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California Company Starts Making Flying Saucers
Fox News ^ | Aug 2, 2007 | Foxnews.com

Posted on 08/02/2007 3:47:19 PM PDT by Kevmo

A flying saucer that glides 10 feet off the ground and carries two passengers has gone into commercial production.

Moller International, based in Davis, Calif., has begun to manufacture parts for its Jetsons-like personal flying pod, the M200G Volantor.

The M200G is the size of a small car and is designed to take off and land vertically.

• Click here to see a video of an M200 prototype in action.

Company founder Paul Moller, in a press release, called the craft "the ultimate off-road vehicle" as it is able to travel over any surface.

"It's not a hovercraft, although its operation is just as easy," said Moller, a retired professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California at Davis. "You can speed over rocks, swampland, fences or log-infested waterways with ease, because you're not limited by the surface."

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aerospace; callingartbell; flyingsaucer; m200g; moller; skycar; transportation; vtol
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To: Kevmo
I'm sure there will be plenty of the usual carping, but it seems to be a very impressive piece of engineering - and the video shows it exceeding 10 feet by a large margin.

It looks to be stable and well out of ground effect. The crane is there for safety backup but during the video it seems to be just available and the line tethering the vehicle is slack.

It may not be economically viable (and the sound of the vehicle isn't on the video - it's probably really loud with eight unmufflered Wankels) but it sure looks like good old American ingenuity and drive aren't completely dead yet.

21 posted on 08/02/2007 4:11:31 PM PDT by USMCVet
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To: bill1952
California will shut him down unless it is eco friendly green

I don't think states can regulate emissions on aircraft.

22 posted on 08/02/2007 4:12:42 PM PDT by BearCub
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To: Kevmo
I can see tinfoil hat looney UFO sightings skyrocketing.

Da saucer boss, da saucer!


23 posted on 08/02/2007 4:17:19 PM PDT by stm
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To: Mark was here

That is a blimp project. I’ve always thought that would be fun to build my own blimp, just for goofing off, like Alberto Santos-Dumont.

All Things Considered, August 2, 2007 · At daybreak on a recent morning, a strange-looking aircraft is joining the birds in flight.

Dan Nachbar is piloting a 100-foot experimental blimp.

The yellow and black striped blimp has a playful look to it — like the Yellow Submarine fused with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But why invent a new kind of blimp?

Beautiful Views, Less Noise


24 posted on 08/02/2007 4:19:26 PM PDT by Kevmo (We should withdraw from Iraq — via Tehran. And Duncan Hunter is just the man to get that job done.)
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To: Kevmo
I heard about it on the way home. Sounds intriguing. Being in a floating chair, then going up to the top of a tree. May have commercial applications if it can controllably move heavy loads like pipes at a construction site.
25 posted on 08/02/2007 4:25:44 PM PDT by Mark was here (Hard work never killed anyone, but why take the chance?)
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To: potlatch

.

Bumperooney


26 posted on 08/02/2007 4:51:07 PM PDT by devolve ( _Google-Illegals_Killed_25_Americans_Each_Day _A_Mex_Illegal_Alien_Sold_911_Terrorists_IDs_)
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To: Graybeard58

doubtful


27 posted on 08/02/2007 4:56:03 PM PDT by Kevmo (We should withdraw from Iraq — via Tehran. And Duncan Hunter is just the man to get that job done.)
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To: Ben Mugged

They’re claiming to be in production rather than Prototype stage. I know it’s a dog, but it’s a production dog that might draw the attention of some enterprising genius.


28 posted on 08/02/2007 4:57:33 PM PDT by Kevmo (We should withdraw from Iraq — via Tehran. And Duncan Hunter is just the man to get that job done.)
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To: Kevmo

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2487644790842579349&hl=en


29 posted on 08/02/2007 4:58:28 PM PDT by An Old Man (Socialism is a tool designed to "socialize" (i.e., confiscate, not create) wealth)
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To: PghBaldy

That almost looks like Sonny Bono in the left seat...


30 posted on 08/02/2007 5:09:05 PM PDT by stevie_d_64 (Houston Area Texans (I've always been hated))
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To: devolve

Lol, How I’d love to post my little Jetson spaceship!!


31 posted on 08/02/2007 5:09:48 PM PDT by potlatch (MIZARU_ooo_‹(•¿•)›_ooo_MIKAZARU_ooo_‹(•¿•)›_ooo_MAZARU_ooo_‹(•¿•)›_ooo_))
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To: An Old Man

WOW...That’s a lot higher than 10 feet. Looked more like 30 feet...I’ll take one.


32 posted on 08/02/2007 5:14:54 PM PDT by dragnet2
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To: Eddie01

Figure on the order of 2 mpg.


33 posted on 08/02/2007 5:17:01 PM PDT by John Jamieson
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To: stm

Are you allergic to doing your homework on the topic before pontificating off the top of your derision?


34 posted on 08/02/2007 5:18:20 PM PDT by Quix (GOD ALONE IS GOD; WORTHY; PAID THE PRICE; IS COMING AGAIN; KNOWS ALL; IS LOVING; IS ALTOGETHER GOOD)
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To: USMCVet
I'm sure there will be plenty of the usual carping, but it seems to be a very impressive piece of engineering - and the video shows it exceeding 10 feet by a large margin.

Just guessing, but I'd say about 30 plus feet. Way cool.

35 posted on 08/02/2007 5:18:59 PM PDT by dragnet2
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To: Quix

Stock shot up 36% today to 64 cents a share!

800 hp @ 16hp per gallon per hour = 50 gallons per hour.
50 gph @ 50 mph= ONE mpg.

Invest soon!


36 posted on 08/02/2007 5:28:45 PM PDT by John Jamieson
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To: Kevmo; All
Another link
37 posted on 08/02/2007 5:46:07 PM PDT by EveningStar
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To: BearCub

They sure as heck can regulate his manufacturing anything right out of existence.

My statement was tongue in cheek, although looking at the state of California I’d have to suggest that they have had quite a bit of practice doing exactly that.


38 posted on 08/02/2007 5:48:35 PM PDT by bill1952 ("All that we do is done with an eye towards something else.")
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To: Quix

Are you allegic to a little satiracal humor? Go out and get a new sense of humor.


39 posted on 08/02/2007 5:48:41 PM PDT by stm
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To: potlatch

.

I know!

That’s what I wuz thinking of

I wonder who threw money down that moneypit

AVRO in Canada had one the US military got interested in

But it was incredibly unstable and there are videos of it run on The History Channel that show how dangerous and useless the AVRO flying saucer project gizmo was


40 posted on 08/02/2007 6:34:55 PM PDT by devolve ( _Google-Illegals_Killed_25_Americans_Each_Day _A_Mex_Illegal_Alien_Sold_911_Terrorists_IDs_)
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