NASA Really Wants A Flying Car

It turns out that we aren’t the only ones with a serious flying car jones. NASA has announced the Personal Air Vehicle Challenge. They are offering $250,000 in prizes for a variety of steps on the way to the ultimate driving machine. The contest, which was announced at AirVenture will pay $25,000 for advances in noise control and handling qualities and $150,000 for a “vehicle with two to six seats that can fly at least 130 mph for a 300-mile range while being fuel-efficient and making good time door-to-door.” It’s a nice idea but it seems like pigeon feed considering what an innovation like this would truly be worth. Branson’s busy with space tourism so maybe Larry Ellison, Paul Allen or some other big spender needs to step in and put some serious money up as an incentive.