Amphibious cars are generally passable in the water provided they don't leak, but slow, ponderous and ugly on both land and sea. Flying cars are a great concept but usually spoiled by the constraints of both land and air. You need a pilot's licence to fly them for a start, and vehicles like the well-known Moller Skycar are viciously impractical to drive on the roads.
Cars, boats, planes. Great at what they do, and never the trio shall meet.
The Indigenous People’s Technology and Education Center (I-TEC) of Florida would disagree, and as a mark of their determination, they've even sought FAA approval for the Maverick Sport flying car, which has been granted. The Sport has been declared air worthy and safe.
Operating on the age-old principle of KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid), the Sport is positively flyweight at 970 pounds, and uses all the car's normal controls for movement in the air, so if you're capable of driving you're theoretically capable of flying the Maverick.
A propeller on the rear of the vehicle is driven by the same engine that powers the car's rear wheels and lift is provided by a parachute-style wing that can be extended on a 27 foot mast.
The Maverick can do 100mph on the ground and 40mph in the air, so performance isn't too compromised, but before taking off you'll need to lose your third passenger as it can only carry two people once in the air.
True to form it's not the prettiest of machines but it does seem to work, and for that we commend them. I-TEC is seeking funds so they can mass produce the Maverick Sport, which retails for $84,000... but what price do you put on flying amongst the birds... and avoiding traffic?
[Nerdles]
