Are Flying Cars the Wave of the Future or a Thing of the Past?

The Jetsons virtually promised we’d be behind the wheel of flying cars by 2062 – will we? Of course, it’s quite possible that we will, and many manufacturers are claiming they’ll be rolling (or flying) out soon. But that’s not really a surprise when you know that the first flying cars or roadable aircraft were manufactured in 1946.

The Fulton FA-2 Airphibian was designed by Robert Edison Fulton, Jr. and featured fabric wings that were attached to the fuselage for flight. In 1950 one of the four prototypes Fulton built was certified and is in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. While the plane flew, it wasn’t practical and left pieces behind after converting from a vehicle to a plane. As a car, it was described by Fulton to Air Facts magazine at the time as hardly a Cadillac but a number of cuts above a Jeep. With a top speed of 45 m.p.h., it would be hard to imagine the Airphibian on most roads today.

Airphibian was the first but not the only road-worthy airplane in that era. Moulton Taylor began designing and building a roadable aircraft in 1946 after meeting and being inspired by Fulton. Taylor’s Aerocar used foldable wings instead of detachable wings, an upgrade from the other model. In 1956 the Aerocar received certification and was set to be mass produced. However, when they realized they couldn’t match orders, production was halted, and only six Aerocars were made.

Today, there are a number of companies around the globe that are putting out promising reports of the future of flying cars, and some are even taking pre-orders. More than a handful have been approved for flight and roadworthiness, which isn’t too surprising when you know that the technology for both has been around for more than 70 years.