Meet George Jetson?

[MIflyer]

ABIKO, Japan (AP) — Japanese electronics maker NEC Corp. on Monday showed a "flying car," a large drone-like machine with four propellers that hovered steadily for about a minute.

The test flight reaching 3 meters (10 feet) high was held in a gigantic cage, as a safety precaution, at an NEC facility in a Tokyo suburb. The preparations such as the repeated checks on the machine and warnings to reporters to wear helmets took up more time than the two brief demonstrations.

The Japanese government is behind flying cars, with the goal of having people zipping around in them by the 2030s.

 

[fubar57]

I'm ready for that or this.......Franky Zapata: French inventor crosses Channel by hoverboard – video

 

[pbehn]

I'm ready for that or this.......Franky Zapata: French inventor crosses Channel by hoverboard – video

View attachment 548196​

Any pictures of him refuelling? Zapata seems to have increased the range by several hundred percent, and the endurance by at least 20% while preforming this crossing at maximum speed, maximum range and beyond previous endurance. I am not normally a conspiracy theorist but I think the lack of coverage of the refuelling is a bit strange.

 

[GreenKnight121]

oops

 

[GreenKnight121]

He used refueling landings on a boat... here are a few articles that mention it:

This Time, Franky Zapata Makes It Across The English Channel On A Hoverboard

On second attempt, hoverboard inventor successfully crosses Channel – TechCrunch

This one mentions that it wasn't an actual "refueling" - but rather they removed the nearly-empty fuel tank and installed a full one. It also mentions that he is funded by the French military.
French inventor crosses English Channel on a hoverboard

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

No, we don't need flying cars. People cannot drive worth shit as it is. At least here in America people are too lazy to use the proper lanes, cannot bother to use turn signals, and are never taught proper driving techniques because they where taught by their parents who themselves were never taught proper driving techniques. And now they are supposed to do all that in the air too?

 

[michael rauls]

No, we don't need flying cars. People cannot drive worth shit as it is. At least here in America people are too lazy to use the proper lanes, cannot bother to use turn signals, and are never taught proper driving techniques because. And now they are supposed to do all that in the air too?

As someone who's been driving 12 hours a day in an 18 wheeler( aside from a few hours hear and there running a front loader) for 30 years sitting up high where I can really see the stupid $h!t people do on the road all day I'd have to agree.
One of my "favorites" is people who don't know how to merge into traffic and there always preasant nemesis, people who are too discurtious to let them.
A pair of these clowns can turn a freeway that was a bit heavy but still moving 45 or 50 mph into a parking lot as one or both of them slams on there brakes at the last minute as they both try to occupy the same space at the same time. The people behind them slam on there brakes and the people behind them and the people behind them add infinitum until the freeway that was moving is now not.

 

[MIflyer]

In the air, flying real airplanes, the typical driver would be dead very quickly, and pretty much only do in only himself and his passengers.

But these flying cars are pretty much all going to be autonomous, not flown by anyone on board, and except possibly for emergencies, no human being at all. The people on board are going to have less control over their transportation than they do on an escalator. The late 40's vision of a helicopter in every garage and a guy catching a snooze while his wife flies their airplane home from the beach trip will never be realized.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

In the air, flying real airplanes, the typical driver would be dead very quickly, and pretty much only do in only himself and his passengers.

But these flying cars are pretty much all going to be autonomous, not flown by anyone on board, and except possibly for emergencies, no human being at all. The people on board are going to have less control over their transportation than they do on an escalator. The late 40's vision of a helicopter in every garage and a guy catching a snooze while his wife flies their airplane home from the beach trip will never be realized.

Still no thank you. All of these air cars will take up my beautiful airspace to fly in.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

As someone who's been driving 12 hours a day in an 18 wheeler( aside from a few hours hear and there running a front loader) for 30 years sitting up high where I can really see the stupid $h!t people do on the road all day I'd have to agree.
One of my "favorites" is people who don't know how to merge into traffic and there always preasant nemesis, people who are too discurtious to let them.
A pair of these clowns can turn a freeway that was a bit heavy but still moving 45 or 50 mph into a parking lot as one or both of them slams on there brakes at the last minute as they both try to occupy the same space at the same time. The people behind them slam on there brakes and the people behind them and the people behind them add infinitum until the freeway that was moving is now not.

No offense but Truck Drivers are not any better. At least not here in Missouri. I can be driving 10 over the speed limit on very busy I-70 and I get passed left and right by truckers. Many just force there way in and out of traffic. The worst is when they don't slow down for bad weather.

Example: on Monday we had very heavy rain at 0500 during my drive to work on I-70. Most cars were only doing 45 mph because of several inches of rain on the road surface and aquaplaning, as well as reduced vis. Most, except all the big as 18 wheeler trucks. They just keep running through, passing all the cars at 60 mph, kicking up water reducing the visability even further.

Then you have the really slow ******* truck drivers who do try and pass each other pretty much doing the same speed and causing 50 cars to drive slow behind them waiting.

Nope, don't kid yourself my friend. Truckers are just as bad.Most people here are terrible drivers regardless of whether they are driving a personal vehicle or a truck.

The worst personal drivers here in Missouri are those that drive "redneck race cars", i.e. oversized pickup trucks though.

 

[pbehn]

Nope, don't kid yourself my friend. Truckers are just as bad.Most people here are terrible drivers regardless of whether they are driving a personal vehicle or a truck.

The worst personal drivers here in Missouri are those that drive "redneck race cars", i.e. oversized pickup trucks though.

You spent too long in Germany Chris. A nation that can drive very well but should never be allowed to drive on winter tyres.

 

[mikewint]

The worst personal drivers here in Missouri

From personal experience I can testify to the truth of Chris' statements. In addition, Missouri drivers get a full-time left lane ownership deed when they buy their vehicles. So the left (passing lane for those who strangely drive on the wrong-side of the road) lane on any Missouri freeway is clogged with Missouri drivers traveling 10mph under the posted speed limit usually directly opposite another Missourian traveling at exactly the same speed thus both lanes are blocked for miles.
Missouri drivers also pass another slower vehicle at 1mph faster than the slower vehicle thus taking 10-15 minutes to complete a pass.

In defense of at least some truck drivers they are under intense pressure from dispatchers who plot transit times independent of weather and traffic. If you slow or stop for a blizzard they will demand to know why: "Nobody else is stopped why are you!!!" Now if you don't stop and slide off the road into a ditch or jackknife they'll say: "Well why didn't you stop!! Everyone else did"

 

[michael rauls]

No offense but Truck Drivers are not any better. At least not here in Missouri. I can be driving 10 over the speed limit on very busy I-70 and I get passed left and right by truckers. Many just force there way in and out of traffic. The worst is when they don't slow down for bad weather.

Example: on Monday we had very heavy rain at 0500 during my drive to work on I-70. Most cars were only doing 45 mph because of several inches of rain on the road surface and aquaplaning, as well as reduced vis. Most, except all the big as 18 wheeler trucks. They just keep running through, passing all the cars at 60 mph, kicking up water reducing the visability even further.

Then you have the really slow ******* truck drivers who do try and pass each other pretty much doing the same speed and causing 50 cars to drive slow behind them waiting.

Nope, don't kid yourself my friend. Truckers are just as bad.Most people here are terrible drivers regardless of whether they are driving a personal vehicle or a truck.

The worst personal drivers here in Missouri are those that drive "redneck race cars", i.e. oversized pickup trucks though.

Absolutely there are plenty of bad truck drivers out there. I mentioned my profession not as a veiled endorsement of the proficiency of the totality of truck drivers either in absolute or relative terms but to explain why I have such a good view of incompetence in action behind the wheel. Dont know if youve ever sat on an 18 wheeler but you're up quite high and you can see way up ahead and watch people screw things up in real time.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

You spent too long in Germany Chris. A nation that can drive very well but should never be allowed to drive on winter tyres.

lol

Why not on winter tires?

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

From personal experience I can testify to the truth of Chris' statements. In addition, Missouri drivers get a full-time left lane ownership deed when they buy their vehicles. So the left (passing lane for those who strangely drive on the wrong-side of the road) lane on any Missouri freeway is clogged with Missouri drivers traveling 10mph under the posted speed limit usually directly opposite another Missourian traveling at exactly the same speed thus both lanes are blocked for miles.
Missouri drivers also pass another slower vehicle at 1mph faster than the slower vehicle thus taking 10-15 minutes to complete a pass.

In defense of at least some truck drivers they are under intense pressure from dispatchers who plot transit times independent of weather and traffic. If you slow or stop for a blizzard they will demand to know why: "Nobody else is stopped why are you!!!" Now if you don't stop and slide off the road into a ditch or jackknife they'll say: "Well why didn't you stop!! Everyone else did"

I really don't care what pressure a truck driver is under. When their wreckless, carelessness puts others at risk, it is a problem.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Absolutely there are plenty of bad truck drivers out there. I mentioned my profession not as a veiled endorsement of the proficiency of the totality of truck drivers either in absolute or relative terms but to explain why I have such a good view of incompetence in action behind the wheel. Dont know if youve ever sat on an 18 wheeler but you're up quite high and you can see way up ahead and watch people screw things up in real time.

No, I never have. And my apologies for misunderstanding your post.

 

[michael rauls]

No, I never have. And my apologies for misunderstanding your post.

No apologies nescesary but very gracious of you to do so. I agree by the way that reckless truck drivers are a plague on the industry not to mention a general danger to the public.
That's one good thing about California, they really crack down on bad truck drivers. Get your third moving violation or ar fault accident in two years and they suspended your liscence. This is a good thing. Ive been on the road 11 or 12 hours a day for ( well some of those hours running heavy equipment but the vast majority on the road) 30 years and have never gotten a moving violation or at fault accident( I have had two people plow into the back of me lately because they were on there cell phone and just drove right into the back of my truck but those don't count against you)
so it can be done. Any truck driver that racks up 3 moving violations or accidents in 24 months should not be on the road anyway......IMHO

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

It's everyone, not just truck drivers. Even motorcycle drivers. They always preach to be on the lookout for them. Well how about they stop driving like idiots and maybe we will them better.

 

[pbehn]

lol

Why not on winter tires?

Because so many think that having winter tyres on means you can drive on snow as if it is dry road. The accidents are comical.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Because so many think that having winter tyres on means you can drive on snow as if it is dry road. The accidents are comical.

That is true...