Flying car biz Alef claims 3K preorders, still hasn't done a proper demo Alef Aeronautics claims to have more than 2,850 preorders for its Model A, which CEO Jim Dukhovny opines is the world's first true flying car, although we're still waiting for a live demonstration of the vehicle in flight. Speaking at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last week, Dukhovny argued Alef customers – who each had …
"The problem is that it clearly isn't a car."
True. On the other hand and to be fair, the limited road speed isn't that relevant since the only places you are going to be road driving is places you can't fly, such as in a city or town where getting as fast as 30mph is a bit optimistic any way :-)
The whole concept of flying cars is bollocks. People can't drive on the ground, it won't get better in the air, and the consequences of failure are much more severe. Then there is the noise issue, do you really want these things buzzing overhead all day long? If they ever get off the ground they will be relegated to rural areas only.
The flying car, aka the helicopter, has been with us since 1947, and there are very good reasons why we don't all fly them to work every day. Sure you can change the shape of it to make it look a bit more like a car, and if it still flies after all that then all you've done is spend a lot of time and money to build a less-optimal helicopter.
This vehicle, like all the other flying cars, is just a scam to take money from gullible investors.
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there are very good reasons why we don't all fly them to work every day
Yeah. For one thing, they're so strict with the rules.
(Joking aside, I agree with you. Seaplanes are an uncomfortable compromise between planes and boats, but they have their justifications. Car-copters not so much.)
There is zero chance that these will ever be allowed to operate in Europe for the general population, at least for the next 50 years, the muppet’s on the road right now have trouble using their indicators, obeying road signs, parking properly. There’s NO WAY these are going to be available to anyone, unless they require a pilot’s licence AND are treated as aircraft, including restricted use to airports, which kinda kills the purpose.
Well if you treat them as aircraft then they will be even more impractical. Park your fancy flying car at the mall and then when someone just slightly dings you then it may no longer be airworthy. The whole idea is just a stupid fantasy for 12 year olds
I saw a half scale model of this at MWC last week. If - and thats a big 'if' - it works at all, it will never go faster than about 40 mph. the bizarre "multiplane as bodywork" will create so much drag that it simply can't...
Why?
The amount of parasitic drag it will create will be farcial...
David Rolfe
The Alef "flying car" I saw at the North American International Auto Show (Detroit) in September was nothing more than a poorly made plywood mockup. It was a painted plywood body with a laser cut metal grid screwed to the top. Motors and rotors bolted to a plywood base plate (ie. nowhere for downdraft to flow). I'm fairly sure the rotors were lawnmower blades. I don't think the prototype even rolled because the wheels seemed to be bolted to hubs which attached directly to the body. Underneath, unpainted plywood was visible. This is all while the Alef ref was claiming to the crowd that this was a flying prototype and the crowd accepting it in awe.
I have a number of pictures on my website: https://www.aaroncake.net/misc/naias2023.asp
The plywood base is clearly a safety feature, to stop the prototype taking off in the middle of the exhibition hall, or from being stolen. If it doubles up as a ride-on lawnmower, that's an extra selling point.
You have to admire the work of the modern investor con-artist though.
The reality is that if you can afford to fly your own aircraft, whether it be an aeroplane or a helicopter, with all the training that involves, and the substantial costs of purchasing the aircraft, maintenance and fuel, you can afford to drive a very nice conventional car to the airport, and hire another one at the other end. Having a combination vehicle which is horribly compromised in carrying capacity, range and speed in both the in the air and on the ground, doesn't make any sense practically or economically.
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