Image via Complex Original
When the Wright brothers were finally able to get the aeroplane soaring through the big blue sky, everybody thought that was pretty cool. For most, it was a fantasy that seemed unattainable, more fiction that possible reality. But once the wings got off the ground, the gears started turning faster than ever. Seeing as people were already efficiently tooling around via this newfangled machine called "automobile," the natural assumption was that flying would continue to develop as the next wave of everyday personal transportation. Thus, the dream of a flying car born.
Of course, the idea was far, far ahead of the technical prowess of either aerospace or automotive engineers. The flying car's long timeline is filled with dozens upon dozens of failure, with only a few successes sprinkled in, most of which haven't come until recently. As we imagine what it'd be like to fly to the grocery store and fly home everyday after work, learn a little bit about just how hard that'd actually be to integrate with this detailed History of the Flying Car.
Related: The 50 Coolest Fictional Cars
1917 - The Curtiss Autoplane
The Curtiss Autoplane set the tone for the quest for a flying car by making a car with detachible tri-plane wings that looked entirely silly, didn't really work properly, and was named with a ridiculous portmanteau, which, for some reason seems key to these endeavors.
It only ever made a few short hops, and was grounded indefinitely once the US entered the first world war.
Portmanteau Count: 1
Merriam-Webster: port·man·teau, noun \pȯrt-ˈman-(ˌ)tō\
: a word or morpheme whose form and meaning are derived from a blending of two or more distinct forms (as smog from smoke and fog)
1924 - Eddie Rickenbauer Makes a Bold Claim
Eddie Rickenbauer, in an article for Popular Science predicted that flying cars were going to arrive in less than 20 years. Seeing as he said that in 1924 and we're still waiting, we think he might have been a bit off.
1932 - "Flying Tanks... War's Deadliest Weapon"
We're pretty sure that the flying tank might actually be war's least deadly weapon, given that nobody has ever been killed by one. Hilariously, both the USA and the USSR devoted actual R&D money to trying to take gigantic, incredibly heavy armored vehicles to the air.
1933 - The Dymaxion
You might have heard of this bizarre and interesting cigar-shaped automobile before, but did you know that the designer was hoping to eventually turn it into a convertible plane as well. Of course, funding for that venture dried up before it ever got started.
1935 - Windmill Autoplane
This appears to be the first roadable auto-gyro type aircraft, and is sure looks both complicated and flimsy. [sarcasm] We wonder why this one never became a commuters' staple. [/sarcasm]
$20 says it sucked at both driving and flying.
Portmanteau Count: 2
1936 - Autogiro Company of America AC-35
This roadable autogyro could manage 75 mph in the air but only 25 mph on the ground, making it painful to drive. It did manage a few test flights, though, and was even landed in a park in Washington D.C. as a part of a demonstration.
The AC-35 currently resides at the Smithsonian Institute.
1937 - Waterman Arrowplane
Remember to double check how well you attached those wings before taking off, because you might be wanting them once you're in the air. Also, we'd like to say that three wheelers with only one wheel in front are nothing short of terrible. Here's our evidence.
Portmanteau Count: 3
1937 - Gwinn Aircar
The Gwinn Aircar was a stubby little roadable plane that could actually fly, despite being controlled in a way unlike any other plane. Pilots complained that it was very counterintuitive to fly because the creator had also invented this new method of controlling a plane. It must have been like if a car came with a joystick instead of a steering wheel.
After a crash during a test flight in 1938, the project was scrapped.
1940 - Aerobile
The Aerobile, while continuing the inane tradition of silly portmanteaus, at least beat out its predecessors by not looking absolutely terrible. Of course, there's still the issue of detachible wings, which really seem like a bad idea.
Portmanteau Count: 4
1942 - Popular Science's Flight of Fancy
We can understand this sort of speculation, civilian technology had been at a standstill during the second world war, but the world's technological prowess in general had made incredible leaps, due to the war effort. Of course, with all the new aviation tech that had been developed, people wondered if the flying car might have finally reached critical mass.
It hadn't.
1945 - "Popular Science"'s Crowd-Sourced Flight of Fancy
In 1945, when asking what the post-war civilian plane would be like, Popular Science found that only 10 percent of people wanted a roadable aircraft, and only 14 percent thought folding wings made more sense than detachable wings. This reader-submitted concept does look particularly slick, though. The one-piece detachable wing design seems like it wouldn't be a terrible idea.
1946 - Fulton Airphibian
The Fulton Airphibian was a plane that could shed its tail and wings like an escaping lizard, at which point it would then look like a cartoon dog's head. Four prototypes were made, but the project was canned, when Fulton hit some financial trouble.
One of them was certified by a CAA (now the FAA) official, and that particular plane is now on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Washington-Dulles Airport.
Portmanteau Count: 5
1946 & 1947 - Convair Models 116 and 118
Amazingly, the Convair Model 116 managed 66 test flights as a prototype. The first test flight for the updated and "improved" Model 118 was a failure and injured the pilot, thus grounding the project.
1949 - Aerocar
Having seen Fulton's Airphibian, entrepreneur and engineer Moulton Taylor decided that he liked the idea, but thought that folding wings would be much more practical. It only took five minutes to change the Aerocar from a car to a plane, or vice versa.
The Aerocar was actually certified for flight, and for the first time ever, some people actually paid money for them. The Aerocar was the first semi-successful flying car, or rather, roadable aircraft.
Portmanteau Count: 6
1950 - Aerauto PL.5C
This was not a terribly good idea. The Italian made Aerauto PL.5C had wings that folded to make huge blind spots and was powered by its pusher propeller not only in the air but also on the ground; that's not the best way to go about things.
1953 - Bryan Autoplane
The Autoplane actually had some potential. It could manage 60 mph on the road, which was fast enough to be a serviceable road-going vehicle, and it made several successful flights. Sadly, the inventor was killed when he improperly secured a wing before a test flight in 1974 (what were we saying about wings as movable parts? Oh, that's right, THEY'RE DUMB.)
1958 - Ford Volante Concept
In '58 Ford toes the flying car waters not with any research and development, but with this gleefully futuristic flying car concept. Using three impellers, the Volante would rise into the air and zoom along, presumably sounding just like a massive kazoo, since it looked like, well, a massive kazoo.
1958 - Curtiss-Wright VZ-7
The Curtiss-Wright VZ-7 was one of the first entries into the U.S. Military's hair-brained flying Jeep competition. Basically, some general decided that the military could really use a flying Jeep for scaring Russians and other communists and created a competition for a contract. A few prototypes were made but none were put into production on account of it not really being an award-winning idea.
1959 - Chrysler VZ-6
Chrysler also took a stab at the military's flying Jeep competition and came up with this twin-propeller, flying bar of soap. Test flights showed that the VZ-6 was underpowered, overweight, and dangerously unstable (not unlike the Dodge Caliber). After a crash, both prototypes were dismantled.
1961 - The Absent Minded Professor
Flubber: it makes an old Ford Model-T fly, which is enough to help a nerdy and spaced-out academic get the girl. While we're not entirely sure how he controls the flubberized car in flight, we do know that we'd love to have some flubber.
1962 - "The Jetsons"
The Jetsons, it's the spiritual heart of how we imagine day-to-day life in the future. Everybody has a robot and a flying car, food comes from a food machine, and hemispherical canopies are by far the most widely used design feature. To this day, this flying car is still the ultimate commuter vehicle.
1962 - Piasecki VZ-8 Airgeep
The Piasecki Airgeep was certainly the best-looking vehicle submitted to the flying Jeep competition, despite the fact that the makers didn't know how to spell Jeep. It was also stable in flight, and could avoid radar effectively by flying low. Despite the fact that this flying Jeep actually worked, the military deemed the whole flying Jeep concept "unsuitable for modern combat" and canned the program.
1962 - Moller XM-2
"Moller" is practically a dirty word at this point. The man has spend more than $70 million chasing the flying car dream to no avail, and it started with this flying saucer in 1974. This went on to be the base for several other flying saucer-type designs, none of which ever got past the prototype stage.
This first attempt could barely clear and usually scraped the ground a few times when a basic hover was attempted.
1965 - Wagner Aerocar
You know those RC helicopters that are damn near impossible to fly? This is basically a big one of those that was also meant to be driven on the road. The prototype could fly but trying to get it to a marketable state proved far too expensive and difficult, so the development was suspended in 1971.
1971 - AVE Mizar
This might have been the worst idea possible for a flying car. Take the infamously explosive Ford Pinto, and attach some wings to it so it will function as an airplane. Sadly, but unsurprisingly, the inventor died when the Mizar crashed.
1982 - Spinners
The Spinners that the police used in the 1982 sci-fi masterpiece, Blade Runner are some of the best-designed fictional flying cars ever. There's just something innately believable about these.
1989 - AviAuto
In the past, aircraft with foldable wings were often very wonky when all folded up. But the AviAuto was at least designed in such a way that it took a reasonable and practical car shape when it was called upon to be a car. This picture is of a model, as a prototype was never made.
1989 - Calvin Bemoans the Lack of Flying Cars
Just as we were getting ready to enter the '90s, the great Calvin asked what was new about this new decade. Why were there no moon colonies? More importantly, why no flying cars?
As it turns out, it's because we were about to put all of our attention into the internet and cell phones.
1989 - Moller M200X
In his relentless quest to create a flying car that's both functional and not ugly, Moller designed this successor to his earlier flying saucer. The M200X isn't really a car, per se, but it's billed as one and has managed to complete dozens of test flights. Still, this project hasn't gone anywhere.
2002 - "The Flying Car"
What would you do for the holy grail that is the flying car? Would you go this far?
2008 - Aeroflex Hover Bike
Why we're not seeing these in more sci-fi movies, we can't explain, but the Aeroflex Hover Bike is beyond awesome. What makes it awesome is that it actually works, and it's effectively a flying motorcycle.
2003 - Moller Skycar M400
On one hand, this is exactly how everybody always hoped flying cars would look, and the tilt-rotor VTOL operation makes it seem even cooler. Sadly, the prototype only ever took one test "flight" in which it hovered briefly while tethered to a crane. Since then, Moller has attempted to sell it on eBay, with no luck.
The future is not bright for this flying car.
2005 - Jesse James' Flying Car
This is quite clearly the douchiest flying car in history, proudly bearing both Luftstreitkräfte styling and a pilot who makes far too many Nazi jokes for comfort. Regardless, the thing did manage to fly for five seconds, so we have to give him five seconds of respect for that. 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... meh, that's enough.
2008 - Maverick
The Maverick is a flying car with a noble purpose. It was made to overcome the infrastructure limitations in developing countries. If the roads have been destroyed or simply never existed, one can deploy the parachute on his or her Maverick and take to the skies. To date, it has accomplished its goal and only crashed once on a test flight.
2009 - Terrafugia Transition
In 2009 the Terrafugia Transition took its first flight, in 2010 it was certified by the FAA, and in 2011 it was certified by the NHTSA. Pre-orders are streaming in, and it looks like it will od a reasonable job of both flying and driving. The future is finally here.
2009 - Urban Aeronautics X-Hawk
The X-hawk is a van-sized roadable VTOL aircraft that is being designed for military and search & rescue operations. The idea is that the mobility of a helicopter is very useful, but the rotors restrict the urban utility. Since the X-Hawk can land in tight spaces and drive along streets, it can reach almost any place.
So far, only a three-foot hover test has been completed.
2009 - Butterfly Super Sky Cycle
Despite obviously having been named by a six-year-old, the Butterfly Super Sky Cycle is an impressive home-built contraption. It's a kit car/gyrocopter, and although we wouldn't trust our lives to it on the road or in the air, a number of people have. We hope they're having fun with their strange devices.
2012 - PAL-V
It took a decade or so, but now that we've gotten into this new millennium, the flying car is finally a reality. The PAL-V is a roadable gyrocoper that has completed multiple test flights that also leans into turns like a motorcycle when on the ground; very cool.
2021 - Terrafugia TF-X
Given the success of the Transition, Terrafugia has now promised a tilt-rotor, auto-piloted VTOL flying car that can hit 200 mph in the air in the next 8-12 years. The Transition is more of a roadable aircraft, but this is the dream. If the company can pull this off, 100 years of dreaming will finally come to fruition. Then come the eight million questions about whether they could ever work as daily vehicles for multiple people like, "How could you ever control hundreds or thousands of people flying in the same space?"