Boat burning a hole in the driveway? Maybe it's time to replace it with a vehicle you'll use even less. Maybe it's time to replace it with a piece of history. Starting later this month at at Red Baron's Antiques in Atlanta, the world's oldest "roadable aircraft" will officially go up for sale. Designed by Frank Skroback in 1934, his flying car is more woulda-coulda-shoulda flying car than car that actually flies. But who knows? The blueprints and patents come with the car, and maybe your brilliant and analytical mind is just what this beast needs to finally get off the ground.
- via:// dvice
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3.14.10
By mark
Did this thing really fly? It sure looks like it would be unstable as soon as the weels got any kind of lift, but for a piece of history I guess it's something to show off.
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3.15.10
By Bill
Ignore Patrick. As a pilot I agree. As with many inventions this more than likely make one mans dream come true. Weather it flys to this day or not that acomplishment gave one of us pride and integrity. I hope you have a dream that can be a reality some day, I know I did.
Thought for the day: Fear knocks at the door. Faith answers. BUT there is no one there . . . a wonderful week to all.
3.15.10
By jrg
where's the car????????????
3.14.10
By Gary
Look at the matching holes in the wing units. This is in the "car" mode. To make it fly, you remove the wing units and attach them. In flight it would be a standard biplane.
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3.14.10
By Mike
Don't think so Gary, this was built by someone that had seen and airplane, but didn't have any idea what made them fly. All the wings are hard mounted to the airframe with the hope of providing enough lift.
3.14.10
By Dave
Looks like one of them there feel good about yourself even though its a junk and doesnt really save any fuel in the long run hybrids.
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3.14.10
By Detshoefly
Way to go AOL, tell us about an auction this afternoon that started yesterday and ended today!
JimBob
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3.14.10
By dan
what a piece of junk, you would have to pay me to take it to the junk yard
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3.14.10
By Gayle Pruett
What good is it?
3.14.10
By Bernard
It's a piece of history with patents included, You can donate the vehicle to a museum so others can see it (it is interesting to say the least) and keep the patent.
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3.14.10
By supercar31
somebodys trash is some bodys gain
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3.14.10
By Tommy Trojan
to qualify as a car it would have to meet width restrictions for municipal roadways - it looks too wide - the only real flying car is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ...
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3.14.10
By Gary
Mike,
After I read your comment I took a closer look at darned if you aren't right. I think you may be mistaken about the designer having seen an airplane before, unless he was drunk at the time.
I then discovered a quote that makes the most sense...
"There is no firm proof whether this flying machine ever took off the ground"....That makes it an aviation themed car.
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3.14.10
By chuck
The first real flying car that flew and drove, was sold in 1937,powered by a Studebaker Commander 6 engine. It was designed by Waldo Waterman, and called the Aeromobil, I believe.
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3.14.10
By guy
I've seen this contraption before. It has never flown-the designer tried but it wasn't stable. There are wing pieces that attach to the stubs we see in the picture and it's actualy got three sets of wings. It was impractical when it was new so it never "got off the ground". Novel for what it is though, a piece of aviation history.
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3.14.10
By South Jersey Pilot
I don't see the car part in it.
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3.14.10
By Al
In the late 1940's there was a flying car called the Fulton Aerocar that really flew. When you drove it on the road, the wings were removed and attached to the fuselage that became a trailer for the wings and tail section. It had a rear usher prop. The car itself looked like Crosley, that was an early compact car. I believe this was the first real flying car. It could fly at 110 mph and on land go 55 mph.I was designed by Robert E Fulton, who died at 95. There's a photo of it there.It's been written up in Popular Mechanics or Popular Science magazine.
Enter Fulton Flying Car In Google to find it. Happy Reading
I'm a pilot & aviation buff.
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3.15.10
By Jim
I remember the Aerocar from the Bob Cummings show when I was a kid.
THAT was a flying car.
This thing is just some contraption with a couple of extra wheels tossed on for effect.
3.15.10
By AL
1946
Robert Fulton invented many things, but one of his clever failures was a flying car called the Airphibian. It could fl y at 113 mph, and the wings and tail could be removed so that it could also be driven on the road. The weird transformer was the first flying car to be certified by the Civil Aeronautics Administration, the predecessor of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). No funding was available for it, though, and the project was abandoned.
1949
Building on Fulton’s near miss, Moulton Taylor designed the flying Aerocar, which could be converted into a road-ready car by detaching the fiberglass fuselage and folding the wings, all of which could be towed like a trailer. A 10-foot driveshaft connected the car’s engine with a propeller, a design that earned FAA approval but did not have commercial success.
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3.15.10
By Richard
If he built it in 1937 and had to have it inspected in the auto inspection stations in Memphis Tennessee, he would probably just be getting through.
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