The flying cars The Jetsons made us believe we would all have by now haven’t quite materialized.
But an Arizona lawmaker wants to be sure we’re ready for them when they finally do arrive.
Sen. David Farnsworth, a Mesa Republican, is shepherding a proposal through the Legislature to ease the process of getting “roadable aircraft” registered with the state.
His proposal would create a one-stop process where the owner of build-it kits for these vehicles could get the necessary licenses both to drive on the interstates and to soar at 12,000 feet.
The legislation would allow the vehicle to be registered as a motorcycle, as it has only three wheels, though motorists would not need a motorcycle license or to wear a helmet, as the cabin is enclosed.
The base price for such a two-seater brings it into the realm of some high-end luxury vehicles — about $170,000, according to Samson Sky, for the company’s basic model. But all you can do right now is get in line. A company lobbyist said while there have been test flights, they’re still doing other necessary checks.
So think 2025.
Extending the wings
It is technically an “experimental aircraft,’’ a category that allows people to build their own airplanes and, with a pilot’s license, fly them.
That idea is not new, but creating one that you can also drive on the ground and even park in your garage is.
You won’t be able to take off from the street in front of your home — or, as George Jetson did, from the balcony. Federal rules still require you to drive to an airport where a push of a button extends the wings.
Ditto on landing. But rather than have to leave your roadable aircraft at the airport, you can fold up the wings and drive to your destination.
Also unlike the Jetsons’ car, it won’t compress into a briefcase.
But Samson Sky lobbyist Russell Bousfield told lawmakers at a hearing this week that for many people it’s still more convenient than having to drive to an airport, buy a commercial ticket, go through security, fly to a destination and then rent a vehicle there.
Plus, he said, the vehicle is engineered to use standard 91-octane gasoline, meaning it can be refueled at any gas station.
The cruising speed is about 160 miles an hour, with a top speed of 190. The company is shooting to provide a flight range of more than 450 miles, more than enough time and fuel to get to California from Arizona.
130 on the ground
And on the ground?
“I’m not saying it’s legal to drive 130,’’ Bousfield told lawmakers. “But we can do 130.’’
As to flying in bad weather, that $170,000 gets an aircraft that can fly only under what the Federal Aviation Administration calls VFR or “visual flight rules.’’ That means navigating by sight using things like roads and terrain. It also means only daytime flights.
To fly at night, into clouds or in bad weather, an aircraft needs to be capable of IFR, instrument flight rules, something requiring additional instrumentation. That brings the price up to $195,000. It also requires the pilot be certified to fly under IFR rules.
Also, you won’t be able to just stop by your neighborhood Samson dealership and drive one off the lots. That’s because of classification by the FAA as “experimental.’’
Anything built as an experimental aircraft needs 40 hours of of flight testing by the owner in a limited airspace before he or she can take off for anywhere else.
The category also means it comes as a kit which, by law, has to be at least 51% constructed by the buyer. But company officials say they have “builder assist centers’’ where they can train people to operate the semi-automatic machinery that produces the aircraft.
“Doesn’t look like a motorcycle”
The Arizona Senate Committee on Transportation, Technology and Missing Children had lots of questions.
Sen. Frank Carroll, R-Sun City West, asked about the performance of the vehicle in aircraft mode at the kind of temperatures there are in Arizona.
“We’ve tested our composites at lower temperatures,’’ Bousfield responded. “We haven’t conducted high-temperature testing of our composites.’’
There were questions about repair, such as if it breaks down while on the road, can just any mechanic work on it.
“Some of these answers are a little bit into the future,’’ Bousfield said.
But he said one thing is clear: If you’re in a collision, even on the ground, forget about ever flying it again. It would no longer be considered “airworthy.’’
There were other doubts.
Sen. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, questioned why Arizona should amend its law simply to accommodate the needs of a single company so it can sell its products here.
“I don’t like that,’’ he said, though he eventually voted to approve the measure.
Sen. Rosanna Gabaldon, a Green Valley Democrat, said, “We’re making a decision today on something that we don’t understand in the future. It’s just too soon.’’
“There’s going to be different types of vehicles,’’ not just what Samson is marketing right now, Gabaldon said. Lawmakers need to craft something that deals with all types of flying cars yet to come, she said.
And Sen. Theresa Hatathlie, D-Tuba City, questioned how the vehicle was being classified.
“This right here doesn’t look like a motorcycle,’’ she said.
Still, the measure gained approval in the Republican-led committee on a 4-2 party-line vote. It now needs Senate action.
Cartoon trivia fun
Whether you think we should have had flying cars by now, just based on cartoon lore, that depends on when you think the Jetsons were zooming through the air.
Fans who watched the Hanna-Barbera cartoon show in the 1960s have decided and posted on social media that they believe George Jetson was born — or, more to the point, scheduled to be born — on July 31, 2022. There’s also a presumption, also based on nothing at all in the show, that it took place 100 years from when the series started in 1962.
That would have made Jetson about 40 at the time the show was supposed to represent. And that means we would still have 38 more years to wait until everyone has access to the kind of flying car he got to pilot.
In recent years we’ve seen a lot of examples of eVTOLs, or electric vertical take-off and all landing aircraft. They’re often called flying cars, but the problem with that moniker is that few of them actually look like cars and even fewer can drive like them. Buzz60’s Tony Spitz has the details.
