The AirCar Opportunity
People have dreamed about flying cars for a long time. The dream envisions being able to leave your home in your Milner AirCar, drive to the nearest airport (there are 5,000 airports in the U.S. capable of handling light airplanes, within 20 miles of 98% of our population), takeoff and fly to your destination airport, then land and drive to your final destination.
The idea of a car that has wings has intrigued many, and there have been multiple attempts to create such a vehicle. The fact that such a vehicle has yet to be produced is an indication of the difficulty of the project. The consensus has been, that by the time features are added to a car to allow it to fly, or features are added to an airplane that allow it to legally drive on public highways, the vehicle will have lost its efficiency and will neither be a good car nor a good airplane.
Technology is now improving to allow both cars and airplanes to be lighter and stronger, and the task will be doable. Current advances in both the aviation and automotive industries encourage us. These include composite construction, computer-control, and the mainstreaming of electric-hybrid vehicles.
The benefits and advantages of Milner AirCar:
- provides one-vehicle transportation from door to door
- uses existing roads and/or airports, no additional infrastructure required
- needs no public subsidy
- provides private convenient ready-to-go transportation,
- uses your garage and needs no hangar rental fees
- avoids hazardous weather by landing, driving through it, then taking off again
- is less-expensive than any other form of air transportation
MISSION COMPARISON - 1000, 500 and 100- mile trips
1000 MILE TRIP |
Airline | Driving | Milner AirCar | ||
Leave home and go to airport |
0:30 | 0:00 | 0:15 | ||
Time at airport before departure |
1:00 | 0:00 | 0:10 | ||
Fly or drive to destination of 1000 miles |
2:30 | 16:00 | 5:00 | ||
Arrange for ground transportation |
0:30 | 0:00 | 0:00 | ||
Drive to final destination |
0:30 | 0:00 | 0:15 | ||
TOTAL TIME |
5:00 | 16:00 | 5:40 |
500 MILE TRIP |
Airline | Driving | Milner AirCar | ||
Leave home and go to airport |
0:30 | 0:00 | 0:15 | ||
Time at airport before departure |
1:00 | 0:00 | 0:10 | ||
Fly or drive to destination of 1000 miles |
1:30 | 8:00 | 2:30 | ||
Arrange for ground transportation |
0:30 | 0:00 | 0:00 | ||
Drive to final destination |
0:30 | 0:00 | 0:15 | ||
TOTAL TIME |
4:00 | 8:00 | 3:10 |
100 MILE TRIP |
Airline | Driving | Milner AirCar | ||
Leave home and go to airport |
0:30 | 0:00 | 0:15 | ||
Time at airport before departure |
1:00 | 0:00 | 0:10 | ||
Fly or drive to destination of 1000 miles |
0:30 | 2:00 | 0:30 | ||
Arrange for ground transportation |
0:30 | 0:00 | 0:00 | ||
Drive to final destination |
0:30 | 0:00 | 0:15 | ||
TOTAL TIME |
3:00 | 2:00 | 1:10 |
Weather
Another factor needs mentioning. Currently, about 10% of the time a general aviation pilot flies somewhere greater than 200 miles away, the weather for at least a portion of the trip is less than is safe and/or comfortable for the pilot and/or the passengers. The pilot is forced to decide whether to land and wait out the weather or to forge ahead and take a chance on the weather. Neither choice is acceptable. With the Milner AirCar, the pilot can drive through the weather that is marginal or not flyable then fly the remainder of the trip. Worst case is that the pilot will drive the entire distance, an alternative much better than staying at the location until the weather clears or forging ahead in marginal weather.