Flying cars: Dream comes true.

Byline: NAZIR AHMED SHAIKH

"Mark my word: A combination of airplane and motorcar is coming. You may smile, but it will come." These were the golden words, said by Henry Ford in 1940.

Since the start of recorded history, the dream to fly like birds could be found in myths, art and literature. Nearly every culture has its own version of winged angels, horses, dragons, as well as flying carpets etc. The world's folklore is replete with stories of soaring gods and flying heroes who, unlike humans, are able to navigate. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) the famous painter of Mona Lisa has depicted in his 5000 pages notes about the designs for flying machines. They include a pyramidal parachute, a model helicopter, and several flapping-wing devices, inspired by his study of birds.

Wilbur and Orville Wright Flyer flew less than a half mile in its four flights on December 17, 1903. But well before that, French aeronautical pioneer, Alphonse Penaud, in 1870, built and flew a series of rotary wing and fixed-wing models and "Ornithopters" powered by twisted rubber strands.

Mankind has always been intrigued with flight. Possessing the ability to soar above the clouds enables us to reach amazing places and fast. The 1700s saw the beginning of the age of modern aviation and brought forth the main categories of lighter-than-air and heavier-than-air aviation. The very first passenger air travel started in Florida on January 14, 1914, taking passengers between St. Petersburg and Tampa.

Civil aviation saw incredible growth During the mid of 1900s, the aviation witnessed the implausible growth bringing forth revolutionary aircraft designs making air travel more accessible and comfortable for the general public.

The classic idea of a flying car was just that: a car that could somehow fly. In fiction, the author Ian Fleming was a fan of flying cars, writing his novel Chitty Bang around the concept in 1963. He also included a flying car in his James Bond novel (1964) and subsequent film, The Man with The Golden Gun.

These concepts are based on a car with wheels that can drive on the road but is also capable of flying when required.

Since the development of transport systems, humans have exploited ground-level, below- ground, and high-altitude spaces for transportation purposes. However, with the increasing burden of expanding populations and rapid urbanization, public transportation systems and freight traffic are suffering huge pressure.

Scientists and researchers...