker 1: have a flying car to show off, and Maller ended 240 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:37,480 Speaker 1: up filing for personal protection under Chapter eleven as in bankruptcy. 241 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:42,160 Speaker 1: Turned out apparently the company had spent something like one 242 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:46,439 Speaker 1: hundred million dollars over forty years trying to get this 243 00:13:46,559 --> 00:13:49,280 Speaker 1: flying car designed to work, and it had not happened. 244 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:53,840 Speaker 1: Hundred million bucks, So yeah, it was definitely a tough, 245 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:57,920 Speaker 1: tough story. Now, Maller, while he filed for protection under 246 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:02,080 Speaker 1: Chapter eleven, the company, Maller International, is still from why 247 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:05,319 Speaker 1: I understand, still operating in a very limited capacity. So 248 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:08,240 Speaker 1: the company didn't go away, but Maller certainly had to 249 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 1: look for some financial protection after after just not being 250 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:15,160 Speaker 1: able to turn this around. Now that leads us up 251 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:17,400 Speaker 1: to the last one we're going to talk about before 252 00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: our break. Uh. It dates back to two thousand one, 253 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:24,560 Speaker 1: the Skywriter X two R. So this one is designed 254 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:28,720 Speaker 1: by Macro Industries Incorporated, and it's another V T O 255 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:32,880 Speaker 1: L type of vehicle, and this one uses ducted fans 256 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 1: as propulsion instead of propellers. So, uh, it kind of 257 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 1: looks like like a casual glance, you would look and say, oh, 258 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:42,680 Speaker 1: those are turbines, but they're not actually turbines. So it's 259 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:46,280 Speaker 1: around casing. On the inside of this casing is a 260 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:50,000 Speaker 1: fan blade and those fans turn and provide the lift, 261 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:53,960 Speaker 1: and you can tilt the ducts in different directions so 262 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 1: that you can do the vertical takeoff and landing, or 263 00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:58,880 Speaker 1: tilt them forward so that you get that forward propulsion 264 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:01,360 Speaker 1: like I like I have her carrier. Yeah, that's a 265 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:06,800 Speaker 1: little hover carrier thing. According to the website, they were 266 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,200 Speaker 1: the car would have lots of dynamic routing information, so 267 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:12,640 Speaker 1: it would allow it to plan out a route that 268 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:15,880 Speaker 1: would keep it clear from the pathway of other flying 269 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:19,760 Speaker 1: car motorists, because they actually said their goal is to 270 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:22,920 Speaker 1: make the flying car reality for the average consumer. But 271 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:24,560 Speaker 1: of course, you know, to you and I, we just 272 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,000 Speaker 1: sit there and think about Atlanta traffic right now. Just 273 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:30,400 Speaker 1: imagine the traffic that's passing past our building right now. 274 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:33,160 Speaker 1: Sometimes you guys can hear it. I know you can 275 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:36,840 Speaker 1: well imagine all of that traffic in the air. That's 276 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:40,320 Speaker 1: kind of terrifying, completely terrifying. Although by two thousand one, 277 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:42,840 Speaker 1: certainly we were starting to get into computer systems that 278 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 1: would at least help you detect some of that, right, 279 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:49,200 Speaker 1: So the idea is that it would have a lot 280 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 1: of automated systems to help prevent collisions, to help you 281 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:56,200 Speaker 1: plan a flight path that wouldn't put you across someone 282 00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:59,200 Speaker 1: else's flight path. Uh, you know, And of course as 283 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:03,440 Speaker 1: technology advanced, we've got better with like collision detection and prevention, 284 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:05,760 Speaker 1: that kind of stuff. Automated systems that can take over 285 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:09,920 Speaker 1: in case a manual accident is about to happen. So 286 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 1: things have gotten to the point where you could kind 287 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:15,640 Speaker 1: of see a reality here, but it's one that's kind 288 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:18,800 Speaker 1: of early. Yeah yeah, And you know, I I heard 289 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:21,520 Speaker 1: a little bit about this and it sounds like a 290 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:24,880 Speaker 1: kind of solid plan. Where did this one actually happen? 291 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:29,040 Speaker 1: They said that the first models of this car would 292 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:32,560 Speaker 1: be available within five years of the project receiving adequate funding. 293 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 1: As far as they can tell, the project has yet 294 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:38,400 Speaker 1: to receive what they call adequate funding, So uh, that 295 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:41,080 Speaker 1: five years is kind of the perpetual five years off 296 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:44,200 Speaker 1: from now, just like most technological advances are ten to 297 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:49,520 Speaker 1: forty years away, and it's it's always gonna yeah. Now, 298 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:52,560 Speaker 1: maybe they'll end up getting enough funding where they'll become 299 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:54,400 Speaker 1: a real player in the space, but as far as 300 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 1: I can tell, it's kind of one of those vaporware 301 00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:59,440 Speaker 1: type things. And was this another one that was more 302 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 1: more like aircraft that drives than a yeah yeah, I 303 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:05,159 Speaker 1: mean it looks more like a plane than it does 304 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:06,919 Speaker 1: a car. It looks like it looks like a plane 305 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:09,119 Speaker 1: that's small enough when everything folds up for it to 306 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:12,760 Speaker 1: fit into your garage, as opposed to a car. That 307 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:15,280 Speaker 1: can turn into a flying machine. It looks like a 308 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:17,639 Speaker 1: plane that can be driven on the roads right, right, 309 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:19,080 Speaker 1: and not the kind of thing that you'd expect to 310 00:17:19,119 --> 00:17:22,159 Speaker 1: take out onto the highways and drive around in traffic. Right. 311 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:24,000 Speaker 1: But we do have a few of those that we 312 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:26,560 Speaker 1: want to talk about, and before we do that, let's 313 00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:29,760 Speaker 1: take a quick break to thank our sponsor. Alright, so 314 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:33,720 Speaker 1: we're back now. The next car on our list is 315 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:38,120 Speaker 1: one of my favorites because it's so different from all 316 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:40,040 Speaker 1: the other ones we've been mentioning so far. Like all 317 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:42,720 Speaker 1: the ones we've talked about either had some sort of 318 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:45,879 Speaker 1: v T o L system where they were going to 319 00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:49,120 Speaker 1: hover and take off and then fly forward, right, which 320 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:51,280 Speaker 1: I'm actually kind of impressed by. I think that that 321 00:17:51,359 --> 00:17:53,320 Speaker 1: a vto L would be a little bit more difficult 322 00:17:53,359 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 1: to engineer, and therefore, yeah, it's got some challenges, but 323 00:17:56,560 --> 00:17:58,520 Speaker 1: it would, assuming you could get it to work, it 324 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 1: would be way easier for your average driver, right, because 325 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:03,440 Speaker 1: it wouldn't mean that you wouldn't have to go find 326 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:06,440 Speaker 1: a longer slap in air strip so that you could 327 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 1: get up to enough speed to get lift and then 328 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:12,840 Speaker 1: take off. This would allow you to yeah, yeah, you're 329 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:15,400 Speaker 1: at a standstill, you lift up, you fly off where 330 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:16,920 Speaker 1: you want to go. And I think you need to 331 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:19,200 Speaker 1: be at a standstill with some you know, like hundred 332 00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:21,920 Speaker 1: feet of clear space around you, so that you didn't 333 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:26,760 Speaker 1: you know, destroy surrounding. My precision is amazing. I am 334 00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:29,640 Speaker 1: fully confident I could take off from like a crowded 335 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:34,720 Speaker 1: parking lot with tiny scratches. Maybe. Uh So we're talking 336 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:38,879 Speaker 1: about now the Parajet skycr and the Parajet skycar is 337 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:41,800 Speaker 1: one of my favorites. Parajet, you kind of get the 338 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:45,440 Speaker 1: feeling here. There's a para sail or a parachute that 339 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,359 Speaker 1: is attached to essentially a dune buggy. So it looks 340 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:52,040 Speaker 1: like something that came out of Mad Max, right, like, 341 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:54,600 Speaker 1: you know, you could take this to the Thunderdome in 342 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:58,280 Speaker 1: style and um, and it has this para sail that 343 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 1: you can deploy, and on the very back of the 344 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:03,399 Speaker 1: dune buggy is an enormous fan, So it looks a 345 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 1: lot like like like one of those Evergladesh kind of 346 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:11,359 Speaker 1: Archer likes, Yeah, exactly, it'd be one of those. So 347 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:13,480 Speaker 1: it's a dune buggy with the fan on the back 348 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:16,200 Speaker 1: and the parasale that you deploy, And the way it 349 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:19,040 Speaker 1: works is that you would, if you wanted to actually fly, 350 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:22,119 Speaker 1: you would take the parasale part out, lay it behind 351 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:26,280 Speaker 1: the car, start up your fan, and then start driving 352 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:28,880 Speaker 1: and once you hit about thirty seven miles per hour 353 00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:32,720 Speaker 1: or sixty kilometers per hour, you would have enough lift 354 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 1: there from the para sale to lift off the ground 355 00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:39,120 Speaker 1: and use the fan to control your pitch and your role. 356 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:43,320 Speaker 1: That sounds so terrifying but wonderful. The videos of this 357 00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:46,879 Speaker 1: thing I absolutely adore. Now, granted again you don't have 358 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:50,680 Speaker 1: any wings, so it's not like a you know, airplane 359 00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:53,080 Speaker 1: slash car. This is a car that has a pair 360 00:19:53,119 --> 00:19:55,800 Speaker 1: of sale and a propeller on it. That's pretty much 361 00:19:55,840 --> 00:19:58,280 Speaker 1: what you're talking about. And uh, that sounds like it 362 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:01,800 Speaker 1: would still count as a as a light sport vehicle. Yes, yes, 363 00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:04,200 Speaker 1: you would have to have sport aircraft. You have to 364 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:07,119 Speaker 1: have a light sport aircraft piloting license to to be 365 00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:11,440 Speaker 1: able to fly this legally. Obviously there in fact, a 366 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:12,639 Speaker 1: lot of the ones we're going to talk about, the 367 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:15,520 Speaker 1: earlier ones we were talking about, never really got beyond 368 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:18,639 Speaker 1: prototype or concept, so it was kind of right, right, 369 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:21,280 Speaker 1: they never had to think about this kind of thing. Also, 370 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:23,119 Speaker 1: I'm sure that the regulations of the f a A 371 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:25,680 Speaker 1: were a lot lighter when the f a didn't exist, 372 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:28,600 Speaker 1: so there's some probably helped. The next one we'll talk 373 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:32,800 Speaker 1: about has kind of a very uh blase attitude about 374 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:35,600 Speaker 1: air regulations, but I'll mention that when we get into it. 375 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:37,320 Speaker 1: So this one, you would actually have to have a 376 00:20:37,359 --> 00:20:40,520 Speaker 1: pilot's license to operate in flying mode, but a sport 377 00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:44,280 Speaker 1: pilot license, which I believe it's a little different from it. 378 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:47,119 Speaker 1: They are different classes, just like there are different classes 379 00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:51,720 Speaker 1: of motorist licenses, there are different classes of pilot licenses, right, 380 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:55,560 Speaker 1: and since a light sport aircraft is I think you 381 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:59,239 Speaker 1: have visual site rules on that one, so it's right, 382 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: and it's small, and if it can only be a 383 00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:03,119 Speaker 1: one or two seater just the pilot and up to 384 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:05,920 Speaker 1: one passenger, um you know, max weight of like six 385 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:09,680 Speaker 1: which is one thousand, three twenty pounds, and a max 386 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 1: speed of a hundred and twenty nuts, which is like 387 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:13,760 Speaker 1: a hundred and thirty eight miles per hour or two 388 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:16,320 Speaker 1: d and twenty two kilometers per hour. So it's going 389 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:19,920 Speaker 1: relatively by the speed of planes slow rum and so 390 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:22,680 Speaker 1: it's all you really need is a driver's license and 391 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:27,520 Speaker 1: ah this this sport pilot certifications. You don't need the 392 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:30,320 Speaker 1: full medical thing where a doctor approved by the f 393 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:32,359 Speaker 1: a A comes out and says like, yes, you are 394 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:34,920 Speaker 1: mentally and physically fit to pilot. Right, you can be 395 00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:38,040 Speaker 1: as unstable as you like, as long as you don't 396 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 1: because the damage that you'll create a few crash is 397 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:43,920 Speaker 1: relatively small. Well, the Parajet skycar, it's top speed is 398 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:46,440 Speaker 1: well within those parameters. Is that a hundred fifteen miles 399 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:48,879 Speaker 1: per hour or about a hundred eighty five kilometers per 400 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:52,080 Speaker 1: hour on the ground and in the skair it's fifty 401 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:54,680 Speaker 1: five miles per hour or eight nine kilometers per hour. 402 00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:57,359 Speaker 1: And that's not a big surprise. You're flying by para sale. 403 00:21:57,400 --> 00:21:59,960 Speaker 1: It's not like not like like you got a turbojet. 404 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:02,480 Speaker 1: It a gallon of gas will take it about fifty 405 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:04,639 Speaker 1: six point five miles on the ground or two hundred 406 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:08,439 Speaker 1: nautical miles in the sky. And it costs one hundred 407 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:14,120 Speaker 1: nineteen thousand dollars for a dune buggy, which is high 408 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:17,120 Speaker 1: for a dune bug gam sure, but it's approximately average 409 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:20,800 Speaker 1: for light sport. So this when you think about this this. 410 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:22,800 Speaker 1: You know, first you say, oh, this is kind of 411 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:25,399 Speaker 1: a weird thing for people to spend money on, but 412 00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: it's actually something that has been used for first responders 413 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:32,879 Speaker 1: and disasters. They've used them to get medicine to remote 414 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:35,639 Speaker 1: locations because you can fly it and then land it 415 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:38,160 Speaker 1: and then drive over rough terrain because it's a dune bugge. 416 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:41,359 Speaker 1: So yeah, you can get to places that might need 417 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:45,080 Speaker 1: medical relief or other disaster relief. And it's actually become 418 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:48,040 Speaker 1: a useful tool. So while we kind of laugh about 419 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:50,800 Speaker 1: some of these designs because they're either impractical or they're 420 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:54,960 Speaker 1: they're crazy extravagant, this one actually had a practical use. 421 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:57,680 Speaker 1: Uh that's more than I can say for the pal 422 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:01,840 Speaker 1: V one, which is a three wheeled vehicle that converts 423 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:05,399 Speaker 1: into a gyrocopter. I I don't know what you're talking about. 424 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:07,280 Speaker 1: I want one of these right now. Okay, So it 425 00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:09,919 Speaker 1: looks like a have you ever seen the Mono tracer? 426 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:12,520 Speaker 1: You might not have. There's actually one in Atlanta, and 427 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:15,280 Speaker 1: I think they only ever made something like seventy of them. 428 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:17,600 Speaker 1: I do not believe that I've seen one. Have you 429 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:20,800 Speaker 1: seen tron? Do you know what the light cycle and 430 00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:23,679 Speaker 1: tron looks like, that's all right, that's a mono tracer 431 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: and if you just make a couple of adjustments, that's 432 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:28,159 Speaker 1: essentially what the pal v one looks like. But instead 433 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:29,920 Speaker 1: of two wheels, it's got three. It's got two in 434 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:32,080 Speaker 1: the back, one in the front. It handles like a 435 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:37,200 Speaker 1: motorcycle and h the gyrocopter rotor folds down and the 436 00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:40,959 Speaker 1: tail folds in to make it a pretty compact vehicle. 437 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:44,480 Speaker 1: So when you decide that you want to go flying around, 438 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:47,800 Speaker 1: you drive it over to an airport, you unfold the 439 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:50,880 Speaker 1: rotor and the tail, and then once the rotor gets going, 440 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:53,680 Speaker 1: it's self propelling. Really it's a gyrocopter. Will have to 441 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:57,600 Speaker 1: do a whole episode on how gyrocopters were. Absolutely, but uh, 442 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:00,200 Speaker 1: it can then do a you know, a very cool 443 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:03,000 Speaker 1: take off because it's just like any other gyrocopter and 444 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,000 Speaker 1: you can fly it around. And this is where the 445 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:07,560 Speaker 1: blase attitude comes in. They say, like, you know, it's 446 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:11,000 Speaker 1: designed to fly around or below four thousand feet, which 447 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:15,840 Speaker 1: is about which that's under the visual flight rules traffic, 448 00:24:16,119 --> 00:24:18,159 Speaker 1: meaning you don't have to have lots of instruments. You 449 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:21,520 Speaker 1: can you can fly by sight right your cabin doesn't 450 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:23,840 Speaker 1: have to be pressurized at that at that height, and 451 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:27,159 Speaker 1: you're not really going to be interfering with commercial and 452 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:31,240 Speaker 1: they essentially say that, you know, at that height, the 453 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:34,480 Speaker 1: government doesn't really care, so have fun. That's essentially what 454 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:38,480 Speaker 1: the messages. I'm not if that is accurate. I think 455 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:40,960 Speaker 1: that there's a problem. It's kind of terrifying. Really. It 456 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:43,120 Speaker 1: can reach top speeds of a hundred twelve miles prour 457 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:48,640 Speaker 1: or kilometers prower on land or in the air. So, uh, yeah, 458 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:52,240 Speaker 1: terrifying no matter how you put it. But it looks awesome. 459 00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:54,240 Speaker 1: I mean, the pictures and everything the video is is 460 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:57,280 Speaker 1: really it's a ton of fun. So they have made prototypes. 461 00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:00,840 Speaker 1: These exist. Yeah, you could get one of the Uh. 462 00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:04,000 Speaker 1: Then there's the aero Mobile V two point five, which 463 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:07,640 Speaker 1: is another propeller driven aircraft that also acts as a car, 464 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:11,600 Speaker 1: so really plane first, car second as a car. The 465 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:14,399 Speaker 1: wings for this aircraft fold back along the fuselage, so 466 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:18,760 Speaker 1: it's not detachable. They actually fold, and uh they create 467 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:22,119 Speaker 1: this kind of funky elongated car body because the wings 468 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:25,159 Speaker 1: are they're not necessarily short, so the whole car is 469 00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:27,639 Speaker 1: a long car and the very back of the car 470 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:29,560 Speaker 1: is also kind of funky. It has this sort of 471 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:32,040 Speaker 1: uh these tail fins that pop out the back, so 472 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:35,080 Speaker 1: the tail of the aircraft, UH think of like a 473 00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:38,520 Speaker 1: horizontal tail with two vertical tail fins that pop up. 474 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:41,639 Speaker 1: Directly under those tail fins are the rear wheels for 475 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:44,040 Speaker 1: the Aero Mobile two point five. So what you're saying 476 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:45,800 Speaker 1: is that if you drop your middle school or off 477 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:48,040 Speaker 1: in this car, they're gonna make their They're they're gonna 478 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:50,760 Speaker 1: get a lot of wedgies. Possibly they're either going to 479 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:52,960 Speaker 1: be told that they have the coolest parent ever, or 480 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:55,720 Speaker 1: they're going to be ostracized for the rest of their lives. 481 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:58,080 Speaker 1: It's middle school. That's kind of how it goes. So, 482 00:25:58,400 --> 00:26:00,040 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, really, if it weren't that, it 483 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 1: would be something else. Um there. This one has a 484 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:05,960 Speaker 1: double steering wheel, which I thought was really cool. The 485 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:09,320 Speaker 1: outer steering wheel is designed to drive the car and 486 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:11,680 Speaker 1: the inter steering wheel is designed to drive it when 487 00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:13,720 Speaker 1: it's in the air. Steering wheel not a not a 488 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:17,880 Speaker 1: joystick air travel exactly. And it's you know, I guess too. 489 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:23,120 Speaker 1: To conserve space, they built two in one. Um I don't. 490 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:25,159 Speaker 1: I haven't seen pictures of how this looks, so I 491 00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:27,600 Speaker 1: don't know exactly, Like if the second one, the one 492 00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:29,760 Speaker 1: in the middle, if it projects out a little bit, 493 00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:32,080 Speaker 1: I would imagine when I have to Otherwise I can't. 494 00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:34,760 Speaker 1: I can't see how you would be able to manipulate it. 495 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:38,399 Speaker 1: But the description I thought was really interesting. And you 496 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:40,840 Speaker 1: just you push a button to go into aircraft mode 497 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:43,480 Speaker 1: and that makes the wings unfold and they lock into 498 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:46,040 Speaker 1: aircraft position. And you would have to do this at 499 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:48,720 Speaker 1: an airport. This is one of those those cars where 500 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:50,320 Speaker 1: you would have to drive it to an airport, get 501 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:53,280 Speaker 1: on the landing strip, unfold the wings until they're locked 502 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:55,640 Speaker 1: into place, and then you could drive until you reach 503 00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:58,240 Speaker 1: lift off speed and take off. So you couldn't just 504 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 1: do this on the street. That would be bad um. 505 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:04,800 Speaker 1: And it has a top speed of a hundred and 506 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:07,639 Speaker 1: twenty four miles per hour or two hundred kilometers per 507 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:10,280 Speaker 1: hour when it's an airplane mode, and has a range 508 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:13,159 Speaker 1: of about four hundred thirty miles or seven hundred kilometers 509 00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:17,520 Speaker 1: and according to the designer, who is Stefn Kleine. Stefan 510 00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:20,080 Speaker 1: says that you can refuel this at any standard gas station, 511 00:27:20,119 --> 00:27:23,600 Speaker 1: which suggests that it is actually using regular gasoline or 512 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:26,600 Speaker 1: diesel one of the two. It's not using any kind 513 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:30,240 Speaker 1: of airplane fuel. Automotive fuel is becoming for especially for 514 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:32,760 Speaker 1: these small sport craft, a more popular choice from what 515 00:27:32,840 --> 00:27:35,080 Speaker 1: I've been reading right now. This one has not yet 516 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 1: been certified by the government, but we imagine that it 517 00:27:37,800 --> 00:27:40,880 Speaker 1: would probably fall under the same certification as other UH 518 00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:45,119 Speaker 1: flying cars have under the light sport aircraft designation, so 519 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:47,359 Speaker 1: UH this would also be another one where you would 520 00:27:47,359 --> 00:27:49,399 Speaker 1: have to have that pilot license or to operate it. 521 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:52,240 Speaker 1: The wingspan on this thing is twenty seven feet wide 522 00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:54,560 Speaker 1: or eight point two meters, which is why I say 523 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:58,040 Speaker 1: it's an aircraft first in a car second, because you know, 524 00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:00,159 Speaker 1: at twenty seven ft when you fold that back, that 525 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:02,240 Speaker 1: means that car has to be pretty long. It's it 526 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:04,880 Speaker 1: does not look like a car. Like you. You look 527 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:07,040 Speaker 1: at this and you think, I don't know what that is, 528 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:10,159 Speaker 1: but it's not a car. It sounds like not that 529 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:12,920 Speaker 1: many of these that we've been talking about would look 530 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:16,080 Speaker 1: like cars in any kind of shape. I think a 531 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:20,480 Speaker 1: lot of these would go to amateur pilots who have 532 00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:26,240 Speaker 1: a lot of income. Pretty typical of amateur pilots anyway, 533 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:28,720 Speaker 1: because it's expensive to be a pilot. Oh sure, sure, 534 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:31,240 Speaker 1: but you know, and and there there is a problem 535 00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:33,560 Speaker 1: of many of the public airports that you can land in. 536 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:36,080 Speaker 1: Once you land there, there's no public transportation that goes 537 00:28:36,119 --> 00:28:38,200 Speaker 1: out of them. They're they're too small to have even 538 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:40,200 Speaker 1: like a taxi stand or something like that. So so 539 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:42,320 Speaker 1: you need to and it can be a pain if 540 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:44,520 Speaker 1: you if you fly your plane somewhere and you want 541 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:48,960 Speaker 1: to immediately go elsewhere. Therefore, this the thing that you 542 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:51,239 Speaker 1: could drive on the ground as well as in the air, 543 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:57,840 Speaker 1: more expensive than any other thing you could speaking of 544 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:01,400 Speaker 1: more expensive I so you have all right, So here's 545 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:03,440 Speaker 1: the grand daddy of flying cars. This is the one 546 00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:07,680 Speaker 1: that's been the news recently, right, Yeah, the Terrafugia um 547 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:11,120 Speaker 1: trans Transition. Yes, why do I always forget that word? 548 00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:14,000 Speaker 1: It's really it's a transition. It's it's kind of built 549 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:18,040 Speaker 1: for a purpose of transitioning from car to airplane airplane. 550 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:22,480 Speaker 1: Uh yeah. The Terrafugia tagline is we are driven to fly, 551 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:28,800 Speaker 1: which apparently I wrote the tagline is someone there is 552 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:34,920 Speaker 1: very like minded to you. That's terrifying. UMU their their 553 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:37,680 Speaker 1: first model. This transition has been in development for seven years. 554 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: As of flight testing finally occurred in UM, they are 555 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:46,760 Speaker 1: taking pre orders. Uh wow, how much is it? Uh? 556 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:52,720 Speaker 1: Two dollars I got check my account, which you know 557 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:55,840 Speaker 1: is high for a car. Um, it's actually really high 558 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:59,000 Speaker 1: for a plane as well. The first car that's also 559 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 1: a plane a steel. Seeing as how your choices are 560 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:06,080 Speaker 1: so limited, and that's almost entire I think that every 561 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:08,640 Speaker 1: single one that we've talked about has has projected a 562 00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:12,280 Speaker 1: lower price than that's one. Um. But okay, so so 563 00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:14,880 Speaker 1: this is a this is a two seater street legal 564 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:18,040 Speaker 1: airplane that converts between driving mode and flying mode and 565 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:21,240 Speaker 1: supposedly under a minute. And it's a it's another press 566 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:25,000 Speaker 1: of button, it doesn't kind of thing. Um. Yeah, it 567 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:29,200 Speaker 1: would fit into a standard single car garage. UM has 568 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:32,360 Speaker 1: a full vehicle parachute in case anything terrible happens at 569 00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:36,600 Speaker 1: above five feet very important, Yes, and supposedly meets the 570 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:40,000 Speaker 1: federal motor vehicle stand safety standards that have been put 571 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:44,280 Speaker 1: forth by the uh National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration. 572 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:46,640 Speaker 1: So that's that's something else that we have to talk about. 573 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:49,280 Speaker 1: I mean the fact that these vehicles have to meet 574 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:51,719 Speaker 1: two different sets of standards, right, they have to meet 575 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:54,040 Speaker 1: a certain set standards by the f a A and 576 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:57,400 Speaker 1: another one by by the Highway. You know, they have 577 00:30:57,520 --> 00:30:59,680 Speaker 1: to be both safe as cars and safe as aircraft. 578 00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:01,800 Speaker 1: And that is that is a lot of safety stuff 579 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:03,320 Speaker 1: to talk about, which I think is one of the 580 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:06,000 Speaker 1: reasons why none of none of this has come out 581 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:10,160 Speaker 1: of prototype in particularly yet, especially not for consumer purchase. Now, 582 00:31:10,240 --> 00:31:12,720 Speaker 1: when would these things be available? Like, are we talking 583 00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:16,640 Speaker 1: ten years? Uh, they've they they haven't really projected a 584 00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:20,080 Speaker 1: date that I've seen. Yeah, I saw someone saying that 585 00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:22,960 Speaker 1: it might be in this few as two years, which 586 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:27,520 Speaker 1: means by theoretically these things could be available. And again, 587 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:30,400 Speaker 1: because it would be a light sport aircraft, you would 588 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:32,720 Speaker 1: have to have a pilot's license to operate it, so 589 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:34,520 Speaker 1: I assume you would also have to drive this thing 590 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:36,280 Speaker 1: out to an airport, just like some of the other 591 00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:39,000 Speaker 1: ones we've talked about. Absolutely, that's that's exactly the gig 592 00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:41,720 Speaker 1: for this sort of thing. Um, well, that that means 593 00:31:41,800 --> 00:31:43,440 Speaker 1: that it's not going to be something that's going to 594 00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:46,400 Speaker 1: absolutely fill the skies as soon as it rolls off 595 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:48,840 Speaker 1: the production line. And no, this is also a way 596 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:52,000 Speaker 1: more of a of a drivable aircraft than it is 597 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:56,240 Speaker 1: a flying flying car. Right, Um, well, who's going to 598 00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:59,640 Speaker 1: make a flying car? Lauren? I want my flying car? Well, okay, 599 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:02,080 Speaker 1: you know this this thing is actually pretty clever. Um. 600 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:04,560 Speaker 1: The the engine is a is a very popular light 601 00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:07,400 Speaker 1: sport aircraft engine. It's called a rod Tex nine twelve. 602 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:10,800 Speaker 1: I s um, at least I assume that is that 603 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:14,040 Speaker 1: is precisely how you say that, because I don't know 604 00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:16,640 Speaker 1: all that much about plane engines. As it turns out, 605 00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:20,840 Speaker 1: it really is. I mean, this is an engine that's 606 00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:24,400 Speaker 1: really being lauded for its fuel economy and has a 607 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:27,440 Speaker 1: whole lot of onboard computers to run all kinds of 608 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:30,280 Speaker 1: terrific diagnostics for you that that are going to read 609 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:32,320 Speaker 1: out in a way that's useful even if you're not 610 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:35,160 Speaker 1: an engineer. So, so it's a So it's a pretty 611 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:40,200 Speaker 1: cool engine. And uh, they're they're talking about I mean, okay, 612 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:42,960 Speaker 1: when they say that it fits in a standard single 613 00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:46,080 Speaker 1: car garage, we're we're talking about a uh seventy eight 614 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:50,120 Speaker 1: inch or two meter tall vehicle with a eight meter 615 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:55,800 Speaker 1: twenty six ft wingspan and six m or nineteen foot length. Um. 616 00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:58,920 Speaker 1: If you want to compare that to say, like a camera, Um, 617 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:01,480 Speaker 1: you're you're talking to out a little bit taller, about 618 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:05,760 Speaker 1: half meter, not not half a meter one point five ms. 619 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:08,320 Speaker 1: I was thinking half a meter shorter, and then words 620 00:33:08,400 --> 00:33:13,000 Speaker 1: didn't happen. That's significantly shorter, alright. So it's shorter than 621 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:16,240 Speaker 1: the camera is shorter than the camera is shorter, but 622 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:18,760 Speaker 1: it's it's just about as long like a hundred and 623 00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:22,480 Speaker 1: eighty nine inches or five ms is what you're talking 624 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:31,120 Speaker 1: so on a camera wingspan on a camera it's about Wow. Man, 625 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:34,120 Speaker 1: I have been out of the car game for too long. 626 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:37,680 Speaker 1: But yeah, as it turns out, you know, this is 627 00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:41,920 Speaker 1: this is another one of those propeller based aircraft right 628 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:44,920 Speaker 1: right right, it's it's a rear propeller and um, and 629 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:47,920 Speaker 1: you know it's what's interesting to me is that they're 630 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:51,240 Speaker 1: using the single engine to to go back and forth, 631 00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:55,400 Speaker 1: you know, to to switch back and forth between powering 632 00:33:55,800 --> 00:33:58,280 Speaker 1: the car and powering the plane. Yeah. Well, that's really 633 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:00,440 Speaker 1: cool that you've got this one engine and that can 634 00:34:00,480 --> 00:34:03,400 Speaker 1: do two very different jobs in the same vehicle. The 635 00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:06,479 Speaker 1: fact that it's turning a propeller and then can switch 636 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:10,600 Speaker 1: to this other completely different drive train and control the car, 637 00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:12,800 Speaker 1: you know, give the car the propulsion it needs to 638 00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:16,040 Speaker 1: drive around. That's engineering. Feats like that that I think 639 00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:19,279 Speaker 1: are really really interesting. Even if the vehicle itself is 640 00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:22,160 Speaker 1: never a success commercially, the fact that that was an 641 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:25,200 Speaker 1: innovation is really cool. Yeah. So the question I have 642 00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:28,880 Speaker 1: for you, Lauren, is anyone working on like a prototype 643 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:31,680 Speaker 1: that the average driver could use to fly around? Not 644 00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:34,440 Speaker 1: someone who you know has trained as a pilot, but 645 00:34:34,560 --> 00:34:37,040 Speaker 1: someone who would just maybe a couple of hours, could 646 00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:39,960 Speaker 1: figure out how to operate this thing. Okay, Well, strangely 647 00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:42,880 Speaker 1: enough that that same company, Tera Fugia is working on 648 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:46,520 Speaker 1: the t f X, which is a four seat hybrid 649 00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:50,360 Speaker 1: flying car. Okay, and and and part part of my 650 00:34:50,400 --> 00:34:51,920 Speaker 1: problem with this I'm going to say right off is 651 00:34:52,160 --> 00:34:56,279 Speaker 1: that this couldnt qualify as a light sport vehicle. You 652 00:34:56,280 --> 00:34:58,719 Speaker 1: would need an actual pilot license in order to drive 653 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:01,359 Speaker 1: this because it contains eight because you can carry more 654 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:05,399 Speaker 1: than two people. And also, from what I understand, has 655 00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:09,480 Speaker 1: not only propellers, which are used for vertical takeoff and landing. 656 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:12,640 Speaker 1: So in other words, they pivot right where they would 657 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:16,520 Speaker 1: pivot up, and they the propellers themselves fold in on 658 00:35:16,640 --> 00:35:19,279 Speaker 1: the pods that they are mounted on, so then the 659 00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:23,480 Speaker 1: pods would move up to vertical position, the the blades 660 00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:26,479 Speaker 1: would fold out, they would start to rotate, you would 661 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:29,879 Speaker 1: gain altitude. They would then start tilting forward, so you'd 662 00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:33,719 Speaker 1: start going forward, and then it switches over to from 663 00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:39,680 Speaker 1: why I understand, a three horsepower engine that provides thrust. Yeah, 664 00:35:39,719 --> 00:35:41,440 Speaker 1: that that rotex I was talking about is like a 665 00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:44,880 Speaker 1: hundred horsepower engine. Yeah, which is a little bit more reasonable. 666 00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:46,320 Speaker 1: I mean, it's going to take you up to that 667 00:35:46,520 --> 00:35:50,040 Speaker 1: like hundred and twenty so mile per hour kind of 668 00:35:50,160 --> 00:35:52,360 Speaker 1: range that we were talking about earlier. That seems reasonable 669 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:56,239 Speaker 1: for your average driver to handle, right, A three horsepower 670 00:35:56,320 --> 00:35:58,920 Speaker 1: engine for cruising, it says, I guess what it means 671 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:01,240 Speaker 1: is that once you get up to a particular speed, 672 00:36:01,480 --> 00:36:04,879 Speaker 1: this engine would would switch over and you would move 673 00:36:05,280 --> 00:36:09,160 Speaker 1: much faster. Now, the proposal, from what I understand, also 674 00:36:09,239 --> 00:36:12,920 Speaker 1: involves lots of automation, to the point where practically everything 675 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:18,000 Speaker 1: would be handled in the air by auto essentially autopilot, right, 676 00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:19,279 Speaker 1: you know, to the to the point that if the 677 00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:22,239 Speaker 1: computer decides that a route that you have chosen is 678 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:27,279 Speaker 1: dangerous or that you are flying into undesirable territory, that 679 00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:30,960 Speaker 1: it would declare an emergency to authorities on your behalf right, 680 00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:33,000 Speaker 1: and it would force you to go and land at 681 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:35,839 Speaker 1: an airport. Yes, uh so, yeah, this thing, but this thing, 682 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:38,120 Speaker 1: because it has the V T O L approach, means 683 00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:40,920 Speaker 1: that theoretically you could take off from any location, not 684 00:36:41,120 --> 00:36:43,160 Speaker 1: just in airport. So right, as long as you've got 685 00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:45,640 Speaker 1: that level clearing of about a hundred feet, which is 686 00:36:45,680 --> 00:36:49,839 Speaker 1: some thirty right, So it's that they are supposedly working 687 00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:54,040 Speaker 1: on this. They pretty much have this just in constant draw. Yeah, 688 00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:56,560 Speaker 1: they've they've got some shiny computer animations of it. They 689 00:36:56,600 --> 00:36:58,520 Speaker 1: said that there would be something like eight or twelve, 690 00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:00,799 Speaker 1: eight to twelve years of testing before this would ever 691 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:03,680 Speaker 1: become an actual thing. So we are a good ways 692 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:06,800 Speaker 1: out from seeing this if it ever in fact becomes 693 00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:09,239 Speaker 1: real reality. I think a lot of that's going to 694 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:12,480 Speaker 1: depend upon the success or failure of the transition um. 695 00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:14,320 Speaker 1: If that ends up being a success, that makes it 696 00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:17,040 Speaker 1: more likely that they'll be able to do more development 697 00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:19,960 Speaker 1: on the t FX. I honestly don't know what to 698 00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:22,320 Speaker 1: think about this. I I you know, granted, when I 699 00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:24,040 Speaker 1: was a kid, I wouldn't have been able to imagine 700 00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:27,000 Speaker 1: a car that could take you door to door without 701 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:29,160 Speaker 1: you ever touching the wheel. And yet now we're starting 702 00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:33,240 Speaker 1: to see cars in the prototype stage at various companies 703 00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:36,920 Speaker 1: like Google and other and like actual car manufacturing companies too, 704 00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:40,920 Speaker 1: so we're starting to see that, So maybe it's possible. 705 00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:43,920 Speaker 1: It's just I think that flying is way more complicated 706 00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:46,920 Speaker 1: than driving. Yeah, that's that's the thing. I mean, I 707 00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:50,360 Speaker 1: I really don't think that, you know, all of that 708 00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:54,880 Speaker 1: autonomous car stuff is is complicated enough as it stands. 709 00:37:55,080 --> 00:37:57,120 Speaker 1: We just did a whole episode of urun Forward thinking 710 00:37:57,160 --> 00:37:59,400 Speaker 1: about it, and so so check that out if you 711 00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:01,359 Speaker 1: if you want to get a full breakdown of how 712 00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:04,920 Speaker 1: difficult this problem really is. Although certainly, yeah, lots of 713 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:07,960 Speaker 1: companies are working on it, but I don't you know, 714 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:11,840 Speaker 1: between that and the fact that so many regulations and 715 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:14,680 Speaker 1: and laws would have to be in place in order 716 00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:16,920 Speaker 1: for this to be a reality, and would take is 717 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:21,200 Speaker 1: maybe one really bad publicity, like like accident, even if 718 00:38:21,239 --> 00:38:23,600 Speaker 1: no one was hurt, that's all it would take for 719 00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:29,920 Speaker 1: it to essentially ground everybody. So uh, And and I 720 00:38:29,960 --> 00:38:31,600 Speaker 1: don't want to be doom and gloom about it because 721 00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:35,440 Speaker 1: I think that especially these these drivable planes are a 722 00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:38,080 Speaker 1: really interesting concept and I really hope that a couple 723 00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:40,920 Speaker 1: of these companies make some consumer level ones the next 724 00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:43,360 Speaker 1: couple of years. Even if you know, two D seventy 725 00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:46,480 Speaker 1: nine dollars, it's not something that this personal consumer is 726 00:38:46,560 --> 00:38:50,400 Speaker 1: ready to drop on anything. Um. But but yeah, you know, 727 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:54,560 Speaker 1: it's it's that that single engine clever idea is is 728 00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:57,920 Speaker 1: pretty awesome, and and having something that lightweight that you 729 00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:00,759 Speaker 1: that you're still comfortable driving is is pretty rad I 730 00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:03,799 Speaker 1: you know, I am skeptical but hopeful. Let me put 731 00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:06,360 Speaker 1: it that way, like, if it never happens, I won't 732 00:39:06,400 --> 00:39:09,960 Speaker 1: be surprised. If it does happen, I fully expect that, 733 00:39:10,320 --> 00:39:12,680 Speaker 1: you know, for it to get cleared, it's going to 734 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:15,160 Speaker 1: have to be the best of the best technology out there. 735 00:39:15,280 --> 00:39:19,040 Speaker 1: So hopefully we will see this within our lifetimes in 736 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:23,239 Speaker 1: that ten to forty years. Absolutely, But you know, if 737 00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:25,759 Speaker 1: we don't, then I'm sure we'll figure out how to 738 00:39:25,840 --> 00:39:29,719 Speaker 1: get around traffic some other way. Anyway, that was kind 739 00:39:29,719 --> 00:39:32,000 Speaker 1: of our take on flying cars, the history of flying 740 00:39:32,040 --> 00:39:34,279 Speaker 1: cars where they stand now. Whether or not we're going 741 00:39:34,320 --> 00:39:36,800 Speaker 1: to actually see song, it's really just gonna be a 742 00:39:36,840 --> 00:39:40,160 Speaker 1: couple of years. If the transition uh holds true to 743 00:39:40,239 --> 00:39:42,400 Speaker 1: the schedule that I've read about. Yeah, yeah, and and 744 00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:44,239 Speaker 1: I think that in the next couple of years we'll 745 00:39:44,320 --> 00:39:48,160 Speaker 1: also see whether or not autonomous you know, road driving 746 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:49,799 Speaker 1: cars are going to work out or now yeah, yeah, 747 00:39:49,960 --> 00:39:52,279 Speaker 1: that's it's gonna be exciting either way, so we'll we'll 748 00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:55,520 Speaker 1: find out. Meanwhile, if you guys have any suggestions for 749 00:39:55,640 --> 00:39:58,360 Speaker 1: future topics that we can cover here on tech Stuff, 750 00:39:58,680 --> 00:40:01,040 Speaker 1: here's what I would like you to you. I would 751 00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:03,600 Speaker 1: like you to open up your email client and then 752 00:40:04,120 --> 00:40:07,920 Speaker 1: in the two field type tech stuff at Discovery dot com. 753 00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:11,239 Speaker 1: Then type in your message in the actual message part 754 00:40:11,719 --> 00:40:14,719 Speaker 1: and then sign it and then send it because then 755 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:17,160 Speaker 1: we will get it and we can incorporate that into 756 00:40:17,239 --> 00:40:20,440 Speaker 1: our plans. Thank you for that highly technical description, Jonathan. Well, 757 00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:23,719 Speaker 1: there are people who never like how do I contact you? 758 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:27,400 Speaker 1: This is how you can also let us know on Facebook, Twitter, 759 00:40:27,560 --> 00:40:31,000 Speaker 1: or Tumbler. We are out at all three are handle it. 760 00:40:31,040 --> 00:40:34,520 Speaker 1: All three is text stuff hs W, So get in 761 00:40:34,600 --> 00:40:36,480 Speaker 1: touch with us either way. Let's know what you think, 762 00:40:36,719 --> 00:40:38,920 Speaker 1: give us some suggestions for future episodes. We want to 763 00:40:38,960 --> 00:40:40,760 Speaker 1: hear from you, and we will talk to you again 764 00:40:41,120 --> 00:41:01,440 Speaker 1: really soon for more on us and thousands of other topics. 765 00:41:01,600 --> 00:41:03,080 Speaker 1: Does it how stuff works dot Com