From dreams to reality: The flying car

Back in 2006, the tech and engineering company Terrafugia set the deadline for their flying car at 2019. Although many industry experts are skeptical about this given Terrafugia’s penchant for dropping their many projects, the flying car endeavor seems a little more possible than the rest. Why? Because the company has been bought by Chinese automotive giant, Geely. Geely also owns Volvo, and has acquired Terrafugia for an undisclosed amount. 

Source: youtube.com

But these are not the only entities aiming to produce the world’s first marketable flying car. The esteemed list includes Toyota, eVolo from Germany, and EHang from China. Early in 2017, the tech world was abuzz about Vahana unveiling and testing its first autonomous flying car. This, however, did not push through. 

There are a few challenges with creating a battery-powered flying car that can only fit as many as two passengers. The most prevalent challenge is making a profit. 

 Now, while many companies and people have amazing ideas and designs for the flying car of tomorrow, funding will always be an issue. Investors will only invest if they see huge returns. The upside, though, is that some people such as Google’s Larry Page, a billionaire himself, has made it his personal project to see that a car flies. 

The same thing with Terrafugia – with the acquisition, Geely’s funding may make all the difference and create reality from this dream.

Source: inhabitat.com

Scott Beale is a graduate of the Ohio State University, where he majored in Aviation Business Management. The licensed commercial fixed wing and rotor wing pilot with Jet Type ratings in the Gulf stream and Citation aircraft is currently the Senior Vice President of Sales and Corporate Development of Tempus Applied Solutions. Learn more about aviation here.

A Brief History Of Aeromedical Evacuation

Aeromedical evacuation has been used in the military for a century now. In fact, the first recorded event wherein an aircraft was used to move wounded personnel was 100 years ag0 – in 1917, in the Sinai Peninsula. A Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c arrived 30 miles south of El Arish and flew out a wounded soldier from the Imperial Camel Corps. The soldier had been shot in the ankle during the Bir el Hassana raid. People right then and there knew the value of aeromedical evacuation since the travel time to bring the soldier to safety was only 45 minutes. The same trip on land would have been about three days, with considerable more effort.

Image source: Wikipedia.com

The following decade saw the beginnings of a mass practice in aeromedical evacuation as a number of services opened worldwide. With aircraft technology still being experimented on, however, the services were flawed, and not always successful.

France and the U.K. continued to work on aeromedical evacuation, proving its efficiency in Somaliland in the 1920s. The Airco DH.9A was modified as an air ambulance, and in that span, the French were able to evacuate over 7,000 personnel. It continued on until the Spanish Civil War when air ambulances became the mode of choice for wounded soldiers.

Image source: health.mil

Scott Beale is a huge part of Tempus Applied Solutions’s success in the aviation industry. To read more about him and Tempus, check out this blog.