The dream of the “flying car” has captured the attention of the public mind since the post-war period, but has been verified through reality. Flying is not the same as driving and, despite some road-to-air cars, from the 1949 Aerocar to the existing Samson Switchblade, PAL-V and Terrafugia TF-X, using them on the road was simply not a practical proposition. That would probably have started to change.
On Tuesday, July 28, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu (right) signed NH HB1517. He temporarily nicknamed the “Jetson Bill” after the 1960s animated comedy “The Jetsons” in which George Jetson dragged his circle of relatives into a flying car.
State law deals with “road aircraft” and establishes a commission to examine cars that can drive on public roads and fly in public airspace. Especially from the point of view of corporations looking to build and sell flying cars, bill supplies for the registration of those cars, as well as the status quo of regulations for inspections and accidents.
The concept of a road plane is clarified through the bill which states that you can drive your flying car in your “car” configuration but that you will be allowed to take off or land on public roads in airplane mode. Essentially, the law makes it more convenient to drive your car flying to and from an airport.
“This law is ideal to allow this type of vehicle to be a component of the vast normal travel system,” says Sam Bousfield, CEO of Samson Sky, a new Oregon-based company. Bousfield’s corporate builds the “Switchblade”, a 3-wheeled vehicle with the ability to swing its wings and enlarge its tail to fly in less than 3 minutes.
Powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, it will be able to drive up to two hundred mph and 13,000 feet once in the air. This has not yet happened Bousfield was conducting high-speed taxi tests of the flying car when we spoke. Switchblade’s first flight is on its way by the end of this year, says the CEO of Samson Sky.
Why send a flying bill now?
New Hampshire Representative Steven Smith (right), sponsored the Jetson Bill after former state rep Keith Ammon, who lately represents dutch-owned flying car manufacturer PAL-V in the state, “brought me a list of things to address,” Smith says.
Rep. Smith has long been interested in emerging transportation technologies, which he calls one of his “passions.” He recently chairs the State Autonomous Vehicle Review Board. “I’m looking for tactics for our symbol as a state that embraces technological change. Maybe other people will come here first.
The new law takes into account the regulatory framework that is already in position for aircraft to be qualified through the FAA. Aircraft will have to undergo extensive annual inspections through authorized aircraft mechanics and pilots must be authorised and undergo annual physical examinations. The FAA equivalent of a board is an “N” number or a queue number.
With all of the above already in place, New Hampshire law is the vehicle that will be registered for road use by paying a constant fee, which does not require any other state compliance, simply move on to the DMV. You will need to load a badge to accompany your N number.
“If you get to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in one of those situations,” Smith says, “the difference now is putting him in a shed and calling a cab or Uber, bends his wings and can drive to his hotel.”
Common sense precedent
Jetson’s bill may well set a precedent for national flying car regulations, even for another hybrid transportation bureaucracy. Its adoption is due to a non-unusual thought in the component of automakers and state legislators.
Samson Sky, PAL-V and Terrafugia, in Massachusetts (Chinese property), provided legislators with data on the technical functions and protective facets of their offerings as automobiles. While there are differences between the protection needs for aircraft and automobiles, there are crosses, says Sam Bousfield.
“These 3 [road aeronautical companies] have worked hard to deliver a well-functioning vehicle both on the road and in the air. The FAA requires roll-over coverage and seat belts. We’ve gone above and beyond to supply laminated defense glass like a car.” We went more to supply qualified front and rear deformation zones [FAA requires deformation zones ahead] and we have also added opposite coverage to side intrusions.
The trio of flying cars also runs on unleaded pump gas than low-octane aviation fuel used through soft aircraft. This kind of design integration has made lawmakers feel comfortable and motivates them to be practical, Smith says.
“We made the decision that they needed license plates so that road patrol officers could have a way to identify them. But what about a VIN number (vehicle identity)? Aircraft have other identity numbers. The state aeronautical department and the [state] Department have agreed that, since it will first have to register as an aircraft, which receives a state identity number, this will also be what goes through the VIN number. In this way, we don’t use multiple identity numbers in a single vehicle »
Non-unusual sense technique can be just a catalyst for the flying automotive industry, helping it get out of the door long before the precious concepts of urban air mobility that they have many more regulatory, technical and advertising hurdles to overcome.
You’ll still want to be an authorized pilot, but the simplicity of registering your road plane with the local DMV can inspire early users, and insurance companies, to advance in the dream of the flying car.
“I think it’s going to be the most productive way to introduce this type of vehicle,” Bousfield says. “If there is a challenge ahead, governments have the opportunity to re-examine it and ensure that there is enough security for people, but there is enough flexibility for something new like this to happen.”