Back in the 1950s, quite a few people in the entertainment industry as well as even in transportation dreamed about how come the year 2000 everyone would be flying instead of driving. It seemed like such a fanciful idea, but the reality is even now flying cars are incredibly rare. However, a father and daughter in Delaware who own one opened up to a local news station to give a peek into what it’s like.
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While we think flying cars will never become commonplace thanks to numerous safety and logistical reasons, we still find the concept fascinating. However, the vehicle these two own and operate in the countryside of Delaware isn’t even close to anything we’ve dreamt up in the past.
It’s a Pivotal BlackFly and really can’t be driven on roads, at least not in any practical way. However, the all-electrical vehicle does do vertical takeoffs and landings, making a runway unnecessary. And you apparently don’t need a pilot’s license to operate one, just a driver’s license, according to NBC4 Washington, which blows our minds.
After all, if you want to fly drones for any kind of commercial activity, you have to go through rigorous testing by the FAA. But if you want to fly this thing, allegedly you can just do it because you can drive a Corolla somewhat safely.
Compared to most airplanes, the BlackFly doesn’t go all that high. Most people operate them at around a couple hundred feet or so, but they can reach up to 4,000 feet. However, since they do vertical landings, you don’t want to be running out of battery power and be at any altitude or you’re going to have a rather unpleasant experience coming back to the ground. But there is a parachute system just in case there’s a problem.
There’s another risk to flying this “car” we didn’t even think about: someone believing it’s a spy drone. With plenty of paranoia about that, the father and especially the daughter worry someone might try shooting at the BlackFly. We’d love to say that would never happen, but people do dumb things all the time.
Image via Pivotal Aero