History Main / FlyingCar

* ''The Number of the Beast'' by RobertAHeinlein features one of the coolest cars of all time. It doesn't just fly, it flies at hypersonic speed with retractible swing wings. It is capable of vertical take-offs and landings. It can even do semiballistic sub-orbital flights just past the edge of space. Oh, and it gets upgraded with a time machine that can visit alternate universes, some of them fictional ones, including [[TheWizardOfOz Oz]] and [[AliceInWonderland Wonderland]], as well as the ability to teleport within the same universe. Seats four, six if they're really friendly. Plus, it has a magic annex (thanks to one of those visits to Oz) with a pair of fully-functional bathrooms and a never-empty picnic basket. And a superintelligent talking computer autopilot with a wicked sense of humor and a sexy contralto voice. And a highly illegal (but well-hidden) laser cannon.

* BeamBreakers was a computer game in which you drove antigravity cars in a 5th-element-esque city. It was also awesome...

* [[http://www.urbanaero.com/Urban_Main.htm Urban Aeronautics']] proposed VTOL aircraft certainly ''looks'' like a large flying car, though flying cars is not what the company intends to create (they want to build aircraft useful for rescue operations, and other non-personal uses). However, the goal is to build a compact, safe, quiet, relatively easy-to-control aircraft that is capable of operating in an urban environment, including safely manoeuvring between buildings while dealing with turbulence, and is capable of remaining airborne while in contact with a physical object (like, say, the side of a building). It certainly sounds like the company may inadvertently take a big step towards creating working flying cars if they succeed. Currently they have a scale prototype undergoing early flight testing.

It's a quick way for writers to show just how super a {{superhero}} is, particularly if they are a {{badass normal}}. Or sometimes it's just a lazy way to demonstrate a show is [[TheFuture set in the future]]. Nothing screams "futuristic city-scape" better than giant buildings with all the space between them crammed with flying shiny specks! Either way, you need a flying car!

* The Star Rocket Racer, the rarely-seen personal flying auto of both the GoldenAge Star-Spangled Kid and Stargirl of the JusticeSocietyOfAmerica. Ever since she got her Cosmic Rod she hasn't really had a need for it.

*** PowerRangersSPD frequently showed a small number of flying vehicles to remind us that we're TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture. Oddly, the ''Rangers''' vehicles were all ground-bound.

->''It's the flying car of the future! Today!''
--> -- ''{{Phineas and Ferb}}''

->''It is the year 2000, but where are the flying cars? [[IWantMyJetpack I was promised flying cars!]] I don't see any flying cars--Why?--Why?--Why?''
--> -- Avery Brooks [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzm6pvHPSGo&feature=related in this ad]].

->''"Roads? Where we're going we don't need . . . roads."''
->--'''Doc Brown''', ''BackToTheFuture''

So your hero needs a CoolCar. But what do you do when missiles, NitroBoost and [[JamesBond ejector seats]] don't suffice to show just how much of a {{badass}} he is? Simple: make it a FlyingCar.

It's a quick way for writers to show just how super a SuperHero is, particularly if they are a BadAssNormal. Or sometimes it's just a lazy way to demonstrate a show is [[TheFuture set in the future]]. Nothing screams "futuristic city-scape" better than giant buildings with all the space between them crammed with flying shiny specks! Either way, you need a FlyingCar!

The lack of flying cars in RealLife is a [[IWantMyJetpack common complaint]]. The fact that they would for all intents and purposes be personal aircraft and require the same regulations as planes and helicopters is a big reason why we haven't seen any in our lifetimes. Several flying cars ''have been invented'' in RealLife, but [[AwesomeButImpractical the concept has always ended up getting scrapped]] because said flying cars used up a ''lot'' of fuel... and had a penchant for crash-landing when they ran out.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* The Batcraft flown by Jim Gordon III, in the computer-generated {{Cyberpunk}} {{Elseworld}} comic ''{{Batman}}: Digital Justice''.
** In GrantMorrison's ''Batman and Robin'', Dick Grayson and Damien Wayne have a flying Batmobile.
* A main staple in a lot of Antarctic Press comics. Asrial from ''{{Ninja High School}}'' converts a junked car into one as part of a challenge if she qualified for a job as a mechanic. It later used as the protagonist main transportation around town. Gina from ''Series/GoldDigger'' patented (and often destroyed) "Gina Mobile" can turn into one when needed. And the heroes main transportation in the first half of ''{{I Hunt Monsters}}'' have one named Kirby that they use to get around the world.

* PhilipKDick had "ionscraft" in ''The Ganymede Takeover''.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

[[folder:TabletopGames]]

* Bob's car in ''{{Reboot}}'' is a flying car, which tends to break down and drop like a stone.

* ''[[TopGear Top Gear's]]'' James May made a [[http://www.open2.net/jamesmay/come_fly_with_me.html documentary on the subject]], concluding that despite the safety concerns the main problem with flying cars would be the paperwork.

<<|TravelCool|>>

* The Pheonix Hovercar in ''{{X-COM}}: Apocalypse''. Together with the [[CoolBike Hoverbikes]], they're excellent vehicles for {{Zerg Rush}}ing {{Flying Saucer}}s in the early and mid game.

*Bob's car in Reboot is a flying car, which tends to break down and drop like a stone.

The lack of flying cars in RealLife is a [[IWantMyJetpack common complaint]]. The fact that they would for all intents and purposes be personal aircraft and require the same level of training and regulation as planes and helicopters is a big reason why we probably won't be using any in our lifetimes. Several flying cars ''have been invented'' in RealLife, but [[AwesomeButImpractical the concept has always ended up getting scrapped]] because said flying cars used up a ''lot'' of fuel... and had a penchant for crash-landing when they ran out.