**The Allure of Flying Cars: A Dream That Refuses to Die**

Got a car that's notorious for exploding at the slightest provocation? Think we should throw some wings on this thing. I've got a guy with a small in scams lake, wouldn't let a little thing like safety derail their dream. The idea behind the Mazar was simple: its wings were attached manually before takeoff and when it landed, the wings were detached, and you'd be on your way.

Meet the car's engine failed on his first attempted flight, but Smolinski and Blake were able to land the car safely as a result of their partial success. They and the Mazar became an overnight sensation; people were really excited about the idea of a real flying car. Who cares if you're driving a Pinto with weird flight gauges, and you can only take off in an airport? It flew on the second run, however Blake and Smolinski weren't so lucky.

A few minutes after takeoff, the right wing folded under stress and collapsed mid-flight. After a short dive, the Mazar burst into flames as it hit the ground, and both men were killed instantly. Practically speaking, owning a car that functions on both land and in the air is not only an expensive proposition but most flying car designs don't operate well in either capacity.

On top of that, the FAA isn't exactly beating down doors to make the idea a reality as it has enough on its hands keeping the airspace safe with planes, helicopters, drones, hot air and weather balloons, remote-controlled aircraft riders, and anything else that's up there, anything extraterrestrial. But in spite of the failures of the past, the dream of flying cars refuses to die.

Prototypes continue, but just who will be known for today's Model T of the air remains to be seen. Will it be the Craters of the Terrafugia Transition with its folding wings and speeds up to 70 miles an hour on the highway and 115 miles an hour in the air? Or will it be the Dutch-designed PL v1, which features just one engine that controls both the tires and the propeller?

Maybe it'll be Paul Moller, a former University of California professor of aeronautical and mechanical engineering who has placed his hopes in a prototype vertical takeoff and landing car for more than 50 years since 1965. He has built a series of what he calls "for land tours" that use ducted fans to get his vehicles off the ground.

Muller claims that his current model, the M400, will transport four and incorporate automated flight controls with the driver on the inputting direction and speed while earlier versions of a car known as the Sky Car were able to hover while tethered in 2003. Moeller has spent a hundred million dollars to make his dream a reality; is that true? Unfortunately, he's now nearly bankrupt but still holds fast to the idea that he will be the pioneer that will bridge the gap between the road and sky.

Ride-sharing giant Uber may have its flying vehicles in the sky as soon as 2020 with cars for hire by the public starting in 2023 with Dallas-Fort Worth, LA, in Sydney Australia chosen as trial cities for its flying fleet of taxis. But these prototypes aren't really cars but small aircraft not designed for the road at all.

Google co-founder Larry Page also has a hand in the game with his Kitty Hawk Flyer, a fully electric vehicle operated by joystick. It's powered by ten huge fans made primarily for overwater use and can fly for up to 20 minutes or 20 miles whichever comes first.

Whoever leads the charge, the question remains: if we're even ready for a flying car or if we even want one? The reality is people already kind of suck at driving; do we want those same people behind the flight sticks of an aircraft? I'm not so sure. But that's not for me to decide.

All these stories demonstrate that man has an insatiable hunger for flight, and if you can use your plane to grab groceries on the side, that hunger might change the way we all get around. We couldn't do the show without you guys, and all the support we get from you means the world to me. If you want to see more weird stuff in the car world, please subscribe, and maybe check out last week's episode right here.

If you want to see more of James, check out this episode of Up To Speed on the GTO; it's one of my favorites. Be nice, see you next time!

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthere's no bigger symbol of futurism than the flying car from the Jetsons to Blade Runner to Back to the Future you know it's the future because people are flying not driving but the concept of the flying automobile is nothing new in fact it's been around as long as the Model T so how many have tried to build their own flying car and is it even a good idea today on wheelhouse we're talking about flying cars flight has always been one of man's greatest dreams and with the introduction of the automobile the concepts of driving and flying started mixing around like a bucket of jungle tools you know the one you're having a house party in the clear tub that used to hold your roommates Christmas decorations is pulling double-duty filled with who knows what and cactus cooler few drinks later you're passed out on your bathroom floor with your shirt off and your buddy Jarrod is handing you a glass of water but you don't know if we can hold it down it was like that anyway the current auto plan was the first plain car Chimaira out of the gate in 1917 aviation pioneer Glenn Curtis dismantled one of his own planes and transferred the pieces onto a Model T the Curtiss triplane came with a 100 horsepower engine and much like any car its two front tires were controlled with a steering wheel the Curtis was to take flight with the help of a propeller but the auto plane was reportedly only capable of short hops and never really flew the project was abandoned by the end of World War one auto Titan Henry Ford also caught the flying car bug he famously said mark my words a combination airplane and motorcar is coming you may smile but it will come after great success with the Model T he started thinking he could put a plane in every garage in the mid-1920s Ford introduced the world to the flavor also known as the Model T of the air a single-seat aircraft that was marketed to the average Joe it was light easy to operate and compact for quick storage Ford's friend and company test pilot Harry J Brooks was the first at the controls for about a year and a half Brooks commuted to and from work in the plane and numerous prototypes of its design were perfected it looked like Ford hit another home run with the flavor but it wasn't meant to be Ford and Brooks were so confident in flavors ability that they designed another prototype with the goal of setting the long distance flight record for plane under 880 pounds on Brooks's second attempt to fly from Dearborn Michigan to Miami he had to make an emergency landing 200 miles short in Titusville Brooks had secured the record but bent his propeller on landing and had to repair the plane overnight the next day Brooks took off back for Dearborn but was never heard from again it's suspected that his engine gave out over the Atlantic as the plane washed up on a Florida beach with no Brooks in sight board was distraught at the losses friend and development of the flavor was halted but he continued to develop the flying car concept in 1931 he introduced the stout sky car with the help of prolific designer of both cars and aircraft William beef stout the sky car wasn't road worthy and still more of a plane than a car much like its predecessor but it was also an easy to operate light aircraft that took design hints from for its cars it's controlled significand the starter button were similar to early road models stout had hoped to sell the sky car for the price of a moderately sized car and there were a few prototypes made but it never made it to commercial production in 1956 the Ford Motor Company tried once again to make the flying car a reality and created a 3/8 scale model of the Ford Volante try iodine the Volante would abuse three fan motors to lift it from the ground into the air but it never made it past the concept stage and Ford was out of the flying car game for good other automakers have also tried their hand at creating a flying car with varying degrees of success and by that we mean some never made it past the concept stage and others just crashed the convair car model 118 was literally a car with wings strapped on the roof designed in 1947 by aerospace engineer Theodore P Hall for the consolidated Bull T Aircraft Company the convair looked like the perfect blend of car and aircraft and managed to fly for about an hour before it ran low on fuel and made an emergency crash landing the pilot was ok but the car was destroyed as Rahal's dream of seeing his creation come to mass market 1949 saw the introduction of the mult Taylor Aero car which was designed with folding wings that allowed it to be converted into flight mode in just a few minutes under the rear license plate was a hidden for a propeller attachment on the road the Aero car worked like a normal car but it had sways and tail in tow behind it making it the most practical car you could fly thus far the Aero car showed promise and was said to reach speeds of up to 60 miles an hour on the ground not bad and 110 miles an hour in the air even better but after just six were made molt Taylor called it quits you want to take a nap fast forward to the early 1970s Rocketdyne engineer Henry Smolinski and his partner how Blake did the unthinkable they created the a VE Mazar one part Cessna Skymaster and one part Ford Pinto hmm okay so we got this car that is notorious from exploding at the slightest provocation I think we should throw some wings on this thing oh I've got a fly small in scams lake wouldn't let a little thing like safety derail their dream the idea behind the Mazar was simple its wings were attached manually before takeoff and when it landed the wings were detached and you'd be on your way meet the car's engine failed on his first attempted flight but Smolinski and Blake were able to land the car safely as a result of their partial success they and the Mazar became an overnight sensation people were really excited about the idea of a real flying car who cares if you were driving a Pinto with weird flight gauges and you can only take off in an airport it flew on the second run however Blake and Smolinski weren't so lucky a few minutes after takeoff the right wing folded under stress and collapsed mid-flight after a short dive the Mazar burst into flames as it hit the ground and both men were killed instantly practically speaking owning a car that functions on both land in the air is not only an expensive proposition but most flying car designs don't operate well in either capacity on top of that the FAA isn't exactly beating down doors to make the idea a reality as it has enough on its hands keeping the airspace safe with planes helicopters drones hot air and weather balloons remote-controlled aircraft riders and anything else that's up there anything extraterrestrial but in spite of the failures of the past the dream of flying cars refuses to die prototypes continue but just who will be known for today's Model T of the air remains to be seen will it be the craters of the Terrafugia transition with its folding wings and speeds up to 70 miles an hour on the highway and 115 miles an hour in the air or will it be the Dutch designed PL v1 which features just one engine that controls both the tires and the propeller or maybe it'll be Paul Moller a former University of California professor of aeronautical and mechanical engineering who has placed his hopes in a prototype vertical takeoff and landing car for more than 50 years since 1965 he has built a series of what he calls for land tours that use ducted fans to get his vehicles off the ground Muller claims that his current model the M 400 will transport for and incorporate automated flight controls with the driver on the inputing direction and speed while earlier version of a car known as the sky car was able to hover while tethered in 2003 Moeller has spent a hundred million dollars to make his dream a reality is that is that true unfortunately he's now nearly bankrupt but still holds fast to the idea that he will be the pioneer that will bridge the gap between the road and sky ride-sharing giant uber may have its flying vehicles in the sky as soon as 2020 with cars for hire by the public starting in 2023 with dallas-fort worth la in Sydney Australia chosen as trial cities for its flying fleet of taxis but these prototypes aren't really cars but small aircraft not designed for the road at all Google co-founder Larry Page also has a hand in the game with his Kitty Hawk flyer a fully electric vehicle operated by joystick it's powered by ten huge fans made primarily for overwater use and it can fly for up to 20 minutes or 20 miles whichever comes first whoever leads the charge the question remains if we're even ready for a flying car or if we even want one the reality is people already kind of suck at driving do we want those same people behind the flight sticks of an aircraft I'm not so sure but that's not for me to decide all these stories demonstrate that man has insatiable hunger for flight and if you can use your plane to grab groceries on the side that hunger might change the way we all get around we couldn't do the show without you guys and all the support we get from you means the world to me if you want to see more weird stuff in the car world please subscribe and maybe check out last week's episode right here if you want to see more of James check out this episode of up to speed on the GTO it's one of my favorites be nice see you next timethere's no bigger symbol of futurism than the flying car from the Jetsons to Blade Runner to Back to the Future you know it's the future because people are flying not driving but the concept of the flying automobile is nothing new in fact it's been around as long as the Model T so how many have tried to build their own flying car and is it even a good idea today on wheelhouse we're talking about flying cars flight has always been one of man's greatest dreams and with the introduction of the automobile the concepts of driving and flying started mixing around like a bucket of jungle tools you know the one you're having a house party in the clear tub that used to hold your roommates Christmas decorations is pulling double-duty filled with who knows what and cactus cooler few drinks later you're passed out on your bathroom floor with your shirt off and your buddy Jarrod is handing you a glass of water but you don't know if we can hold it down it was like that anyway the current auto plan was the first plain car Chimaira out of the gate in 1917 aviation pioneer Glenn Curtis dismantled one of his own planes and transferred the pieces onto a Model T the Curtiss triplane came with a 100 horsepower engine and much like any car its two front tires were controlled with a steering wheel the Curtis was to take flight with the help of a propeller but the auto plane was reportedly only capable of short hops and never really flew the project was abandoned by the end of World War one auto Titan Henry Ford also caught the flying car bug he famously said mark my words a combination airplane and motorcar is coming you may smile but it will come after great success with the Model T he started thinking he could put a plane in every garage in the mid-1920s Ford introduced the world to the flavor also known as the Model T of the air a single-seat aircraft that was marketed to the average Joe it was light easy to operate and compact for quick storage Ford's friend and company test pilot Harry J Brooks was the first at the controls for about a year and a half Brooks commuted to and from work in the plane and numerous prototypes of its design were perfected it looked like Ford hit another home run with the flavor but it wasn't meant to be Ford and Brooks were so confident in flavors ability that they designed another prototype with the goal of setting the long distance flight record for plane under 880 pounds on Brooks's second attempt to fly from Dearborn Michigan to Miami he had to make an emergency landing 200 miles short in Titusville Brooks had secured the record but bent his propeller on landing and had to repair the plane overnight the next day Brooks took off back for Dearborn but was never heard from again it's suspected that his engine gave out over the Atlantic as the plane washed up on a Florida beach with no Brooks in sight board was distraught at the losses friend and development of the flavor was halted but he continued to develop the flying car concept in 1931 he introduced the stout sky car with the help of prolific designer of both cars and aircraft William beef stout the sky car wasn't road worthy and still more of a plane than a car much like its predecessor but it was also an easy to operate light aircraft that took design hints from for its cars it's controlled significand the starter button were similar to early road models stout had hoped to sell the sky car for the price of a moderately sized car and there were a few prototypes made but it never made it to commercial production in 1956 the Ford Motor Company tried once again to make the flying car a reality and created a 3/8 scale model of the Ford Volante try iodine the Volante would abuse three fan motors to lift it from the ground into the air but it never made it past the concept stage and Ford was out of the flying car game for good other automakers have also tried their hand at creating a flying car with varying degrees of success and by that we mean some never made it past the concept stage and others just crashed the convair car model 118 was literally a car with wings strapped on the roof designed in 1947 by aerospace engineer Theodore P Hall for the consolidated Bull T Aircraft Company the convair looked like the perfect blend of car and aircraft and managed to fly for about an hour before it ran low on fuel and made an emergency crash landing the pilot was ok but the car was destroyed as Rahal's dream of seeing his creation come to mass market 1949 saw the introduction of the mult Taylor Aero car which was designed with folding wings that allowed it to be converted into flight mode in just a few minutes under the rear license plate was a hidden for a propeller attachment on the road the Aero car worked like a normal car but it had sways and tail in tow behind it making it the most practical car you could fly thus far the Aero car showed promise and was said to reach speeds of up to 60 miles an hour on the ground not bad and 110 miles an hour in the air even better but after just six were made molt Taylor called it quits you want to take a nap fast forward to the early 1970s Rocketdyne engineer Henry Smolinski and his partner how Blake did the unthinkable they created the a VE Mazar one part Cessna Skymaster and one part Ford Pinto hmm okay so we got this car that is notorious from exploding at the slightest provocation I think we should throw some wings on this thing oh I've got a fly small in scams lake wouldn't let a little thing like safety derail their dream the idea behind the Mazar was simple its wings were attached manually before takeoff and when it landed the wings were detached and you'd be on your way meet the car's engine failed on his first attempted flight but Smolinski and Blake were able to land the car safely as a result of their partial success they and the Mazar became an overnight sensation people were really excited about the idea of a real flying car who cares if you were driving a Pinto with weird flight gauges and you can only take off in an airport it flew on the second run however Blake and Smolinski weren't so lucky a few minutes after takeoff the right wing folded under stress and collapsed mid-flight after a short dive the Mazar burst into flames as it hit the ground and both men were killed instantly practically speaking owning a car that functions on both land in the air is not only an expensive proposition but most flying car designs don't operate well in either capacity on top of that the FAA isn't exactly beating down doors to make the idea a reality as it has enough on its hands keeping the airspace safe with planes helicopters drones hot air and weather balloons remote-controlled aircraft riders and anything else that's up there anything extraterrestrial but in spite of the failures of the past the dream of flying cars refuses to die prototypes continue but just who will be known for today's Model T of the air remains to be seen will it be the craters of the Terrafugia transition with its folding wings and speeds up to 70 miles an hour on the highway and 115 miles an hour in the air or will it be the Dutch designed PL v1 which features just one engine that controls both the tires and the propeller or maybe it'll be Paul Moller a former University of California professor of aeronautical and mechanical engineering who has placed his hopes in a prototype vertical takeoff and landing car for more than 50 years since 1965 he has built a series of what he calls for land tours that use ducted fans to get his vehicles off the ground Muller claims that his current model the M 400 will transport for and incorporate automated flight controls with the driver on the inputing direction and speed while earlier version of a car known as the sky car was able to hover while tethered in 2003 Moeller has spent a hundred million dollars to make his dream a reality is that is that true unfortunately he's now nearly bankrupt but still holds fast to the idea that he will be the pioneer that will bridge the gap between the road and sky ride-sharing giant uber may have its flying vehicles in the sky as soon as 2020 with cars for hire by the public starting in 2023 with dallas-fort worth la in Sydney Australia chosen as trial cities for its flying fleet of taxis but these prototypes aren't really cars but small aircraft not designed for the road at all Google co-founder Larry Page also has a hand in the game with his Kitty Hawk flyer a fully electric vehicle operated by joystick it's powered by ten huge fans made primarily for overwater use and it can fly for up to 20 minutes or 20 miles whichever comes first whoever leads the charge the question remains if we're even ready for a flying car or if we even want one the reality is people already kind of suck at driving do we want those same people behind the flight sticks of an aircraft I'm not so sure but that's not for me to decide all these stories demonstrate that man has insatiable hunger for flight and if you can use your plane to grab groceries on the side that hunger might change the way we all get around we couldn't do the show without you guys and all the support we get from you means the world to me if you want to see more weird stuff in the car world please subscribe and maybe check out last week's episode right here if you want to see more of James check out this episode of up to speed on the GTO it's one of my favorites be nice see you next time