When FSB checked in with Moller International last year, founder Paul Moller was planning to fly his vertical-takeoff Skycar over a five-mile lake in Dixon, Calif., in front of a crowd of 1,000 members of the media. The flight never happened; instead Moller shifted his focus on to a smaller flying vehicle called the M200.
Similar in appearance to the rounded cars flown by the Jetsons, this $95,000 vehicle is smaller and less expensive than the Skycar, which would cost about $1 million in its current state. Since it hovers at heights lower than ten feet, the M200 does not need to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and drivers do not need pilot licenses to man the device.
The M200 is intended for recreational use, but Moller also believes that the vehicle can be used to transport cargo from ship to shore, to travel over small bodies of water, and for border control. Moller says that about 100 orders have been placed for the M200, mostly from individuals outside of the U.S. The company plans to begin filling orders in 2008.
Moller hasn't laid his Skycar to rest. Limited capital has slowed down the final stages of the device's development. His company spent about $2.5 million on R&D this year and pushed the vehicle's public flight back to spring of 2008. Moller estimates that it will take at least another $20 million to get the machine ready for FAA inspection, and he hopes to see his 20-year old project certified by the agency in 2011 and in production the following year.
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