Tokyo flying car makes test flight with hopes of launch by 2023

Imagine people getting sky rage when flying cars.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: Willtell

Looks like a warmed-over helicopter to me and very slow.

... A twenty minute flight then how long to recharge?

December 1903. Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first successful flight in history, staying aloft for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet on its inaugural flight.
Always with the negative waves.

a reply to: Phage

It’s a scaled up drone. I can see these becoming a thing just like their smaller cousins, I’d want a airfoil on it to glide to a landing with should something go wrong.

originally posted by: Willtell


I do believe flying cars are inevitable and one day they’ll be all over the place.

I just wonder how they would police the skyways. And imagine getting insurance on this thing.

And in Chicago imagine the many flyby hits taking place.

Most likely they would be self controlled and aware of other flying cars. There would be no way for ATC to controll thousands of them. I also can't imagine the PTB to allow us and terrorists anywhere we want.

a reply to: Willtell

I don't think we can safely have flying cars for the general public till battery can go years between charges and auto driving a.i. is flawless.

But we might get to enjoy flying public transportation in the form of large bus type vehicles.
Soon, maybe even in my life time.

Quadcopters are inferior compared to helicopters in terms of safety. I don't think they will ever catch on.

When a helicopter has engine problems they are capable of performing an autorotation landing. When the helicopter is falling, air will spin the main rotor blades up to speed. Then right before the helicopter reaches the ground the helicopter pilot can change the pitch of the rotor blades to soften the landing. That is made possible because the rotors are collective pitch.

On a quadcopter the rotor blades are too small and they are all fixed pitch. If there is a complete power outage the entire thing would fall to the ground and the air may turn the blades but not at a fast enough speed. When it reaches near the ground there is no ability to change the pitch of the blades to soften the landing. You'd be killed.

Also, both helicopters and quadcopters have a form of torque cancellation (antitorque system). For example a helicopter with a single main rotor on top creates torque that makes the fuselage spin, and that is counteracted with a rear tail rotor, or even air jet (NOTAR), or even another set of counteracting main rotor blades (coaxial rotors). If one of these antitorque systems fail the helicopter would mostly spin out of control. At least with a helicopter you can power down the main rotor / engine to reduce torque and somewhat manage the situation and float down to safety.

However, with quadcopters its a bit different. For example if the front left rotor spins clockwise, the front right rotor will have to spin counterclockwise, the rear left will have to spin counterclockwise, and the rear right will have to spin clockwise. This configuration will cancel torque and prevent it from losing control. If any one of these rotors fails, it wont just spin out of control like a helicopter, it will flip out of control and your chance of recovering or landing is greatly reduced if not impossible.

I don't see why we are perusing quadcopters.