Seminar on

“Flying Cars”
by
ANURAG SHAJI
DEPARTMENT OF
AUTOMOBILE ENGINEERING
5TH SEMESTER
Overview
Introduction

Design Approach

Design Consideration

Design Concepts

Working

Advantages and Disadvantages

Conclusion
Introduction
 What is a Flying car ?

 Why do we need flying Car ?

 What is special in designing a flying car ?

Design approach
 Roadable Aircraft

 Flying Car
 Dual Mode Design

Flying Motorcycle
Design considerations
 Range

 Endurance

 Rate of climb

 Cruise speed in air

 Cruise speed in land

 Airworthiness standards

 Automobile safety and Emissions

 Acceptable in flight wing aerodynamics while able to
retract , fold or detached and stow the wing for road
travel.
 Need to rotate on take off.
 To find engine/transmission which could meet the
conflicting demand of ground and air.
 Dual mode control systems.
 Stability and performance requirements in both modes of
travel.
Design concepts
 Glenn Curtiss in 1917 exhibited his design of flying
automobile in Pan- American Aeronautic exposition in
New York.

 Waldo waterman was the first person to be granted a

patent on roadable aircraft “Arrowbile” in 1937.
 Robert E. Fulton in 1946 designed a new concept his
FA-3-101 Airphibian

 Convair Air car in 1947

 Moulton Taylor designed and built “Taylor Aerocar” in
1949
 Characteristics of Aerocar

 Crew: One pilot
 Capacity: One Passenger (2 total)
 Length: 6.55 m
 Wingspan: 10.36m
 Height: 2.18 m
 Wing area: 15.6 m²
 Empty: 590 kg
 Loaded: 955 kg
 Power plant: 1x Lycoming O-290, 135 hp (100 kW)
 Performance of Aerocar

 Maximum speed: 112 mph (172 km/h)

 Range: 300 mi (480 km)
 Service ceiling: 12,000 ft (3,658 m)
 Rate of climb: 550 ft/min (168 m/min)
 Wing loading: 12.5 lb/ft² (61 kg/m²)
 Power/Mass: 0.06 hp/lb (100 W/kg)
 Moller sky car a VTOL prototype invented by Paul
Moller.
 General characteristics
 Capacity: Four passengers
 Length: 19.5 ft (5.9 m)
 Wingspan: 8.5 ft (2.6 m)
 Height: 7.5 ft (2.3 m)
 Empty weight: 2,400 lbs (1088 kg)
 Useful load: 750 lbs (340 kg)
 Power plant: 4× 'Rotapower'  Wankel engines with ducted fans, 180 hp
(134 kW) each
 Performance
 Maximum speed: 330 mph (531 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7620 m)
 Cruise speed: 305 mph (491 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7620 m)
 Service ceiling: 36,000 ft (10973 m)
 Rate of climb: 4,800 ft/min (1463 m/min)
 Terrafugia-Transition
The Transition is a light sport, roadable aircraft under development by Terrafugia,
a small start-up company based in Woburn, Massachusetts
 General characteristics
 Crew: 1 pilot
 Capacity: 2, pilot and passenger
 Payload: 430 lb (200 kg)
 Length: 19 ft 2 in (5.8 m)
 Wingspan: 27 ft 6 in (8.4 m)
 Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.9 m)
 Empty weight: 890 lb (400 kg)
 Useful load: 430 lb (200 kg)
 Max takeoff weight: 1,320 lb (600 kg)
 Power plant: 1× Rotax 912S, 100 hp (75 kW) @ 5800 rpm (max. 5 minutes), 95 hp
(71 kW) @ 5500 rpm (continuous)
 Propellers: Prince Aircraft Company, four-bladed "P-Tip" propeller, 1 per
engine
 Cockpit width: 51 in (1.3 m) at the shoulder
 Fuel capacity: 20 US gal (76 L; 17 imp gal)
 Length on road: 18 ft 9 in (5.7 m) with elevator up
 Width on road: 80 in (2.0 m) with wings folded
 Height on road: 6 ft 9 in (2.1 m)
 Front wheel drive on road
 Performance
 Cruise speed: 100 kts (115 mph or 185 km/h)
 Stall speed: 45 kts (51 mph or 82 km/h)
 Range: In flight 400 nmi (460 mi; 740 km); on road 600 mi (520 nmi;
970 km)
 Maximum speed on road: 65 mph (105 km/h)
 Fuel economy in cruise flight: 5 US gal (19 L) per hour
 Fuel economy on road: 30 mpg (7.8 L/100 km; 36 mpg)
 Avionics Glass panel; the proof-of-concept airplane includes:
 Dynon Avionics  EFIS-D100 Electronic Flight Information System with
HS34 Nav and GPS Connectivity
 Dynon Avionics EMS-D120 Engine Monitoring System
 Garmin SL30 Nav/comm transceiver
 Garmin GTX 327 digital transponder
 Garmin GPSMAP 496 portable GPS.
WORKING
 This car is in aerodynamic shape (spherical). The two seat flying car is
powered by two engines. First Wankel engine will control two guarded
propellers as well as control system of car on road. Second Wankel engine
will control main rotor as well as tail rotor. The Wankel engine replaces
pistons of a conventional engine with a single triangular rotor spinning
inside an oval-shaped chamber, which creates compression and expansion
as the rotor turns. Two guarded propellers are of high power, rotate at a
very high speed will easily lift up the car in vertical direction. When car is
lifted upto a certain height, second Wankel engine is started which starts the
two rotor i.e. main rotor and tail rotor gets started. When main rotor
controls the car in air then first engine is stopped.
ADVANTAGES
Minimizing traffic pollution.
Lower emissions (over certain distances)
They can travel shorter distances to make the same
journey.
Frees up the city roads for pedestrians and cyclists.
Less need for on the ground infrastructure.
Emissions over short distances could be higher.
 
DISADVANTAGES
 You'll Have to Learn How to Drive All Over Again.
 Flying Cars Are Hard to Drive in Bad Weather.
 Breaking Down Means Falling Out of the Sky.
 Flying Cars Are Expensive.
 Flying Can Be a Scary Event. A car with wings and a
propeller protruding from the radiator grille drives
through Times Square
Conclusion
 The flying car concepts will require some more time to be
in reality.
 Roadable aircrafts design and development are feasible.

 Cost of roadable aircrafts play a vital role in their success.

 The success of roadable aircrafts will end uncertain weather,

rising costs, and ground transportation hassles on each end
of the flight.
Thank you