Posted on 05/02/2018 12:25:38 PM PDT by DFG
Imagine an aircraft that will take off and land like a helicopter but fly as fast and high as some light private jets. If all goes according to plan, a prototype of such an aircraft will fly in the fall and could be in customer hands by 2023.
The six-seat, $6.5 million TriFan 600 being built by XTI Aircraft in Denver holds the promise of dramatically cutting travel times between major city centers and offering the ultimate in private, secure transport.
“It affords you utmost privacy as it eliminates the need for an airport,” said XTI CEO Robert LaBelle.
When you factor in ground transportation, the TriFan shaves at least an hour off a typical three-hour combination corporate jet/car ride from executive airports to the central business districts in New York and Chicago.
(Excerpt) Read more at barrons.com ...
A lot of squirreliness to work through.
So the “fans” tilt for horizontal and vertical travel? That’s pretty cool unless one of them gets stuck.
... but can you drop Communists out of it?
The military has had these for years. VTOL.
Technically, you could call this the first flying car. Can I land it in my driveway?
21st century Moller Air Car
Send us money to develop it and we’ll spend it on advertising!
Can you land a UH60 Black Hawk in your driveway? If so, you might be able to land this thing. Probably about the same size.
Harrier comes to mind.
I bet by 2050, everybody will be flying these instead of their family car. (Better late...)
Yep. My driveway is a quarter mile long and my car parking spot is on the edge of a five acre lawn. :) WOO HOO!
Can't remember exactly why it didn't take off...
Probably a pain and time consuming to assemble safely, so it might have been more cost effective to just buy a plane.
One of my favorite planes.
Not until the government mandates back up cameras on these.
Already been done, Airwolf... LOL
I’ve always seeing flying cars as “a bad car and a bad plane”. I have family members that have fair amounts of land. If I had a thing like this, I could visit my sister in Montana. But there is no way I could afford it. She could. She already has a Cessna Citation...
I wonder what the mileage is.
Vectored thrust? A la Harrier?
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