MIT STUDENT WINS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR FLYING CAR AND OTHER INNOVATIONS

[eppur_se_muova]

Carl Dietrich Awarded $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for Inventiveness
***
The Ph.D. candidate in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Aeronautics and Astronautics program received the prestigious award for a portfolio of novel inventions, including a new Personal Air Vehicle; a desktop-sized fusion reactor; and a lower-cost rocket engine.
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Dietrich’s most recent invention is a Personal Air Vehicle concept he calls Transition. It is a flying car that relies on the nation’s thousands of underutilized public-access airports to provide a practical transportation alternative to travelers whose trips range between 100 and 500 miles.
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Dietrich co-founded the MIT Rocket Team and holds a patent for his Centrifugal Direct Injection Engine (CDIE), a low-cost, high-performance rocket propulsion engine. It operates without a turbo-pump pressurization system, which greatly reduces its complexity and cost.
***
For his doctoral work, Dietrich is researching inertial electrostatic confinement fusion for spacecraft power and propulsion. This research grew out of an efficiency improvement he patented for a desktop-sized Penning Fusion Reactor.
***
more at: http://web.mit.edu/invent/n-pressreleases/n-press-06SP.html

(Also this is marked as a "press release" there is a copyright notice at the bottom of the page, so I'm keeping to the four-para limit.)

No links to the ..."DESKTOP-SIZED FUSION REACTOR"??

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Well, it isn't actually a WORKING Personal Air Vehicle

It's a little model. Probably the same for the reactor. Apparently, he is going to take the 30K and build the flying SUV. I won't hold my breath. This is the best that MIT can come up with?

[mhr]

2. The Car-Plane Will Cost 148,000 Big Ones - Hardly An Innovation

Unless you are a Rich Republican.

[A Simple Game]

3. Wow a flying car, what will they think of next? A car boat?

Oh, wait, they both have been done before.

They even had a TV show, and one of the poorer Bond movies(can't remember the name of either), with a flying car.

[Canuckistanian]

4. A driving plane

But the gas mileage will kill you.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. Read his reasons for designing it...interesting...

"
Dietrich admits a flying car is not a novel idea, but he points to a confluence of circumstances that make the timing right for it to finally take off. “Since 9/11, for the first time, average door-to-door travel speed has really dropped substantially due to a combination of increased security measures at airports and more road traffic,” he noted.

He also calls Federal Aviation Administration regulations on light sport aircraft that went into effect in 2004 “a huge opportunity in general aviation.” The new regulations reduced the training-hour requirements for people seeking light-sport pilot licenses, and they reduced the amount of paperwork necessary to bring a certified aircraft to market.
"

So...after 9/11, it is now EASIER to obtain a pilot's license?

[mhr]

6. Too Bad He Did Not Put His Considerable Intellect After

Peak Oil.

With PO no one will be able to fly anyway.

[theHandpuppet]

12. Very interesting, indeed!

I wonder how many folks are aware of the change in regulations? This might be something worth posting in GD if you can find more info about the FAA'a rules change.

[eppur_se_muova]

13. I see you took care of this. nt

[htuttle]

7. Personal Air Vehicle? THIS is the future of 'personal air travel'

It's good for the planet, and good for you, too.

ps. Yes, it's pedal-powered.

[eppur_se_muova]

8. YOU CAN'T POST SOMETHING LIKE THAT WITHOUT A LINK!!!

LTA craft...yeah baby!! Back to the future!

[htuttle]

9. That is the 'White Dwarf' built for Gallagher

Here's a page about it:
http://home.teleport.com/~reedg/whitedwarf.html

I think it was built by Bill Watson, the same guy who built the Gossamer Condor and Gossamer Albatross craft.

Googling on White Dwarf Blimp will bring up a whole slew of links.

Yes, I'd like one too!

[eppur_se_muova]

10. Thanks a bunch! I wish passenger blimp service was still in business. nt

[htuttle]

11. Here's some more interesting links I came across just now

Little Blimps, especially human powered
http://www.firstpr.com.au/blimp/

And then there's also Cluster Ballooning:
http://www.clusterballoon.org/

...which is downright insane. :)

[DrGonzoLives]

14. Great, flying cars

People can't drive on the ground, how the hell are they going to fly through the air?