Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn't be able to
fly,
but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it goes on flying anyway.
but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it goes on flying anyway.
~ Mary Kay Ash
Mid-flight to England this summer, trying to take my
mind of the nausea provoking turbulence, I noticed in the in-flight magazine an
interesting addition to the gadget section. Nestled on the page in between this
years ‘must haves’, of a pair of Skull-crusher headphones, a weird USB stick
and an ugly suitcase cover was a cherry red PAL-V (Personal Air & Land
Vehicle).
For one horrible moment, I thought that the makers
of the Reliant Robin (a 3-wheeled car from the 70’s, infamous for
toppling over whilst cornering) was trying to make a 21st century come back.
Upon further inspection, it became apparent that this is far more superior.
Intended to be the world’s first practical ‘flying car’, the PAL-V is a single
seated, three-wheeled vehicle that can fly as a gyro-copter, drive as a regular
car and handles with the diversity of a motorbike. Now how cool is that, in
these days of increasing gridlock and road rage! Its fold-able rotor means that
it can be driven from your doorstep and then flown to your destination of
choice. This could revolutionize personal air travel, as just getting to the
airport and one’s flight is a nightmare these days.
The PAL-V is due to appear in 2012. Conceived by
John Bakker working with Spark design (amongst others), it has taken 6 years to
develop a vehicle concept that can fly as well as drive. The PAL-V has a
possible speed of up to 125 mph on land and 120 mph in the air, as well as
being able to soar to heights of 4,000 feet.
With transport going vertical, our highways may soon
look like something out of the film ‘The Fifth Element’, with Bruce Willis. But
it’s not all plain sailing or should I say flying? In order to be able to
drive/fly one of these you will need a plethora of licences. For starters, an
aircraft certification: “Small Rotorcraft”, road certification: Three wheeled
Motorcycles, Class L5e, car drivers license, 20-40 hours of flying experience
and approximately $ 7000 to pay for it all! That’s all before you have bought
the aircraft, which will only set you back a paltry $75,000.
The PAL-V on the other hand is ‘cheap’, compared to
the middle of the range priced, Terrafugia at $194,000. This one looks rather
like a plane and has been dubbed ‘not a true skycar’, by its critics. Then
there is the top of the range (not on sale just yet) Moller Skycar M400 at
$526,634.35. This can comfortably seat four people and travels up to speeds of
380 mph.
Warner Bros./Getty Images
Of course in
order to fly with the happy abandon of a Jetsons cartoon, (Hanna Barbara), a
foolproof GPS navigation system will also have to be implemented for transport
that is going to be land-air, at a moments notice, otherwise it could be
disastrous. But all said and done, I must admit I like the idea of this mode of
transport and should I decide to invest in one, it’ll land nicely on the roof
of my vertical garden!
Sources: Pal-V
Moller Terrafugia
First published in
the Connections magazine #25 Autumn
2009
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
