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NASA's Flying Car Contest

NASA is funding a $2 million contest to build flying cars — excuse me, “personal air vehicles,” or PAVs. The PAV competition — one a series of innovation-sparking “centennial challenges” launched by the space agency — kicked off yesterday, in northern California. If it works out as planned, it could kickstart a new generation […]
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NASA is funding a $2 million contest to build flying cars – excuse me, "personal air vehicles," or PAVs. The PAV competition – one a series of innovation-sparking "centennial challenges" launched by the space agency – kicked off yesterday, in northern California. If it works out as planned, it could kickstart a new generation of "high-tech two-seater planes [which] could one day serve as a more economical, environmentally-friendly way for people to get around and circumvent auto gridlock," CNET says.

According to the Cafe Foundation, which is running the contest for the space agency, "near all-weather STOL [short take-off and anding] PAVs will be able to transport people to within just a few miles of their doorstep destination at trip speeds three to four times faster than airlines or cars. NASA predicts that up to 45% of all miles traveled in the future may be in PAVs. This will relieve congestion at metropolitan hub airports and the freeways that surround them, reduce the need to build new highways and save much of the 6.8 billion gallons of fuel wasted in surface gridlock each year."

Some key features of PAVs are:

  • 150-200 mph car that flies above gridlock without traffic delays
  • Quiet, safe, comfortable and reliable
  • Simplified operation akin to driving a car
  • As affordable as travel by car or airliner
  • Near all-weather, on-demand travel enabled by synthetic vision
  • Highly fuel efficient and able to use alternative fuels
  • Up to 800 mile range
  • Short runway use–Walk to grandma's from small residential airfields

Just don't call 'em flying cars.

UPDATE: You wanna talk take-offs in a hurry? Check out this vid...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWDEYpqS0yw

(High five: RC)