Flying car safety - it's kind of important
what happens if all else fails?
I know what you are thinking. How could a flying car possibly crash when it’s got a bajillion motors keeping it in the air? Redundancy is the key with flying cars, if you lose a motor, the rest keep on going and compensate for keeping the vehicle in balance and in the air.
Well, as they say - always plan for the worst. Flying car companies and eVTOL companies are making no exception for this phrase.
So in the event that the power completely dies, the battery blows up, or worse, some makers are coming up with unique ideas to get the precious cargo back on the ground safely.
Let’s take Xpeng for example - a leading flying car/evtol manufacture. They have come up with a system that deploys a parachute and floats the ENTIRE vehicle safely to the ground in the event of all the motors/props/battery dying.
It’s pretty cool - take a look:
This is the first time I’ve ever seen this used in an eVTOL craft, and based on how effective it looks, you can be sure that other flying car makers are soon to follow with similar systems. We have of course seen (like in Top Gun) getting the pilot jettisoned out of the cockpit and deploying a parachute. History lesson for you - on March 1, 1912, US Army Captain Albert Berry made the first parachute jump from a moving aircraft over Missouri using a 'pack' style chute. (bet ya didn’t know that)
What other safety systems will be developed for flying cars? After looking into it a bit more, looks like Jetson Aero already has a similar plan.
Safety is the glue that will hold the ecosystem together as the steam steadily picks up on the manufacturing and deployment of flying cars continues. They always say, many less deaths in airplanes than in road cars. Can flying cars beat airplanes for safety?