What's next: Flying people

Remember the scenes of "The 5th element", where chases between taxi cabs and police cars happenŠ in the air? Well, maybe this won't be science fiction for a long time. Flying cars and other strange devices to allow personnal air travel are on their move.

Take Mollers's "M400 Skycar" for instance. At the first glance, it may look as a comics rocket, or at least a bizarre plane without wings. In reality, this unique "flying car" is a state-of-the-art aircraft, fully dedicated to personnal transportation. Able to takeoff and land vertically, it allows to cruise up to four passengers at the speed of 600 Km/h, and can roll on regular roads for short distance.

Lighter, the "Solotrek XFV" looks like a huge metallic backpack, except for the two rotors on top of it. It should be able to transport its pilot at 120 Km/h, at the height of 300 meters over 300 Km of range. First targeted to military troops, it's developped with fundings from DARPA, the US Defense Agency, and the help of NASA.

Of course, it will take some additionnal time until everyone can go for a "fly-walk". Regulation organisms are on their way to establish rules and give agreements to "personnal light aircrafts". And computerized systems are to be improved to add anti-collision and other security systems to these engines.

Also, air transport will remain expensive for a while. Production of the Skycar could begin within two years, but in limited numbers and a targeted price of $500,000. Later on, its creator e