Flying Car: Difference between revisions
other reasons why a flying car is impractical
No edit summary |
(other reasons why a flying car is impractical) |
||
| (One intermediate revision by one other user not shown) | |||
Line 9:
The lack of flying cars in [[Real Life]] is a [[I Want My Jetpack|common complaint]]. The fact that they would for all intents and purposes be personal aircraft, and require the same regulations and specialized skill as planes and helicopters is a big reason why we haven't seen any in our lifetimes. Several flying cars ''have been invented'' in [[Real Life]], but [[Awesome but Impractical|the concept has always ended up getting scrapped]] because said flying cars used up a ''lot'' of fuel... and had a penchant for crash-landing when they ran out. Most fictional cars [[Hand Wave]] this by saying something about an [[Anti Gravity]] element in place.
In addition, flying cars make a lot of noise. Living next to a crowded highway is already bad enough. Now imagine dealing with that noise ''everywhere'' you go. People already have trouble driving their car in two dimensions; introduce a third one and it's a recipe for disaster. A slight bump to the wings of a flying car is a ticket to the nearest car repair shop. We can't have flying cars zapping around everywhere the same way we only have cars driving on roads. If flying cars are unregulated, there's a high chance they'll crash into each other, so we have to dedicate airways to them the same way we do with planes — at this point, you're better off buying a regular car. Needless to say, flying cars are simply impractical. But the wonderful world of entertainment ''isn't'' real life, so creators can make whatever they want — so long it [[Rule of Cool|looks cool]].
[[Flying Bike]] is either a subtrope or a related trope, depending on how you view the relationship between cars and motorcycles in Real Life.
Line 153 ⟶ 155:
** The critical problem with 'flying cars' is that they are ''aircraft''. As such you can't fly one without a pilot's license, and air traffic control would go insane trying to sort out millions of aircraft flying around each other in a small area. Most existing 'flying cars' are better described as roadable aircraft. Most small airfields are in rural areas, so you have the minor problem of arriving at an airfield and having no transport to the nearest town, except for a taxi or folding bicycle. The idea is that you could detach the wings and propeller, then drive the remaining vehicle by road into town. They are not really designed as a replacement for your normal car.
*** Not to mention that traffic collisions are bad enough with how cars are now. Imagine how much worse they'd get if you factored in the fact that the car's going to be falling from 300+ feet above the ground.
* ''[[Top Gear]]''{{'}}s James May made a [https://web.archive.org/web/20110826092709/http://www.open2.net/jamesmay/come_fly_with_me.html documentary on the subject], concluding that despite the safety concerns the main problem with flying cars would be the paperwork.
* [[Vaporware]] example: the [http://www.moller.com/ Moller Skycar].
** The Moller website does have some lovely quotes, though:
| |||