| From: | alex.yang@***********.com alex.yang@***********.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Real LAVs |
| Date: | Fri, 28 May 1999 12:22:28 -0500 |
eventually. From the Reuters article:
http://cnn.com/TECH/ptech/9905/27/flying.car.reut/
<http://cnn.com/TECH/ptech/9905/27/flying.car.reut/>;
"A U.S. aviation company is planning to test a revolutionary new "flying
car" that will hover above the ground and could change the way people travel
in the future.
Moller International, of California, plans to take the so-called Skycar on
its maiden journey in the next few weeks and could reveal it to the press by
the end of the year, New Scientist magazine said Wednesday.
The Batmobile-shaped vehicle will seat four people, do about 5 miles per
liter of gas, have a top speed of over 600 mph and will take off and land
vertically.
"On its first flight, the Skycar will rise to a height of six feet or so,
hover for one minute and then land, just like a Harrier jump jet," the
magazine said.
"Later flights will be more ambitious. Once the aircraft receives a license
from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) anyone with a pilot's license
will be able to fly one in the United States," it said.
The vehicle, which will be hand-built and cost about $1 million, is the
brainchild of Paul Moller, who founded the company. He has been working on
the project for 30 years.
The car uses two rotary engines and fans placed inside streamlined housings
known as nacelles. The fans inside the nacelles create an airflow that
generates thrust. Each four-passenger Skycar will have four nacelles to
provide the power.
"At the rear of each nacelle is a set of vanes that can be angled downwards
to generate lift as well as forward thrust," the magazine said.
Once the design is perfected and mass produced, Moller estimates it could
cost about $60,000.
"The first Skycars will be fly-by-wire vehicles. In other words, while the
pilot tells the craft what to do, a computer will actually do the flying,
taking the vehicle's rate of turn, and altitude into account when it
responds to instructions," the magazine said."
This is way cool. Of course, it means that Rigger 2 will be even more
out-of-date with regard to costs and fuel economies. Fly-by-wire for
$60,000!
Alex
