Ask any science fans about the future and they will most definitely tell you that it will be full of flying cars - where drivers may become optional! Many researchers, scientists and engineers see personal air transport as the inevitable solution to the problem of congested roads or airports that suffer from delays

At first, it was a dream to combine a car with an aeroplane. However, a flying car was considered to be too heavy, costly to design and inefficient. Another problem was that you had to be a pilot with a certified licence in order to fly one. Now, with modern lightweight materials and computer technology. a number of inventors and small companies are working on their own individual versions of flying cars, which they hope will dramatically change air travel.

Paul Moller, Chief Executive of Moller International and developer of the flying skycar M400, spent 40 years and millions of dollars designing, building and testing the personal aircraft. Technically speaking, this flying car is known as a a 'Volantor', which is defined as a vertical take-off and finding aircraft that is capable of flying quickly and easily. This allows the flying car to be flexible like a helicopter without losing the speed of a fast aircraft. It runs on petrol, diesel, alcohol or propane and its fuel consumption is comparable to that of a medium-sized car. This model has been tested to guard against accidents. Mr Moller states that his flying car is able to fly from airports and heliports. However, in the future it will be possible to land at at 'vertiports', 'verti which will include fields, parking lots, private properties, shopping centres or skyscraper roofs.

The benefits of this new technology will be quite remarkable. Firstly, the effect on the environment will be of maximum importance, as flying cars will reduce air and noise pollution levels considerably. People will be free of traffic jams and will have more flexible lifestyles and travel times. When these vehicles become popular, then people will have freedom of choice between rural and urban lifestyles, as they will be able to live in a village near a small airport and fly to their workplace in the city hundreds of miles away.

Whatever the future holds, it seems very likely that our children will be 'volanting' from small airports or 'vertiports' instead of breathing harmful exhaust fumes. However, it will be decades before the ordinary consumer is able to afford this technology.

(Adapted from Traveller by II,

Ask any science fans about the future and they will most definitely tell you that it will be full of flying cars - where drivers may become optional! Many rese