Quote:
Originally Posted by Green_Primus
With the right modifications could the Aptera/Edison2 Fly?
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Any car can be made to fly, given enough engineering. My POC would be a little easier than the others, because it is lighter and has less frontal area. But making it fly would be a huge project, and you end up with a seriously compromised car and a seriously compromised airplane. I fly airplanes and drive cars and enjoy doing both, but the last thing I want is a car that drives like an airplane taxis.
Amphibious cars have been produced and sold (the Amphicar being the best example) but they do not catch on for similar reasons -- they are not good boats, and they are not good cars. The differences are more dramatic when you try to make a car fly, because an engine failure is simple to deal with on land or water, but not in the air. Anything that flies needs to be made to aircraft standards, and today the least expensive simplest planes (like a Diamond D20, a two place) are just under $200,000 with basic equipment.
The available flying cars are all less efficient and more costly as airplanes than a real airplane and worse as cars than a real car. The Terra Fuggia is probably further along than most, and actually flies, but is projected to cost $279,000. (
Terrafugia - Transition<sup>®</sup> the Roadable Light Sport Aircraft : The Vehicle). The Milner Air Car has been projected to sell for about $400,000.