Aerocar First Successful Blend of Car and Plane
Five Flying-Car Models Earned Unique Place in Aviation History
Feb 16, 2009
Inventor Molt Taylor first flew his new hybrid Aerocar over his hometown of Longview, Wash., in 1949, accomplishing the most successful effort in America's aviation history.
For the next three decades, news media spread the Aerocar story across America, capturing people’s imagination with his dream of a flying automobile, a dream that came true.
Taylor’s “Flying Car” Wasn’t the First
Long before Taylor's "flying car," aircraft creator Glenn Curtis displayed his 1917 version at the Pan-American Aeronautic Exposition in New York City. Inventor Robert Fulton created an Airphibian car-and-airplane blend in 1946, with Convair aircraft building its ConvAir-Car in the mid-1940s.
Design problems and crashes ended most of those efforts. Taylor’s Aerocar proved to be the best contender. It drove well and flew well, yet never reached mass production.
“A Drive in The Clouds” Chronicles Aerocar Story
Still, the concept of a “flying car” continues to pique people’s imaginations, evidenced by the publishing in 2006 of “A Drive in the Clouds” by Jake Schultz. the only writer to capture the Aerocar story using Taylor's original drawings, photos and first-hand accounts.
“I felt a real responsibility to tell Molt's full story about the Aerocar before all of his materials were scattered and lost," Schultz told me in our interview at the Washington Aviation Association’s 2007 annual conference.
“While I was writing the book I flew an Aerocar once myself, at Boeing Field in Seattle,” Schulz said. “I loved it. I was grinning ear-to-ear. There wasn’t a lot of muffling on the engine so it was a little loud and it was underpowered, something Taylor took care of in his later models.”
Taylor Had a Flair for Showmanship
“A Drive in The Clouds” also shows off Taylor’s flair for showmanship. In the 1950s Taylor was dazzling television audiences with his unusual invention, appearing on the “Tonight” show, “I’ve Got A Secret” and Art Baker's "You Asked For It," one of the most popular programs of the time.
On camera, Taylor pointed out Aerocar’s standard auto steering wheel, padded two-passenger bench seat, seat belts and a dashboard with a speedometer and gas gauge for driving and an altimeter and compass for flying.
The wings and a fuselage with an inverted tail were towed behind. Its four-cylinder, air-cooled Lycoming rear engine powered the car’s wheels as well as the plane’s propeller, enabling road speeds of 60 miles per hour and 100 miles per hour airborne.
Aerocar Was a Perfect Eye-in-the-Sky
The Aerocar attracted many supporters, including television actor Bob Cummings, who bought and flew one his comedy show. A Portland, Ore., radio station, KISN, even flew an Aerocar for its commuter traffic watch, claiming the Aerocar “knew about traffic because it had been there,” Schultz said.
Finally, in 1970, Ford Motor Co. was ready to build a Ford Aerocar, but new government standards for fuel economy, air pollution and noise levels dashed hopes for marketing it, Schultz said. Disappointed, Taylor shelved his Aerocar dream, turning his creativity to designing home-built aircraft kits.
Today, his five historic Aerocars survive, three of them displayed at EAA's Air Venture Museum, Oshkosh, Wis.; Seattle’s Museum of Flight and Golden Wings Museum, Blaine, Minn. Two are privately owned by Grand Junction, Colo., auto collector Marilyn Felling, who is offering her Aerocar on eBay for $3.5 million, and by Ed Sweeney of Black Forest, Colo., who’s often flown his Aerocar to Air Venture. Inspired by Molt Taylor’s vision, Sweeney is designing an updated version, his Aerocar 2000.
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