A Skycar in Your Future?

Davis, Calif., February 21, 2006 – In the cartoons, George Jetson travels to work in a flying saucer with a transparent top, making commuting a snap. Real-life is suddenly starting to look a little like that 1960s and ’80s sitcom, down to the transparent top. The M400 Skycar, a real four-passenger flying car, is close to becoming reality. Invented by Paul Moller, of Davis, Calif., the Skycar is a personal vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle with four sets of rotary engines that will allow it to rise in the sky. Sort of like the Harrier jump jet. For the moment, however, the only working prototype is tethered, or tied, to a crane, just in case it falls. Untethered flights will begin once Moller has at least one additional M400 nearing completion. The Skycar will not only fly, but also travel for short distances on the ground, just like an automobile. Although it’s part car, you’re going to need a “powered lift” pilot’s license to operate the vehicle, at least in the beginning. Moller plans to eventually make the M400 completely automated, making you a passenger, and not a pilot or driver. The gasoline-fueled Skycar will average 20 miles per gallon and is designed to cruise at 300 mph at an altitude of 20,000 feet. "It's an experience like none other,” Moller told CBSnews.com. "What's most exciting is (that) … you have this perfectly smooth experience of lifting up. A real magic carpet experience." Limited numbers of the M400 should be available within three years for marketing demonstrators, special sales and military applications. A FAA-certified model is more than four years away. But that hasn’t stopped people from placing orders. So far, more than 100 people have paid a minimum $100,000 deposit to be one of the first to own a FAA-certified Skycar. The list price starts at $995,000, but should go down to $500,000 if you can wait for the 200th M400 to be built. Moller officials eventually hope to get the price down to $60,000-$80,000 as volume of production increases substantially.

The Moller M400 Skycar. Imagine this parked in your garage some day! The Moller M400 Skycar in flight. Notice the tether line attached to the crane. For the initial test flights, the Skycar is connected to a crane in case something goes wrong. Once another Skycar is built, untethered test flights will begin. According to the company, the Skycar will get 20 miles per gallon and fly up to 300 mph and at altitudes up to 20,000 feet. For More Information The Moller Skycar web site

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