The solution to all commuter problems ...
09/20/2015
In the mid-1980s, former Boeing engineer Fred Barker developed a vehicle or aircraft that would have allowed commuters to escape from traffic jams and roads. The so-called VTOL - Vertical Take Off and Landing - aircraft had comparatively compact dimensions and was only around 4.6 meters long. It was powered by three horizontally rotating rotors and was supposed to be able to take off around 400 meters from the ground.
In principle, the Sky Commuter, as the aircraft was called, was the successor to flying cars, which had huge wings bolted onto them at great expense. Barker's solution was of course much more elegant and looked really futuristic, especially in the cockpit. It only had one disadvantage - it never flew. The creative engineer ran out of funds before he could prove that his aircraft was suitable for everyday use. Bill Gates also showed little interest in the Sky Commuter.
In 2008, the only surviving prototype - the outer skin is made of composite material - was auctioned on eBay and sold for USD 86,000 at the time. Apparently the buyer at the time has now lost interest in the Sky Commuter and is once again offering it to a science fiction-oriented collector via Barret-Jackson .
No price is given and the addition "Sold on a biill of sale only" indicates that the VTOL aircraft is being sold without vehicle documents, as if this had not been suspected ...
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