Have you ever wondered how come we don't have flying cars yet? Well, consider if you will that flying and driving are both highly regulated, especially from an industry perspective. If you want to manufacture a car, you need hundreds of billions of dollars to get it going. There are so many rules, regulations, and restrictions it almost puts such huge barriers to entry, that no one with a better design can break into the industry.
Far too many of those who have tried have failed even though they started out with superior technology, and something truly valuable to offer to the world. Okay so, let's talk about this for second shall we?
We all know the stories of companies that have created cars, and tried to compete with Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. Those companies have come and gone, and we see there are a few right now struggling and attempting to get this done. Often they are mired in class-action lawsuits from the get-go and those attorneys in this industry are quite good at winning lawsuits, and therefore if these new companies have a good amount of capital, those class-action lawyers will find a way to get most of it. That is a giant hurdle to get over even before you have to deal with all the regulations.
The regulations are so numerous, more money is spent dealing with the government, and getting approvals, than actually designing, testing, and building the prototypes before you even start production. Imagine building an aircraft, and all the hassles and tests you have to do to comply with the FAA to even get approval, is a nightmare of biblical proportions, one which never ends, and the FAA were be fondling your privates from now until eternity. I'm sorry was that too over-the-top and graphic for an online article? Nevertheless, it's true.
Now then, what about the poor bastard who buys the flying car, after the company he bought it from has gone through all the agencies, satisfied them, and now sold him the vehicle, while passing on all those additional costs? Well, if he's going to drive the vehicle on the road, he needs to get registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles in his state, and then he has to get the vehicle registered by the FAA. Worse, if the individual flies the vehicle to another state, or another country, imagine all the challenges. That's a scary thought isn't it?
Now then, back to the title of this article "Does a Flying Car Need an FAA Registration Also?" Yes, even if you build your own flying car and get a waiver calling it an "experimental aircraft" that doesn't mean that once you fold the wings and drive it on the street that you will not get pulled over by a police car if you don't have a license plate and it is registered in the state in which you are driving in. Good luck.
The other day, someone asked me to write a number of articles on flying cars. Perhaps you are like me, and you grew up assuming that by now flying cars would exist, but they don't. Now that I'm older, I understand why, but I'm not very happy about it. The reason is due to over regulation, crony capitalism, and big industry stifling the introduction to free markets of new high-tech materials and putting barriers up to new start-up companies. Nevertheless, everything always changes, and many of those things are changing now. It appears that we may have flying cars very soon, and by soon I mean 5 to 10 years.
One company recently believes it could get certification within the year. You see, there is the new flying car call the Trafalgar which was the brainstorm of an MIT graduate student. It is in FAA tests right now for certification, and getting closer as we speak. Over 100 people have already put down deposits, and I'm sure there will be more soon due to the fact that they made a brilliant marketing and publicity appearance at the New York auto show in 2012. Unfortunately, the flying car that they are creating will cost $279,000. That's a little steep, especially for the single mom with the Honda car who would like to fly to work.
Okay so, let's talk about this for second shall we? Why can't I build a flying car in my garage, pull it out onto the street, and fly away? The reason is because there are too many rules in our society. A flying personal transportation device does not have to be a full on flying car. And even an automobile which flies wouldn't really be an automobile, nor would it really be an airplane, at least not in the current definition of those words. Indeed, it probably wouldn't be a very good car, or a very good airplane, but it would serve an interim purpose.
Further, why can't I build a box kite because as you know box kites fly very well, and merely get inside turn on the motor, and fly away? The reality is that a personal flying device such as this type might actually be a better model. I could fly from my home to Starbucks, land in the parking lot, roll it into a parking stall, and tie it down so it didn't blow away. I can guarantee you that the people in Afghanistan would love such an invention, and once we showed them how it worked, they would be building them for themselves.
Sometimes, you have to think in the box and outside the box. Unfortunately with the rules regulations we have today it's almost as if you can't do either. If you do everything the status quo way, you can't afford research and development, if you are a garage inventor and innovator, you will probably be arrested for trying. If we really want to have innovation in America, we are going to have to let individuals take risks, and see who comes up with the best idea.
Last time, it was a couple of bicycle mechanics, who knows who it might be in the future. I say we let them all try, if we really want to spur on innovation in America. What's wrong with that? Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.