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Moller's M400 Skycar Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - Noa Rotkop Home >> Picture Of The Day >> Transportation   
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| Moller International has developed a concept vehicle that can execute vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) like a helicopter, fly like an airplane and drive short distances on the ground like a car. This innovative vehicle, called the M400 Skycar, is capable of reaching speeds of up to 375 MPH (about 600 kmph). Since it is airborne, the Skycar is not restricted by road speed limits or by traffic jams. If successful, the M400 Skycar could be the next big step in the field of personal transportation. | ||||||||||
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Dr. Paul S. Moller has been inventing and developing Skycars since 1962, when he built the first prototype for a VTOL vehicle, named the XM-2 Skycar )video here). The M400 Skycar is the latest in a series of innovative Skycars developed by his company. An extremely successful previous model is the two-passenger M200X Skycar, which has successfully completed over 200 test flights since 1989. Since a computer controls the flying, all the pilot of the M400 Skycar is required to do is to move the controls in the direction in which he wants to go. This is achieved by using an array of proprietary technologies. The airframe of the Skycar is constructed of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP), a material that is both aerodynamic and strong, and provides the vehicle with stability and safety. Another reason Moller chose FRP is that it is lightweight, allowing the vehicle to obtain a favorable power-to-weight ratio. Safe take off and landing of the M400 Skycar require a great deal of power . Therefore, Moller needed to design an engine that was both strong and lightweight. In addition, the company wanted the Skycar to be economic in terms of maintenance and purchase price, and environmentally friendly. For these reasons, Moller International decided to use a rotary engine that employs aluminum housings, peripheral porting and an air-cooled rotor. Their rotary engines were developed from technology obtained from Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) and are of the Wankel-Type. The 150 HP model in the M400 typically uses unleaded gasoline, but has been demonstrated to run on diesel and on natural gas as well. Using gasoline, the M400 can be expected to reach over 20 mpg. To top off its many advantages, the rotary engine is also very small and can be easily replaced. The M400 Skycar is a four-seat model that can be altered to seat six passengers or one passenger. The Skycar has a 750 mile (approx. 1,200 km) range, and a 36,000 ft (approx. 11,000 m) ceiling. In addition, it can climb more than one vertical mile per minute. The Skycar's multiple ducted fan arrangement is designed to generate low fan noise by using modest thrust loading and tip speeds. The company is expected to reduce the Skycar's noise level sufficiently to allow urban usage. A short video of the Skycar's hover test is available here. TFOT recently covered another flying vehicle expected to be launched in 2009, called Gyrocopter – this is a new flying motorcycle, currently under development by the Dutch company PAL-V. More information on the M400 Skycar is available on Moller International's website. |
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Future Hollywood Director/Writer may be coming the to fuel the dream for Dr. Moller’s skycar. I would love to have this car in somewhere my future planed movies say’s Ralph Martigani, Jr an inspiring future Director from San Diego, Ca. “This man has worked so hard for so many years for the sake of helping mankind and I believe he deserve a little help to from the big Hollywood industry. God’ willing and I get my dream Time Travel Adventure Block Buster movie project off the ground and Dr Moller will have an opportunity to show off his great work”. We know live in the 21 century and we should have flying cars, say’ the science fiction writer Ralph Martigani, Jr, “We have the technology but for some reason scientist are dragging their feet, we are 50 or more year behind in technology according to predictions Albert Einstein made many years ago while he worked at the patent office. We should have anti gravity skateboards like in the movie Back to the Future, but it up to Hollywood to help really get the interest up so that the future can become reality. |
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This thing is a joke. It will never go into production. Paul Moller has been working on "flying cars" since the 1970's and nothing has gone beyond the prototype stage. If the M200X Skycar was "extremely successful" why wasn't it put into production? Moller is seen as a "futurist" and people predict his skycars will be in everybody's garage in the future. But his skycars will not work in the real world. Most people commute 10 or 20 miles to work and a skycar is not practical. It's an expensive toy. Ralph Martigani, if you are depending on Hollywood to get flying cars into the hands of the average person, you are delusional. It will take a company like General Motors or Ford to get this going. And they are not interested. |
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worth less than dirt - there were plenty that told Whitehead, the Wrights , Berloit, Ford, and many others that their ideas were useless and a joke. People with imagination and creativity make things happen - not corporations. If you have nothing constructive to say then shut up. |
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| Thank you. | |||
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this car looks kind of cool, but why doesn't it function correctly. when it initials wertically it woggles way to much, as if it were to be a helicopter. U guys should try to develope the way it initials, give it a better car look, it looks to much like an airplane and should loose the wheels.........and gain more profit too. later on flying cars are gonna be known as a cool car that everybody wants to buy :) |
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I agree with the March 18 post in which someone stated "People with imagination and creativity make things happen - not corporations." |
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| flying cars are awsome | |||
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Anonymous is right. Paul Moller has been working on this forever. And to the person who says "People with imagination and creativity make things happen - not corporations." I wish that were true, but it's not. Lots and lots of money makes things happen. Until one of the big corporations develop an interest, you won't see these flying all over (like in the jetsons) ever. |
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| give me one car | |||
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All Mr Moller has managed to do is live a good live on the money of others offering them something he will never deliver. Just look at the thing.. Do you really think it can travel foward at any rate of speed without becoming unstable and crashing. Even the gutless Mr Moller won't do anything but make it hover. It's bloody ugly to look at as well. |
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The leaders of IBM were once quoted as saying they saw the future of computers as being about five in the world and could not imagine why anyone would ever want one in their home. Corporations take the brilliance of entepreneurs and capitalize on it, they don\'t ever produce something new by themselves. They just wait for someone else to figure it out and then buy them out or copy the idea. A functional flying car will need to be designed and put into production by a smaller company before any large corportion will stick its greedy claws into it to try and steal market share. That is the nature of a corporation. They will let someone else spend the research dollars so their public investors are not at risk until the product has some potential. Ford will only make a flying car after some smaller company has already done it. |
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Mr. Muller Is way ahead of his time right now. When aviation in it self can figure out a way to stop commercial planes from crahsing all over the place then maybe,,, just maybee Mr. Muller may be able to introduce something else to the market as this. |
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this sky car is no trash for its design, but it lacks something that can support it for 5 sec. The very seconds that are required to change the direction of turbines from vertical to horizontal position while in mid air. (which requires anti gravity in consideration with all his pre-calculations regarding speed, efficiency, applications, comfort, & to correct minuses of chopper or STOL concepts). for those 5 damn seconds it is the failure for now but not in the future. IF (very big \'IF\') it is perfected then it is some thing beyond what u and i could possibly dream of. there isn\'t the right Tech. for its design currently |
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it is unfortuneant that he hasn t gotten the car ready, it seams that it need s lift in the front or center of the car to help lift it up putting it in the center would help stablize it from intional lift or he could put a self stabalizing system in it by using water in a type of self leavling system scents it is a seeks it self leval just a thought |
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The ONLY reason this vehicle is not already in production is because of government meddling and regulation. I have seen the M400 fly tethered in person. Its an awesome aircraft and should be already on the streets and in the sky |
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Hi, The Moller M400 Skycar was mentioned in Clive Cussler's book "Atlantis Found." It's a very interesting concept. In the the book "Atlantis Found," which is fiction/some fact basis, it was used to transport passengers into snowcapped mountainaous areas. It's an interesting book and the reference to the M400 is contained on page 384. I think you might find the book and the use of the M400 interesting. GAP |
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A Skycar in every garage? If our present population of morons can't operate a vehicle in two dimensions safely how the h--- can they be expected to do so in three dimensions. I have flown light planes since 1960 and it ain't easy. If a person can't get a good grasp on meterology, navigation by six mathods, aerodynamics and mechanics, they don't belong in the air being a hazard to others. A plane in every garage? What a joke. You are not a sea captain just because you can buy a boat. |
