• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Fabled Mercedes Sports Car Sells for Record $146M
  • Ford Recalling 39K Full-Size SUVs Due to Potential Fire Issue
  • Mercedes-Benz Abandons Its Entry-Level Ambitions
  • Push is on to Make Stealing a Catalytic Converter a Federal Crime
  • Toyota Marks 25th Anniversary of Sienna Minivan
  • Honda Offers Early Look at Prologue EV
  • Argo AI Shifts to Driverless Operations in Two Markets
  • Hyundai, Kia, Honda, Jeep and Nissan Fare Badly in Latest Crash Tests
  • Finally! Lexus RX to Get a Complete Makeover
  • Inflation Affecting Summer Vacation Plans
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2022 Kia Forte GT
    • First Drive: 2023 Genesis GV60
    • First Drive: 2022 Mercedes-Benz C 300
    • First Impression: 2023 Nissan Z
    • A Week With: 2022 Lexus LC 500 Convertible
    • A Week With: 2022 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Crew Cab
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
    • First Drive(s): 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate and AT4X
    • A Week With: 2022 BMW i4 M50
    • A Week With: 2022 Mazda CX-5
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automobiles > SpaceShipOne’s Burt Rutan Tries His Hand at a Flying Car

        SpaceShipOne’s Burt Rutan Tries His Hand at a Flying Car

        Legendary designer reveals the gas-electric-powered BiPod.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        July 27, 2011
        Burt Rutan's final project is the Model 367 BiPod.

        If there’s one thing Burt Rutan is good at it’s turning dreams into reality.  His Voyager was the first plane to fly around the world without stopping or refueling.  And his suborbital SpaceShipOne not only claimed the $10 million Ansari X-Prize but is helping in motion the dream of private space flight.  So, who better to transform the long-running fantasy of the flying car into something real?

        With the unveiling of his Model 367 BiPod, Rutan and his firm Scalred Composites become the latest in a series of visionaries – dating back to at least Henry Ford – hoping to find a functional way to combine a car with an airplane.

        It isn’t quite George Jetson’s briefcase aerocar.  The BiPod uses an unusual design with, as the name suggests, a twin, pod-like fuselage which not only provides two cockpits but protected storage for the wings and tail surfaces while operating on the ground.  The right pod handles airborne duties, the left takes control on the ground.

        The Inside Story!

        But perhaps the biggest surprise of the BiPod is its source of power.  Rutan – who developed the concept before retiring last April – has always been a fan of light and energy-efficient designs.  He’s been experimenting with personal electric aircraft for more than a decade.  And with the Model 367 he has adopted an extended-range electric system that is quite similar to that of the Chevrolet Volt.

        Twin gas-powered generators, one in each fuselage, drive the electric motor spinning the propellers.  Lithium-ion batteries in the nose of each pod provide additional power during takeoff and landing – and can provide back-up power during an emergency.  That’s particularly significant as one of the most treacherous emergencies for any twin-prop aircraft involves the failure of one of the engines during takeoff or landing.

        Though some have considered the possibility of going all-electric, Rutan apparently ruled that out because of limited range.  The BiPod has STOL – or Short Takeoff-and-Landing – capabilities, can hit a maximum 200 mph in the air while easily cruising at 100, and it also gets as much as 700 miles on a tank of fuel as long as you don’t push the speed.

        Unlike some other autoplane concepts, Scaled Composites claims the BiPod doesn’t have to pull over onto the right lane when it comes to keeping up with freeway traffic.

        The foldaway wing design, meanwhile, makes it possible to store the four-wheeled craft in most garages.  When airborne, the BiPod has a 31-foot wingspan.  In car configuration it measures just seven feet wide, about the same as a Hummer H2 – the low center of gravity and wide track, Scaled claims, improving stability both in the air and on the ground.

        A prototype of the Model 367 BiPod was flight-tested within just four months of the preliminary design development, something unheard of in either the aerospace and automotive industries.  Whether it will ever see production is another matter, however.

        But what is expected to serve as part of the final legacy of the legendary Burt Rutan will continue testing using both the hybrid and other potential powertrain combinations.

        And Scaled Composites isn’t the only company pursuing the dream.  As TheDetroitBureau.com reported earlier this month, the Terrafugia Transition is moving forward, with flight testing planned for the months ahead.  (For more, Click Here.)  Meanwhile, the Defense Dept.’s research arm, DARPA, has issued a call for the development of a flying car that could help a small squad of soldiers leapfrog from hot spot to hot spot in a hurry.  There are six finalists in the Transformer (TX) program and working prototypes could be airborne within a year.

        Recently Published
        Mercedes Rudolph Uhlenhaut with coupe

        Fabled Mercedes Sports Car Sells for Record $146M

        Today
        2021 Ford Expedition STX front

        Ford Recalling 39K Full-Size SUVs Due to Potential Fire Issue

        Yesterday
        Mercedes Drive Pilot steering wheel controls

        Mercedes-Benz Abandons Its Entry-Level Ambitions

        Yesterday

        One response to “SpaceShipOne’s Burt Rutan Tries His Hand at a Flying Car”

        1. Pingback: The Flying Car by Burt Rutan | AutoNet TV

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2022
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: