What do movies like Harry Potter and Flubber have in common? Flying cars, of course! The age old fascination with a vehicle that can conquer the roads and the sky is something that people don’t grow out of with age. And thank god for that!

Flying cars aren’t exactly new but they are still rare enough for people’s jaws to fall open in awe. Entering the world of marketable flying cars is Parajet. Parajet made news some time ago with pictures and information about their SkyCar and they are now finally ready to start making cash off the project. The road legal flying car which can stay in the air for 200 miles will only be available by the end of 2010 but you can pre-order them right away for the refundable amount of £10,000.

The SkyCar has a top speed of 140mph and can hit 0-62mph in just over 4 seconds. If you want to switch to flying mode, the SkyCar requires a runway of only 200m with the car going at a minimum of 37mph. The Parajet SkyCar would probably cost about £50,000.

Via: GizmoWatch

If flying cars fascinate you then here is another reason that will make you happy. The car designed by ZEEP Design shows a car, which can transform literally into a helicopter. This should mean that you will become a pilot on your own. The blades on the car remain folded on the rotor and out of sight when it’s not in use. At the same time, they span out to convert the car into a full fledged copter once required.

The transformation process from a car to your personal copter is complete only when the tail rotor that is generally tucked to the car’s end comes out. The most amazing part of the car is that it moves on the huge front wheels while the small black wheel is used for steering. The black wheel can also function as the tail rotor.

To control the CCC, the cockpit has a control sphere at the right arm besides the three color-coded buttons on the left arm. This surely is an interesting futuristic concept. I only wish that more of these cars were actually in use. They would have eased the awful traffic that we encounter every other day on almost every road.

Via: GfxNew\ZeepDesign

One of the toughest jobs on earth belongs to pilots. Not merely the risk involved, but passenger safety, weather, turbulence, engine and wing safety.

Ever dreamt of an aircraft that can fold its wings? An airplane that flies while in sky and moves while on road like other vehicles! Terrafugia’s The Transition, a sport aircraft design has achieved just that.

It means that at the click of a button from his cockpit, a pilot can stow away his aircraft wings while s/he is driving on the road! And use the wings when there is need to fly. It is a sports aircraft, and folds its wings on the road.

The very thought that has gone in behind the design is innovative. Its utility furthers the vision. While on road, the aircraft, without its wings may look like a car-spaceship that’s strayed on to the surface. In effect, it lives up to its name – The Transition. Futuristic in design and combining the elements of a car and plane. Only wish something of this nature could be done for bigger planes carrying passengers too!

 Via: Terrafugia, Tuvie

Cars fall into two extremes- either they signify the long commutes that most people have to undertake or they remind you of thrilling chases. Rarely, though, would you think of talking your car out for a flight.

Skycar, designed by the Parajet Skycar Expedition Team, is a car that can handle the rough terrains of the geosphere as well as the airy sky. The Parajet Skycar can become air born from a take-off strip less than 200meters in length at the take-off speed of 60kmph. With a top speed of 110kmph, the Skycar has a range of 300km. In air, it can reach altitudes of 2000-3000ft and can purportedly reach the maximum altitude of 15,000ft. The car’s ParaWing is designed to be folded into the boot of the car and it also includes a reserve parachute, just in case of wing failure.

Powered by bio-fuel, a journey in the Skycar may become a reality soon. On the 14^th of January, 2009, British mountaineer and adventure-freak Neil Laughton is set to fly the Skycar all the way from London to Timbuktu. This may be the maiden flight for the Skycar but Laughton probably doesn’t have anything to worry about since the Skycar is designed by Gilo Cardozo, the same inventor who designed a paraglider which flew over the summit of Mt. Everest in 2007. Cardozo intends to sell the Skycar commercially at £50,000 if the mission is successful.

Via: BBC

Designer Bruce Calkins, who has designed the Autovolantor, may perhaps have an imaginative mind far more fertile than many artists’. The Autovolantor is a car, which can fly when the driver gets tired of crawling on the ground. The Autovolantor can reach heights of 5,000 feet and speeds of 100mph on the ground and 150mph in air.

The car is going to be marketed to the rich and the famous and is a solution to those who would like to avoid rush hour traffic provided they have the dough to do so. The car would be powered by 8 fans, which would be mounted in its fuselage. The car has front wings, which extend just before take off ad the back wings function as the propeller. Powerful thrusters inside the bonnet allow the car to fly and can seat two people.

The design is still in its infancy and it may not even be legal to have a car that can fly. Hence, it would be interesting to see if the concept can ever get materialized. However, when it does get materialized, the designer and others behind Autovolantor expect it to be priced around 500,000 Pounds. Next time you see a Ferrari and drool over it, give a thought to Autovolantor, for nothing can get cooler than this, if only it ever gets materialized!

Via: DailyMail