Moller Skycar

Skycar M400
Moller Skycar M400
Role	Flying car (aircraft)
Manufacturer	Moller International
Designer	Paul Moller
Status	Experimental
Unit cost	US$500,000 (estimated)

The Moller Skycar is a prototype personal VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft – a "flying car" – invented by Paul Moller who has been attempting to develop such a vehicle type for more than fifty years. As of 2016, no Moller air vehicle has successfully flown in free, non-tethered flight.

The M400 craft, currently under development, is purported to ultimately transport four people; single-seat up to six-seat variations are also planned. It is described as a car since it is aimed at being a popular means of transport for anyone who can drive, incorporating automated flight controls, with the driver only inputting direction and speed required.

After forty years and $100,000,000 in expenditure the Skycar demonstrated tethered hovering capability in 2003. It has been extensively marketed for pre-order sale since the 1990s as Moller attempted to raise more money for 'development' but thirty years on is often cited as a real-world example of physical product vaporware.

In April 2009, the National Post characterized the Moller M400 Skycar as a "failure", and described the Moller company as "no longer believable enough to gain investors". On May 18, 2009, Paul Moller filed for personal protection under the Chapter 11 reorganization provisions of the federal bankruptcy law and it is unknown how this will impact the fate of his ideas; Moller International itself did not file for bankruptcy but reduced operations.

A Skycar is not piloted like a traditional fixed wing airplane, and has limited pilot controls, which the pilot uses to inform the computer control system of the desired flight maneuvers. The Skycar's ducted fans deflect air vertically for takeoff and horizontally for forward flight. The ducted fans encase the propellers and engines, which prevents bystanders from being exposed to moving blades as well as improving aerodynamic efficiency at low speeds and generating lift in forward flight.

The engines to be used are being developed by an affiliate Moller company called Freedom Motors. They are Wankel engines branded "Rotapower" which have a direct drive to a propulsion fan. Each fan is contained in Kevlar-lined housings which provide further protection for bystanders. The Skycar has four nacelles, each with two computer-controlled Rotapower engines. All eight engines operate independently and, as demonstrated during a tethered flight, allow for a vertical controlled landing should any one fail.