Are you ready for the SkyCar?

COMMENTARY--Here's why automobile technology is more a frustration than a turn-on. What other machine can do a head-snapping 140 mph but sits idling in traffic most of the time, and then when traffic is not part of the equation, earns you a pricey speeding ticket after you sample a little engineering progress? That's why this century I'm looking up for answers. Up, as in the flying car.

Believe it or not, the flying car is not that far away. Paul Moller, head of Moller International and developer of the Moller SkyCar has been working for over 30 years on passenger vehicle that will take off vertically, travel at 350mph as far as 900 miles on a single tank of gas, and park in your own garage. Moller has built a prototype of the SkyCar that is nearing its first test certification flight and may someday soon be available for sale to the public at what he imagines will be in the range of most high-end luxury vehicles ($80,000-$100,000.)

Technically speaking, Moller's SkyCar is a "volantor," which is defined as "a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that is capable of flying in a quick, nimble, and agile manner." Volantors work much like the British Harrier Jump Jet. They use a directional thrust system that lets the vehicle take off and land vertically, hover in place, or shoot forward by redirecting the thrust of the engine. This gives the volantor the flexibility of a helicopter without losing the fast speed of a high-performance aircraft.

Fun for four
My favorite, the M400 four-seater version of the SkyCar--uses eight rotary engines encased in four housing units called nacelles. A nacelle holds two engines to provide a back up in case of failure, giving the SkyCar the ability to sustain normal flight even after an engine fails. The SkyCar is also equipped with a parachuting system that will bring the entire vehicle down safely in the event of a catastrophic multi-engine failure. Extremely safety conscious, Moller designed also the SkyCar with two back up computers to support the primary on-board computer in case of a malfunction.

So when will we be happily volanting about instead of inhaling exhaust fumes in traffic? Depends on the FAA and NASA. The SkyCar is designed to be operated from small airports, as well as what Moller calls "vertiports," which he imagines being built near shopping centers and on skyscraper rooftops. A driver will need a FAA certified pilot's license to operate a SkyCar, but little has been decided on what rules apply to these vehicles once airborne. As a reader once wrote to me, "Do I have to worry about an idiot neighbor coming home drunk and crashing into my roof?"

Hurry up and wait
NASA is currently spearheading project that would use computer-guided, GPS directioned flight plans to give drivers a simple way to punch in their destination and then simply ride to their location without physically "driving" a SkyCar. Meanwhile, Moller's SkyCar is still "priced" at about $500,000--half off last year's $1,000,000 price tag--but a long way from competing with a new Lexus. It's safe to say that the next decade will be full of early flight demonstrations and some military and commercial trial use, but it may be an additional decade before the technology is affordable enough for consumer use.

While we cool our heels waiting, here are some online resources to keep tabs on:

* The Moller SkyCar: www.moller.com/skycar/

* Other Moller Inventions: www.moller.com/aerobot/

* Article about Paul Moller.

* Another flying car in the works, the "CityHawk."

Alice Hill was VP of Development and Editorial Director of CNET.com. She regularly writes about technology for ZDNet and Computer Shopper magazine and helps companies abroad build better Web sites. Her favorite topics include: Buying Mistakes Beginners Make, Becoming a Virtual Merchant, "="" rel="follow">Do You TiVo? She welcomes your comments and e-mails.