It’s a Bird…and a Plane? - Lois & Clark Fanfic Message Boards

I’m not quite sure what to make of this article, but it is well worth a read. I can guarantee you that it is like nothing else you’ve ever seen before.

Lynn is completely and absolutely correct. Presenting: The Phractyl MacroBat, an all-electric flying "car."

I think. Maybe it's a replacement for those personal jet packs we never got.

From the article:

Quote

We don't know exactly what it might do better than other more conventional eVTOL designs. We don't know if those bird legs are a remotely practical idea, nor the tracks beneath them, nor the "lean back and yee haw" takeoff routine, nor the "get the kids out of the way Gladys, I've got no idea where I'm going" landing procedure.

I gather from the slightly weird video that this - thing - is in the very early development stage. If you have a few minutes, I encourage you to watch the video. It's light on details and heavy on both promise and hype. Like the article's author, I'm not sure about this thing, but if the South Africans can make it work, it might revolutionize the transportation industry.

Or not.

Hello Terry,

Whether or not their creation ever gets off the ground (so to speak), the creators have to be given credit for imagination and out-of-the-box thinking.

I'll be honest: I can't even determine whether the project is intended to be taken seriously or whether it is someone's elaborate bit of humor. Either way, I appreciate it.

Joy,
Lynn

Interesting idea. I'm actually more skeptical about it being electric than I am the wing/leg configuration. There are a lot of factors that affect power usage--ask someone about running their electric car's heater--and the energy reserve in a battery is pretty slim for a plane that needs a landing strip. For something that makes quick hops and can land almost anywhere it makes sense. 35 years in, I'm more and more convinced that most engineering is just advanced, creative, shopping.