Although the notion of flying cars is something many grew up with, can you actually fathom bad drivers having access to the skies? What about all the extra training we’d have to navigate just to get an equivalent to a pilot’s license? These are among some of the challenges that arise when we consider the dream of flying cars becoming a reality. "Where’s My Flying Car?" is a book by Dr. J. Storrs Hall that explores society's expectations about flying cars and why these expectations haven't been realized. After watching a lecture by Dr. Hall based on his book, I want to discuss both his reasoning and some additional thoughts I have on why we haven't seen the "flying car" future we imagined.
Dr. Hall begins by referencing The Jetsons, a show that captured the imagination of many with its vision of a future where flying cars were normal for all to have. This was a fitting starting point because the idea of everyone owning a flying car most likely took root here. While the show presented other futuristic ideas, the flying car was the main focal point that many remember. Dr. Hall argues that the reason we expected flying cars was that, over the 50 years leading up to the show, society experienced rapid technological advancements, such as the transition from the Wright Model B to the Boeing 727. He suggests that these advancements led many to believe that the technology necessary for flying cars was just around the corner.
However, Dr. Hall’s perspective soon took an unexpected turn. I had anticipated he would address the common barriers to flying cars, such as regulations from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Instead, he focused on a different point: futurists, or those who predict the future, never actually envisioned universal ownership of flying cars. While they acknowledged the possibility of flying vehicles that would be comparable to the flying cars we envisioned, they didn’t foresee them being accessible to everyone. According to Dr. Hall, helicopters are the closest thing to flying cars we have today, but they are not universally owned or used for daily transportation. At this point, I began to disagree with Dr. Hall, not on the idea that helicopters are similar to flying cars, but on his assumption that we must settle for this reality and abandon the dream of flying cars as depicted in science fiction.
Dr. Hall then discussed the end of the industrial age and the stagnation of the atomic age, suggesting that these eras contributed to the belief that we would never experience the kind of flying car envisioned in The Jetsons. He went into more detail about both and while I don’t fully agree or disagree with this assertion, as my knowledge of the industrial and atomic ages is limited, I believe there are other factors at play when it comes to flying cars, some of which may eventually overcome these challenges.
First, as I mentioned earlier, the FAA plays a significant role in delaying the development of flying cars. Many companies are working on Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) and Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) vehicles as part of the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) movement. However, every vehicle must comply with the FAA's regulations to ensure safety in the air and adherence to established guidelines. While I fully support these regulations for safety reasons, it's clear that they will slow down the timeline for widespread adoption of flying cars.
Another major obstacle is the noise issue. Currently, noise pollution from drones is a concern, especially for smaller drones that create significant noise for people on the ground. If we were to scale these drones up to the size of a car, with multiple propellers, the noise level would be even more disruptive. This is why Dr. Hall’s comparison of helicopters to flying cars doesn’t hold up; helicopters are notoriously loud, making them an unlikely candidate for our futuristic flying car model.
Despite these challenges, I don’t believe flying cars are entirely out of reach. Rather, we live in a time where they are not necessarily a priority. There are still many technological and societal hurdles to overcome, but that doesn’t mean we will never achieve the flying car future we imagined. I believe that with continued advancements in technology and regulatory processes, the dream of flying cars could one day become a reality.
While Dr. Hall’s book and lecture provide an insightful analysis of why flying cars haven't arrived as quickly as many had hoped, I remain optimistic. The technological barriers—such as FAA regulations, noise pollution, and safety concerns—are significant, but they are not insurmountable. We may not see widespread flying cars in the immediate future, but as technology evolves, the dream of flying cars may not be as far-fetched as it once seemed.
