[tim333]

Or Terrafugias http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/flying-cars-get-faa-approv...

As someone who did a pilot's license, real flying is pretty complicated at the moment by the time you've checked 20 things, radioed air traffic control etc. To get a movie flying car like experience I think you'd need self driving car type AI to deal with that stuff. Which could happen before long.

[wolfgke]

But here the problems are clearly in the laws. Don't complain to the engineers where the flying cars are, but complain to your representative for deregulation in the laws.

[TeMPOraL]

And then complain about evil government not doing enough about half-ton metal bricks falling out of the sky and killing people.

Humans are too dumb to be able to drive cars safely, as evidenced by over a million people dying in traffic accidents each year. That the air travel industry has so little accidents is a miracle, and in big part owed to all those pesky and annoying regulations that can coordinate thousands of people on the same task and make them do their jobs right.

[wolfgke]

> And then complain about evil government not doing enough about half-ton metal bricks falling out of the sky and killing people.

I believe that the class of people who complains in this case is rather disjoint from the class that wants less regulation.

[TeMPOraL]

Maybe among the people who think deep about those issues. You'd be surprised if you talked to the general population. It's "deregulate all the things!" but then they complain that the food they eat is crap and companies keep screwing them over.

[tim333]

Much of the stuff with flying is for safety rather than legal compliance. For example radioing air traffic control is to avoid crashing into other aircraft. It would be nice if there was some automated google maps like system to do that instead but I don't think it exists currently.