DesertFalcon
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- Nov 26, 2001
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2:48am (UK)
NASA System Could Make Flying Cars A Reality
By John von Radowitz, PA Science Correspondent
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4096634
A “highways in the sky” system developed by Nasa could be the first step towards turning Hollywood’s vision of the flying car into reality.
Later this year Nasa will demonstrate the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) before an invited audience of engineers, scientists and members of the public.
The event at Danville Airfield in Virginia may “one day be viewed as one of the most significant milestones in aviation history,” according to The Engineer magazine.
SATS, costing £37 million, incorporates key technologies needed for a future network of “highways in the sky” to be used by low-cost, single pilot aircraft.
Many experts believe SATS could provide the basic infrastructure needed for personal flying vehicles.
Flying cars have captured the public imagination since the 1950s and featured in numerous films and TV shows such as the Jetsons and The Fifth Element.
A number of companies are looking seriously at flying car projects. But without a safe system to prevent mid-air collisions and remove the need for extensive pilot training none of them are likely to get off the ground.
SATS uses finely tuned GPS satellite technology to allow plane-to-plane communication and provide cockpit displays showing the precise location of every aircraft in a flying zone.
It will remove the need for expensive ground-based equipment, and enable large numbers of planes to operate safety around a small airport.
SATS also makes it possible for one pilot to operate as safely as two by programming in pre-determined flight paths.
The sky highways would replace traditional “hub and spoke” air travel with a point-to-point system.
The June demonstration will see SATS tested on a number of Nasa’s own aircraft as well as those of outside companies interested in the technology, The Engineer reported.
SATS manager Jerry Hefner, from Nasa’s Langley Research Centre, said: “I believe the 21st century will be known as the century for personal air transportation, and people will look back and see that SATS led to that.”
One company, Moller International, based in Davis, California, has actually built a flying car.
The M400 Skycar is a vertical take-off and landing vehicle designed to carry four passengers for 900 miles at over 300mph.
Over the next few months the M400 will be fitted with new high-powered engines which will allow it to undergo untethered manned test flights for the first time.
Nasa’s own Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) project also has a number of exotic looking flying machines on the drawing board, but these are just concepts at the present time.
London-based aviation company Avcen is soon to conduct flight tests of its “Jetpod”, a five-passenger aircraft designed to operate as a “flying taxi” capable of landing on 400ft long runways in city centres.
NASA System Could Make Flying Cars A Reality
By John von Radowitz, PA Science Correspondent
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4096634
A “highways in the sky” system developed by Nasa could be the first step towards turning Hollywood’s vision of the flying car into reality.
Later this year Nasa will demonstrate the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) before an invited audience of engineers, scientists and members of the public.
The event at Danville Airfield in Virginia may “one day be viewed as one of the most significant milestones in aviation history,” according to The Engineer magazine.
SATS, costing £37 million, incorporates key technologies needed for a future network of “highways in the sky” to be used by low-cost, single pilot aircraft.
Many experts believe SATS could provide the basic infrastructure needed for personal flying vehicles.
Flying cars have captured the public imagination since the 1950s and featured in numerous films and TV shows such as the Jetsons and The Fifth Element.
A number of companies are looking seriously at flying car projects. But without a safe system to prevent mid-air collisions and remove the need for extensive pilot training none of them are likely to get off the ground.
SATS uses finely tuned GPS satellite technology to allow plane-to-plane communication and provide cockpit displays showing the precise location of every aircraft in a flying zone.
It will remove the need for expensive ground-based equipment, and enable large numbers of planes to operate safety around a small airport.
SATS also makes it possible for one pilot to operate as safely as two by programming in pre-determined flight paths.
The sky highways would replace traditional “hub and spoke” air travel with a point-to-point system.
The June demonstration will see SATS tested on a number of Nasa’s own aircraft as well as those of outside companies interested in the technology, The Engineer reported.
SATS manager Jerry Hefner, from Nasa’s Langley Research Centre, said: “I believe the 21st century will be known as the century for personal air transportation, and people will look back and see that SATS led to that.”
One company, Moller International, based in Davis, California, has actually built a flying car.
The M400 Skycar is a vertical take-off and landing vehicle designed to carry four passengers for 900 miles at over 300mph.
Over the next few months the M400 will be fitted with new high-powered engines which will allow it to undergo untethered manned test flights for the first time.
Nasa’s own Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) project also has a number of exotic looking flying machines on the drawing board, but these are just concepts at the present time.
London-based aviation company Avcen is soon to conduct flight tests of its “Jetpod”, a five-passenger aircraft designed to operate as a “flying taxi” capable of landing on 400ft long runways in city centres.