As a kid I still remember watching the cartoon the Jetsons and thinking to myself how cool the future will be when we have cars that can fly. From an article over at CNN, it appears that the Jetsons may become real-life sooner than we realize.
As technology becomes more advanced and we see our phones, computers, and other electronics get smaller and smaller, those advancements have also spilled over to transportation. Tesla already has one electric car on the market with their lower-cost Model 3 coming in 2016, and my dad even jumped on the Elio bandwagon and put a desposit down for this $6,800 car that will get 84 mpg.
But neither the Tesla or Elio can fly, which is why the SkyRunner made by Parajet is just way cooler. At a price tag of $80,000, the SkyRunner is currently being positioned as a recreational ATV / light sport aircraft that is capable of reaching heights of 15,000 feet and flying up to 3 hours at at speed of 55 mph. On land, it can reach speeds as high as 115 mph. To me, it certainly has the look and feel of a ATV, and I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that it needs to have a parachute attached in order to fly. But nonetheless, this is one darn good-looking vehicle.
While the vehicle has undergone significant testing for the past five years, since it is classified as a light aircraft, hurdles still remain before you can take this over regulated airspace. Even the developers have even admitted that it will be somewhat of a long shot, which probably has something to do with the big parachute that's needed to fly.
So while it still doesn't look like you'll be able to fly to work anytime soon, it's certainly exciting to think of the possibilities. I've been noodling on whether or not to get a pilot's license, primarily for recreation and to travel short distances, so this could a fun alternative if it's able to enter production.
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