Flying Vehicle

1
I remember one of the first cartoons I ever
watched with my dad, and this was because there
was flying vehicles.
2
This show was called the Jetsons.
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The Jetsons would come on about an hour after my
dad got off work, and so when he arrived home we
could watch it together.
4
This activity was one of the few bonding
experiences I have with my dad.
5
As a treat for those of you who dont know the
show The Jetsons I would like to discuss how
this is impacting drivers today.
6
Of course, the most futuristic element of the
show was how George Jetson got to work.
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George got to work each day by driving his own
personal flying vehicle.
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A contraption with a large glass windshield and
roof that allowed viewers to see George and the
whole family as they flew from one location to
another.
9
Well now it is 2015, and the idea of a flying
personal vehicle is still not a reality, but
perhaps that reality is closer than most of us
think.
10
A company called Terrafuga believes that it can
have a flying car model available to the public
for sale perhaps as early as 2021.
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They are calling it the TF-X and it will be a
four seat flying car that can take off and land
vertically, with the ability to reach speeds of
over 200 MPH.
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It is powered by two 600 horsepower engines,
which are connected to folding propellers that
extend off of each side of the vehicle.
13
The Terrafuga company also has some competition.
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A competitors model called the GF7 uses an
electric motor to propel the vehicle when it is
on the ground and a 3,500-pound thrust jet engine
to allow it to reach speeds of up to 550 mph and
a maximum height of 38,000 feet.
15
There is also the PAL-V, which has a three wheel
design combined with a more conventional
helicopter function and is able to reach speeds
in excess of 100 mph when airborne.
16
And finally, there is the Slovakian Aeromobile 2.
5, a flying vehicle that has already made
successful test flights and which can also reach
speeds above 100 mph in flight.
17
As depicted in the Jetsons, a flying car was not
able to become a reality by the year 2000, but we
may soon be looking up in the sky and seeing our
neighbors winging their way to work just like
George did.