Quote Originally Posted by Cary View Post
All of the flying car idioms have been less than successful, even when they've built an actual flying version. The Terrafugia is probably as "successful" as any--at least, it's not necessary to trailer part of it, a la Moulten Taylor's Aerocar, when on the ground. But it's still a bastard design, being neither a very good car nor a very good airplane. And that's the story of all of them, that they all have fallen way short of being good at either. Even for those who have the excess money to buy that sort of toy, paying more than a quarter mil for something that drives like a grocery cart and flies like a semi-aerodynamic brick is hard to justify.

Cary
IMHO the problem is the desire to make a flying "car". The car is highly developed and adapted to today's environment. A flying car can never complete on performance with the car or with the airplane. What is needed is a roadable aircraft and/or a flying roadable. It needs to improve in areas that today's cars do not operate and today's aircraft generally ignore, and it needs to do that for less than a million dollars per copy.

Combine a single seat aircraft practical for a trip of thirty miles or less and a bicycle capable of a 30 mile trip in less than an hour and you will have a nitche market unless it costs $100,000 per copy.