QOTD: Would You Pilot A Flying Car?

by Tim Healey

Published: March 12th, 2026

We had some flying car -- or, at least, flying taxi -- news this morning.

I've seen startups trying to get the flying-car industry off the ground (pun intended) for as long as I've been doing this. So far, the industry hasn't taken off (pun also fully intended) in part because the tech isn't fully ready and in part because the airworthy craft that one can buy are very expensive.

I also had an expert tell me flying cars might never happen for a simple reason -- we'd need a whole new regulatory system for safety. We'd need to prevent flying cars from hitting each other and commercial aircraft (and now, drones). I'd also assume there'd be no-fly zones over military bases and the like.

Obviously, no such system is in place or likely to be in place anytime soon.

But let's say all those problems were solved and we had a "Back To The Future II" situation where people could pilot their own flying cars. Would you do it? Or is going airborne a bridge too far?

Sound off below.

[Image: Joby]

Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.

#QOTD #QuestionOfTheDay #FlyingCars #Joby

Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

More by Tim Healey

Comments

Join the conversation

3 of 23 comments

Gary on Mar 14, 2026

Lifetime car guy and retired pilot. My stance on flying cars is that they appear to be crummy airplanes and cars. Why put up with a substandard aircraft and car?

1 Reply
- Jeff S on Mar 15, 2026
  
  You have a good point the quality of most cars would not make for good flying cars. Additionally the quality of many of the drivers on roads would not make for a safe environment in the air. Jetcat makes a good point about the lawsuits. The promise of flying cars in the 50s and 60s is better kept as a dream of the past.
  
  Like
Zerofoo on Mar 19, 2026

I have a co-worker that is a pilot. He tells me maintaining his pilot's license is quite an ordeal. Frequent medical exams, certification for every aircraft type he wishes to fly, 90 day minimum flight requirements on each type of aircraft...insurance requirements...etc...etc.

Most drivers struggle to change their oil on time. I don't think flying cars will ever become mainstream.

1 Reply

Recent Comments

Andarris Here in the Toronto area I haven't seen a 2006-2012 with intact rocker pannels for over two years now. I presume everywhere around the Great Lakes is the same ? They were super cheap dhring the first two years of the pandemic - could get one with less than 85K for around $6500 certified or a little higher mileage for $5000. Glad I skipped it, even in 2021 some of the 10's &11's were displaying corosion like you'd see on a 7 year older Impala, Camry or Accord. Also the mid-model switch to EPS made me balk at the few clean ones I found.
Kjhkjlhkjhkljh kljhjkhjklhkjh I do not ever have delays. I only fly out of PDX or EUG to LAS or OAK and OGG then back .. have never been delayed in the last ?30-ish? trips to vegas/disneyland/maui/cruise ship vacations.... EUG has contract tsa so we never have any TSA delays. unsure which airports have PRIVATE contract TSA that is UNAFFECTED by the deadlock that i HOPE NEVER EVER END.
Big Al from Oz gidday mites how are yall feelin today? Want to have a barbie? We are right here gettin dee fire ready
Michael S6 The 3 Amigos better hope that the oil spike is short lived as 4-5 dollar a gallon gas would put a damper on their cash cows especially "Ford's strategic shift" of killing off the escape/Lincoln cousin. Most other automakers have a full line of vehicles with much better full economy. GM is sucking air and its Cadillac devision is mostly EV and geriatric line up of ICE cars and SUV's that were supposed to be phased out this year. The expensive gas may push shoppers toward EV but GM's horrible EV reliability is a barrier.
Tane94 I read the GM press release about first quarter sales 2026 vs 2025 and Buick is getting its butt kicked:Buick Total* 41,654 61,822 -32.6 The future is bleak for Buick.