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Moller M400 Skycar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Moller M400 Skycar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Moller Skycar is a prototype personal VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft a "flying car" invented by Paul Moller who has been attempting to develop such vehicles for fifty years.[2]

Skycar M400
Role Manufacturer Designer Status Unit cost Flying car (aircraft) Moller International Paul Moller Under development US$500,000 (estimated)[1]

Contents
1 Description 2 Operation 3 Rotapower engines 4 Variants 5 Specifications (M400X Skycar) 6 Criticism 7 Pre-sales 8 SEC complaint 9 Popular culture 10 See also 11 References 12 External links

Moller Skycar M400

Description
The craft said to be currently under development, the M400, is purported to ultimately transport four people; single-seat up to sixseat variations are also planned.[3] It is described as a car since it is aimed at being a popular means of transport for anyone who can drive, incorporating automated flight controls, with the driver only inputting direction and speed required. The Skycar demonstrated limited tethered flight capability in 2003 by hovering only.[4] No subsequent testing has occurred, although public demonstrations have been announced and then cancelled.[5] Moller International's website claims that $100 Million has been spent in R & D at Moller International.[6]

Operation
A poster advertising the Skycar

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Moller M400 Skycar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Skycar is not piloted like a traditional fixed wing airplane, and has only two hand-operated controls, which the pilot uses to inform the computer control system of her or his desired flight maneuvers.[7] The Skycar's ducted fans deflect air vertically for takeoff and horizontally for forward flight. The ducted fans also encase the propellers, which prevents bystanders from being exposed to moving blades as well as improving aerodynamic efficiency at low speeds.

Rotapower engines
The engines to be used are being developed by a separate Moller company called Freedom Motors.[8] They are Wankel engines they call "Rotapower" which have a direct drive to a propulsion fan.[9][10] Each fan is contained in Kevlar-lined housings with intake screens to provide protection to bystanders.[9] The Skycar has four engine nacelles, each with two computer-controlled Rotapower engines. All eight engines operate independently and, allegedly, will allow for a vertical controlled landing should any one fail.[9] The Rotapower Wankel engine would have the ability to operate on any fuel.[10] Earlier Rotapower models used gasoline.

Variants
Moller M150 Skycar The initial single seat technology demonstrator, incorporating the fuselage of a Bede BD-5 with two of Mollers ducted fan propulsor units. Moller M400 Skycar The proposed production version powered by four Moller propulsors incorporating Rotapower 500 wankel rotary engines Moller M600 Skycar Proposed further development of the Skycar series

Specifications (M400X Skycar)

Data from [11]

General characteristics
Crew: 1 Capacity: 3 Length: 19 ft 6 in (5.9 m) Wingspan: 8 ft 6 in (2.6 m) Height: 7 ft 6 in (2.3 m) Empty weight: 2,400 lb (1,088 kg) Powerplant: 4 Rotapower 500 Wankel rotary engines, 180 hp (134 kW) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 330 mph (531 km/h) Cruise speed: 305 mph (491 km/h) Service ceiling: 36,000 ft (10,973 m) Rate of climb: 4,800 ft/min (24.38 m/s)
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Moller M400 Skycar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Criticism
The only flight demonstrations have been hover tests performed in 2003 by a Skycar prototype that for insurance reasons was tethered to a crane.[12] The ongoing failure of the Moller company to actually fly an M400 led the National Post to characterize the Skycar as a 'failure', and to describe the Moller company as "no longer believable enough to gain investors".[13]

Pre-sales
In October 2006, Moller attempted to auction the only prototype of its M400 model on eBay. It failed to sell. The highest bid was $3,000,100; Moller reported at the annual meeting of stockholders on October 21, 2006 in Davis, California, that the reserve price had been $3,500,000.[14] A previous attempt in 2003 to sell the M400 via eBay was also unsuccessful.[15]

SEC complaint
In 2003, the Securities and Exchange Commission sued Moller for civil fraud (Securities And Exchange Commission v. Moller International, Inc., and Paul S. Moller, Defendants) in connection with the sale of unregistered stock, and for making unsubstantiated claims about the performance of the Skycar. Moller settled this lawsuit by agreeing to a permanent injunction and paying $50,000.[16] In the words of the SEC complaint, "As of late 2002, MI's approximately 40 years' [sic] of development has resulted in a prototype Skycar capable of hovering about fifteen feet above the ground."[16]

Popular culture
In 1999, the Skycar was featured in Atlantis Found by Clive Cussler, being flown by the novel's protagonists Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino. It was also featured in the 2010 made for TV family movie The Jensen Project with LeVar Burton and Kellie Martin.[17]

See also
Bell X-22A M200G Volantor Moller M200X

References
1. ^ "What a way to fly! Avoid the traffic with a Skycar" (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article1088843/What-way-fly-Avoid-traffic-Skycar.html). Daily Mail Online. November 24, 2008. Retrieved 201003-02. 2. ^ Paul Moller and his flying car (http://www.downside.com/scams/moller/) 3. ^ Interview with Paul Moller about future cars (http://www.networkperformancedaily.com/2007/08/just_too_cool_interview_podcas.html) (August 3, 2007) 4. ^ Skycar tethered test (http://www.simonwhatley.co.uk/moller-skycar) 5. ^ [1] (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/moller-international-inc-postpones-first-manned-untethered-flightof-the-m400x-moller-skycarr-2011-09-27) 6. ^ option=com_content&view=article&id=78&Itemid=93#4.2 M400 Skycar FAQ - Moller International (http://www.moller.com/index.php?)
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7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

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(http://www.moller.com/index.php?) ^ Operation (http://www.moller.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53&Itemid=61) ^ Freedom Motors (http://www.freedom-motors.com/) ^ a b c "The Skycar Volantor" (http://www.moller.com/images/pdf/TXposter.pdf) (PDF). Moller International. January 14, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-03. ^ a b Rotapower Engine Technology (http://www.moller.com/index.php? option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=72) ^ "M400X Skycar Specs" (http://www.moller.com/index.php? option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=58). Moller International. 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-03. ^ Test (http://www.moller.com/test.htm) ^ Grainger, David; "Flying cars"; National Post, April 11, 2009 (http://www.nationalpost.com/cars/story.html? id=1486209,) ^ "eBay Watch: Moller M400X Skycar prototype" (http://www.motorauthority.com/news/concept-cars/ebaywatch-moller-m400x-skycar-prototype/) from MotorAuthority.com ^ "The Skycar: Transportation of the Future" (http://www.moller.com/files/DEC2006CAMPInSightMollerreprint.pdf) from official Moller website (PDF file) ^ a b Securities And Exchange Commission v. Moller International, Inc., and Paul S. Moller, Defendants (http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/lr17987.htm) from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website ^ "Moller International Skycar to be Featured in NBCs The Jensen Project" (http://www.moller.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=149:the-jensenproject&catid=35:moller-news). Moller.

Moller M400 Skycar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

External links
Moller International (http://www.moller.com/) Skycar Africa (Pty) Ltd., the South African agent to Moller International (http://www.skycar.co.za/) Moller Discojet brochure from 1974 (http://www.downside.com/scams/moller) "Seven Flights of Fancy that Fizzled" - MSNBC (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3475918) Gizmag (http://www.gizmag.com/go/1378/1/) Davis California Wiki (http://daviswiki.org/Moller_International) Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moller_M400_Skycar&oldid=556765585" Categories: VTOL aircraft Roadable aircraft Ducted fan-powered aircraft This page was last modified on 25 May 2013 at 19:04. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moller_M400_Skycar

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