Roadable aircraft


A roadable aircraft is a type of flying car. It is a hybrid vehicle that combines the flying capability of an aircraft with the option of being driven as an automobile on the ground. The roadable aircraft is typically recognized as a small plane with retractable wings that can fly in the open sky and to drive along roads. Most roadable aircraft have either integrated or modular components.
In the U.S., the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has shown an interest in the concept with a $65 million program called Transformer to develop a four-person roadable aircraft by 2015. The vehicle is required to take off vertically, and have a range. AAI Corporation and Lockheed Martin were awarded contracts in late 2010 for the Phase 1 program. Lockheed Martin's design was selected to continue to Phase 3.

History

, the chief rival of the Wright brothers, was the first to design a roadable aircraft. His large, three-wing Curtiss Autoplane was able to hop, but not fly.
In 1935, inventor Constantinos Vlachos built a prototype of a 'tri-phibian' vehicle that caught fire after the engine exploded, while Vlachos was demonstrating it in Washington, D.C. Vlachos' prototype is most notable for a newsreel that captured the incident, which left him in hospital for several months.
The Autogiro Company of America AC-35 was an early attempt at a roadable aircraft. On March 26, 1936 the AC-35 was flown by test pilot James G. Ray with counter-rotating propellers. These were later replaced with a single conventional propeller arrangement. On October 2, 1936, Ray landed the AC-35 in a downtown park in Washington, D.C. where it was displayed. On October 26, 1936, the aircraft was converted to roadable configuration. Ray drove it to the main entrance of the Commerce Building, where it was accepted by John H. Geisse, chief of the Aeronautics Branch. Although it was successfully tested, it did not enter production.
The first roadable fixedwing aircraft actually to fly was built by Waldo Waterman. Waterman was associated with Curtiss while Curtiss was pioneering amphibious aircraft at North Island on San Diego Bay in the 1910s. On March 21, 1937, Waterman's Arrowbile first took to the air. The Arrowbile was a development of Waterman's tailless aircraft, the Whatsit. It had a wingspan of and a length of. On the ground and in the air it was powered by a Studebaker engine. It could fly at and drive at.
In 1942, the British army built the Hafner Rotabuggy, an experimental roadable autogyro that was developed with the intention of producing a way of air-dropping off-road vehicles. Although initial tests showed that the Rotabuggy was prone to severe vibration at speeds greater than, with improvements the Rotabuggy achieved a flight speed of.
However, the introduction of gliders that could carry vehicles made the Rotabuggy superfluous and further development was cancelled.
Although several designs have flown, none have enjoyed commercial success, and those that have flown are not widely known about by the general public. The most successful example, in that several were made and one is still flying, is the 1949 Taylor Aerocar.
One notable design was Henry Smolinski's Mizar, made by mating the rear end of a Cessna Skymaster with a Ford Pinto, but it disintegrated during test flights killing Smolinski and the pilot.
At the 2014 Pioneers Festival at Wien AeroMobil presented their version 3.0 of their flying car. The prototype was conceived as a vehicle that can be converted from an automobile to an aircraft. The version 2.5 proof-of-concept took 20 years to develop, and first flew in 2013. CEO Juraj Vaculik said that the company planned to move flying cars to market: "the plan is that in 2017 we’ll be able to announce… the first flying roadster."

List of roadable aircraft

Most roadable aircraft fall into one of two styles:
TypeDate/EraDescriptionDesigner/DeveloperStatus
Curtiss Autoplane1917Modular airplaneGlenn Curtiss / Curtiss-WrightPrototype built but never achieved flight
Skroback Roadable Airplane1925–1942Integrated airplaneFrank E. SkrobackPrototype
Autogiro Company of America AC-351935–1942Integrated autogyroAutogiro Company of AmericaFlying prototype
Waterman Arrowbile1935–1957Integrated airplaneWaldo Waterman / Watermann Arrowplane Co.Flying prototype
Gwinn Aircar1935–1938Modular airplaneJoseph M. Gwinn, Jr. / Gwinn Aircar Company, Inc.Flying prototype. Crashed.
Southernaire Roadable1939Ted Hall / Southern Aircraft Co.Flown
Jess Dixon's flying auto1940Integrated copterJess DixonFlying prototype, patent
Hafner Rotabuggy1942–1944rotor kiteRaoul Hafner / R Malcolm & CoFlying prototype. The Rotabuggy was investigated as a means of delivering military vehicles to a battlefield.
Airmaster1944Modular airplaneHerbert & Helen BoggsConcept
Fulton Airphibian1946Modular airplaneRobert Edison Fulton, Jr. / Continental IncPrototype
Convair Model 116 ConVairCar1946Modular airplaneTed Hall / ConvairFlying prototype
Convair Model 118 ConVairCar1947–1948Modular airplaneTed Hall / ConvairFlying prototype
Aerauto PL.5C1946–1953Integrated airplaneLuigi Pellarini / Carrozzeria ColliPrototype
Aerocar1946–1960sModular airplaneMoulton Taylor / Aerocar InternationalFlying prototype
Bryan Autoplane1953–1974Integrated airplaneLeland BryanFlying prototype. Crashed.
BelGeddes1954Modular airplaneNorman Bel GeddesConcept
Halsmer Aero Car1959Integrated airplaneJoseph HalsmerFlew
Wagner Aerocar1965–1971Integrated helicopterAlfred Vogt / WagnerFlying prototype
AVE Mizar1971–1973Modular airplaneHenry Smolinski / Advanced Vehicle EngineersCrashed, killing developer
Lebouder Autoplane1973-1977Modular airplaneRobert LebouderFlew successfully, won prizes until damaged in landing accident
AviAuto1981–1990sIntegrated airplaneHarvey Miller / Aviauto Corp / Florida Institute of TechnologyConcept
Audi Pop.Up Next2018QuadcopterAudi AG / Italdesign / AirbusPrototype

Current development examples

A number of companies are developing vehicles, although few have demonstrated a full-sized vehicle capable of free flight.

Flying cars

In April 2012, the International Flying Car Association was established to be the "central resource center for information and communication between the flying car industry, news networks, governments, and those seeking further information worldwide". Because flying cars need practical regulations that are mostly dealt with on a regional level, several regional associations were established as well, with the European Flying Car Association representing these national member associations on a pan-European level. The associations are also organizing racing competitions for roadable aircraft in Europe, the European Roadable Aircraft Prix, mainly to increase awareness about this type of aircraft among a broader audience.

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