The Delorean Hovercraft - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Jetée · 07-05-2010, 05:00 AM

This one guy had a dream that we've all had at one point or another: to see flying cars become a reality.
More or less, humanity has failed in this regard to properly achieve such a lofty aim, but then again,
some will still keep trying in order to achieve the future, today. This is one of those stories:

Delorean Hovercraft Project by Matthew Riese -- Kickstarter

Said guy (Matthew Riese) has put years of effort, planning, and design into his pet project here, but the thing is, making a flying car is anything but cheap. So what he is asking from any willing and kind random folks like us is a little booster capital of funds to help his project become a bona-fide American reality. There is only two weeks left in the donation drive, so here is hope (and four dollars!) that I can finally state that I helped usher in the dawn of jetsetting commuter-sedan traffic. To learn more about his ultimate goal, click the link/article above, or continue reading the synopsis below (also, video!):

author's comments:

Welcome to my project!

It's the year 2010, a new decade is upon us, and the question everyone is asking is, "Where is my flying car, already?!" What I'm building isn't a car, and it doesn't "fly", exactly, but I think it's a step in the right direction. I'm building a hovercraft that looks exactly like a Delorean. If you're like me, when you saw the flying Delorean in Back to the Future, you thought, "I want one of those!" I think this dream has been brewing since I thought that as a kid, and a few years ago I decided to just build one. click to show

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

[kickstarter.]

raging moderate · 07-05-2010, 06:53 AM

That's a neat hobby - I think they already have hovercrafts though.

I definitely think it'd be cool to have a neighbor or friend working on something like that, but I don't think I'd donate any money to it.

BadNick · 07-05-2010, 07:58 AM

Thanks, Jet. I admire ingenuity and craftsmanship like that.

I like the look/style of the Delorean Hovercraft better than this other vehicle, but I thought I heard that the flying car project by Terrafugia finally "got off the ground" and that is actually a flying car. For some reason I'm not optimistic about the viability of this thing Terrafugia - Transition®, the Roadable Light Sport Aircraft

Jetée · 07-05-2010, 04:55 PM

I knew about that Terrafugia aircraft-convertible-to-car concept, BadNick, as I just heard the news about it last month, but there's still the matter of whether it is a commercially-viable product, (not as though the homemade DeLorean above is, in opposition) though I did read that the FAA gave it a temporary pass to actually operate in the air. So your case is probably ahead of the game when it comes to either you or I getting such a technology parked outside our home.

Either way, though the military (whichever nation) has achieved success in hovercraft technology before, they were short-lived, and were never seen as "flying cars", much more than they were hovering disks. I still have questions about whether this DeLorean is actually going to have wheels and operate as a car normally would, but still, if it looks like a car, and can elevate above the ground, I'd loosely deem that to be a successful case of creating the world's first (or second) citable case of the future's fantasy, made reality.

Jetée · 07-29-2010, 03:16 PM

Upate on the story, courtesy of Matt (Riese):

Quote:

Hello everyone!
It's been a very busy week and a half for me since the end of my kickstarter run and I am excited for things to slow down enough for me to get back to work on the hovercraft. The standard two week hold on the funds will be lifted in a few days and then I will be able to put the gifts together and send them out. I'll be sending each backer a message about how how the gifts will be sent out, so look for that in your inbox soon. Many people have asked for construction progress reports and so I'm thinking about starting a blog to keep everyone updated. Stay tuned for that.

That's all for now.

Thanks again for a dream come true!
-Matt

I'll have my eye out on when that said "progression" blog turns up, but for the moment, this is a huge tentative success.

[kickstarter.]

07-05-2010, 06:53 AM	#2 (permalink)
raging moderate Insane Location: Whatever house my keys can get me into	That's a neat hobby - I think they already have hovercrafts though. I definitely think it'd be cool to have a neighbor or friend working on something like that, but I don't think I'd donate any money to it. __________________ These are the good old days... formerly Murp0434

07-05-2010, 04:55 PM	#4 (permalink)
Jetée The Reforms Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition	I knew about that Terrafugia aircraft-convertible-to-car concept, BadNick, as I just heard the news about it last month, but there's still the matter of whether it is a commercially-viable product, (not as though the homemade DeLorean above is, in opposition) though I did read that the FAA gave it a temporary pass to actually operate in the air. So your case is probably ahead of the game when it comes to either you or I getting such a technology parked outside our home. Either way, though the military (whichever nation) has achieved success in hovercraft technology before, they were short-lived, and were never seen as "flying cars", much more than they were hovering disks. I still have questions about whether this DeLorean is actually going to have wheels and operate as a car normally would, but still, if it looks like a car, and can elevate above the ground, I'd loosely deem that to be a successful case of creating the world's first (or second) citable case of the future's fantasy, made reality. __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi

07-05-2010, 07:58 AM	#3 (permalink)
BadNick Riding the Ocean Spray Location: S.E. PA in U Sofa	Thanks, Jet. I admire ingenuity and craftsmanship like that. I like the look/style of the Delorean Hovercraft better than this other vehicle, but I thought I heard that the flying car project by Terrafugia finally "got off the ground" and that is actually a flying car. For some reason I'm not optimistic about the viability of this thing Terrafugia - Transition®, the Roadable Light Sport Aircraft