Flying cars have never seemed to move out of the concept phase and yet they remain a fascination for many. The challenge is kind of like designing an all-in-one printer/fax/scanner. At the end of the day you get a product that is mediocre in all three tasks. But innovative materials like carbon-fiber composites have begun dropping in price and allow for the construction of incredibly strong and light structures. These materials along with new lightweight engines are starting to make the dream a reality.

The Terrafugia Transition Proof of Concept Vehicle (pictured below) made its debut at AirVenture airshow in Oshkosh, WI this past July. The Transition is a roadable (the preferred industry term) sport aircraft being designed to fly up to 400 nautical miles and to easily convert between road and fly modes from the cockpit/driver's seat.

Flying car at home
Flying Car with Wings Deployed
Flying Car with Wings Folded

Seeding Plane

With skyrocketing rice prices, California farmers are turning to agricultural aviators to plant over 500,000 acres this spring. The work is dangerous and grueling and requires pilots to fly as low as 30 feet over the ground in single engine planes loaded with a ton of rice seed. Pilots can make up to 100 takeoffs and landings in a single day and use state-of-the-art GPS systems to drop loads with an accuracy of 3 feet.

Source: NY Times

Boeing has completed test flights of a two-seater airplane powered solely by fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries. During liftoff the plane used both of these power sources. Upon reaching a cruising altitude of 1000 meters, the batteries were disconnected and the plane flew for about 20 minutes at 100 km/h powered only by the fuel cells.

Fuel cells are an intriguing power system and have most commonly been used in space vehicles. They convert hydrogen directly into electricity and heat. Water is the only exhaust product.

We shouldn't expect to see commercially viable electric planes any time soon. Aviation applications will most likely include small unmanned aircraft or auxiliary power systems.