The Personal Air Vehicle Exploration (PAVE) program at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton Virginia, for example, is working to develop easy-to-use aircraft that may one day take you from your garage to the airport and on to your destination, saving time - and hopefully dollars - otherwise be spent on a public flight.

"That's always been the dream," said Andrew Hahn, PAVE vehicle sector analyst at Langley, of flying cars. "Our plan is to have a flying demonstrator by 2009."

While Hahn and PAVE manager Mark Moore work to develop roadable air vehicles, other Langley researchers in a separate project are hoping to streamline the interfaces between personal aircraft and the thousands of small airports across the country to serve future flyers.


linkage: http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/pave_techwed_040818.html

Originally posted by sleuth
linkage: http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/pave_techwed_040818.html Think you can milk the 81 Plymouth Reliant along for 5 more years until one is available?

So the idiots on the roads now that can't deal with two dimensional travel are going to be expected to handle three?

Originally posted by Kyle
So the idiots on the roads now that can't deal with two dimensional travel are going to be expected to handle three?

... maybe you'll have to pass a geometry test? :shrug:

Originally posted by Pete
Think you can milk the 81 Plymouth Reliant along for 5 more years until one is available?

Don't think so...
My 13 year old car is on its last leg.
She's been a good car... 205,000 miles. Not bad for an American-made car.

Originally posted by sleuth
Don't think so...
My 13 year old car is on its last leg.
She's been a good car... 205,000 miles. Not bad for an American-made car. 205? That's it?

Originally posted by Kyle
205? That's it?

Actually.. the engine itself could probably go another 10K - 20K.

But, the suspension is shot.
The tires need replaced.
The brakes need completely redone.
It leaks transmission fluid in 3 different locations.
Both mufflers need replaced.
It needs a new catalytic converter.
The torque converter is getting worn - it shifts a lot harder into 3rd gear than it should.
And... it STILL won't pass emissions, 2 years after the last time it failed the emissions test.

That covers about half the problems with the car.

I'm not gonna dump $400 into a car worth only $300 to get another 2 year waiver, when it'd be a small miracle if it lasted only another year.

Should have treated it nicer.

Originally posted by Kyle
Should have treated it nicer.

I'll bet he tried, but couldn't get anyone to help him. :shrug:





:lmao:

Originally posted by PFgal
I'll bet he tried, but couldn't get anyone to help him. :shrug:





:lmao: :rimshot:



:lmao:

Originally posted by Kyle
:rimshot:



:lmao: :yeahthat: :lmao:

Poor Sleuth...he's such an easy target! :smile:

So, we all are familiar with cars that just die all the sudden... and how the hell are we supposed to drive drunk? Its hard enough to keep from wobbling left to right... now we have to worry about pitch and yaw.

Originally posted by FromTexas
So, we all are familiar with cars that just die all the sudden... and how the hell are we supposed to drive drunk? Its hard enough to keep from wobbling left to right... now we have to worry about pitch and yaw.

:confused:

Originally posted by Beener
:confused: Imagine George Jetson driving drunk.

Originally posted by FromTexas
and how the hell are we supposed to drive drunk?

Oh, that's all we need. Death from the skies as the drunks plunge their flying cars into our houses and yards.

I mean, what kind of idiot gets half in the bag and gets convinced that he can make it home without sliding into a family of six in an oncoming minivan?

...let's use some imagination here!?

There is already a car, radar and all sorts of sensors equiped that drove from, if memeory serves, coast to coast with a driver who only took over off highway.

The newest passenger airliners are capable of take off, flight to your destination and landing. The pilot joke is the airliner of the future will have a pilot and a dog; The pilot to feed the dog, the dog to bite the pilot if he tries to touch anything.

Any personal flight vehicle will have to be stunningly reliable because the redundancy of systems of larger aircraft would not likely be economical.

It would also have to be virtually uncontrolable by the human, total auto pilot, because we will never, as a society, trust each other enough, nevermind criminals and terrorists, to operate the damn things in population centers.

You grab the paper and a cup of coffee, jump in your commuter pod, select 'office' and you read and relax while your machine takes you to the pod park next to your building.

Computers and radar et al avoid other pods, bad weather and cruise you smooth in the abbreviated time it takes to actually get to work if nothing was in your way, say downtown DC in what, 15 minutes or so?

Highways become mostly tractor trailers.

Super highways are no longer needed.


:cheers:

(you can get smashed because all you're doing is pushing one of the two buttons that say 'home')

Originally posted by Larry Gude
(you can get smashed because all you're doing is pushing one of the two buttons that say 'home')

Whoo hoo....I like that idea! :cheers:

Originally posted by Larry Gude
...let's use some imagination here!?

Larry, what you describe sounds like the planet Coruscant in Star Wars Episodes I and II.

A completely automated flying car would give the drunks even more license to destroy their brains and livers. Vrai would say that's natural selection at work.

Originally posted by Larry Gude
[Btwo buttons that say 'home') [/B]

So push the 'Ho' button and then the 'me'?

Is that so when you are really drunk and need some action you can just push the 'Ho' button?

The year is 2020.

Toxick Jr. asks dad to take the car out for the evening.


Toxick reluctantly agrees, with sternful warnings about being careful, watching out for the cars at higher altitudes and wearing seatbelts.


Toxick Jr. picks up about 8 friends who pile into the car, and one says, "Let's see how high it will go".

Car ascends to insane altitude. Car stalls.


Mrs. Toxick is wearing black.





I don't think I like the sound of this.

1) Sure, let's give drunk drivers MORE dimensions.

2) Elderly drivers with flashing "up" signal.

3) The 2000 foot plunge after a minor traffic accident.

4) Flying cars lead to flying roadkill. Flying roadkill turns to FALLING roadkill.

5) "Worlds Scariest High-Speed, High-Altitude Pursuits" - Next on Fox!

6) You think BUGS splatter on your windshield, wait until you see SPARROWS.

7) Because they'd lead to floating McDonalds'... you see where this is going.

:lmao: :yeahthat: :lmao:

Originally posted by Sharon
2) Elderly drivers with flashing "up" signal.

4) Flying cars lead to flying roadkill. Flying roadkill turns to FALLING roadkill.

5) "Worlds Scariest High-Speed, High-Altitude Pursuits" - Next on Fox!


:killingme

:lmao: @ Sharon :yay:

:cheers: Sharon.

...ha ha ha.

Ha.

All you buggy whip types can just wait and see!

4 years, 364 days...

:biggrin:

Remember those huge concrete "planters" circling our courts, Museums, Malls, & Bases?...those don't float folks....

Achmed, after loading 800 lbs of fertilizer into his "Rent a Flying Wreck" minivan is giddy over the optional targets previously protected by "planters."

Allah and NASA been veddy veddy gud to me!
Boom.

Originally posted by Hessian
Remember those huge concrete "planters" circling our courts, Museums, Malls, & Bases?...those don't float folks....

Achmed, after loading 800 lbs of fertilizer into his "Rent a Flying Wreck" minivan is giddy over the optional targets previously protected by "planters."



Sad but true.:shocking: :yikes:

Originally posted by Hessian
Allah and NASA been veddy veddy gud to me!
Boom.

Would you like a cheddy squishee with your flying car bomb?:killingme :roflmao:

...you nattering neybobs just don't want to get it.

We make the things so you just punch in a destination and the machine takes over! You don't control anything else.

It interacts with collision avoidance systems in other vehicles.

It communicates with the closest or most appropriate of many control towers that are managing traffic.

It will have redundant safety systems in case something breaks.

It will have the latest in technology and equipment.

It'll be run by the latest MS software...

It...

Uh...

Uhmm...

It...

...will crash and burn reliably and explode spectacularly...

Originally posted by Larry Gude

It'll be run by the latest MS software...

It...

Uh...

Uhmm...

It...

...will crash and burn reliably and explode spectatularly...

:lmao: Now you're talking! :roflmao:

Originally posted by Larry Gude
...you nattering neybobs just don't want to get it.

We make the things so you just punch in a destination and the machine takes over! You don't control anything else.

It interacts with collision avoidance systems in other vehicles.

It communicates with the closest or most appropriate of many control towers that are managing traffic.

It will have redundant safety systems in case something breaks.

It will have the latest in technology and equipment.

It'll be run by the latest MS software...

It...

Uh...

Uhmm...

It...

...will crash and burn reliably and explode spectacularly...


Wouldn't you just crap yourself if you were riding along and the MS Blue Screen of Death comes up on the HUD. :lol:

We already have vehicles that are "drive by wire" with no physical connection between accelerator and throttle. There will soon be "smart steering" with no connection between steering wheel and steering gear. The driver will have no physical control over anything on the car soon. So many failsafes built in and so few people who will take time to learn to properly repair them.

And to think I was once called a stupid greasemonkey! Those little punks I attended school with can eat my shorts now!