InventHelp’s Invention Girl remembers growing up watching cartoons that depicted what life would be like in the future: robot maids, condos in space and (of course) flying cars. While these visionary predictions mostly remain fodder for science fiction programs, the dream of the flying car is becoming a reality.

Developed by a British inventor and a team of engineers, the “Skycar” took off from London to embark on a groundbreaking, 3,720-mile trip to Timbuktu in Mali, West Africa. The trip is the consummation of 18 months of painstaking research and development.

Now, if you’re like me, you may be envisioning the Skycar as a Jetsons-like space pod. That’s far from the truth. Less “pod” and more “buggy,” the Skycar is an all-terrain vehicle with a massive rear propeller and fabric wings. These flexible wings can be compacted and stored in the vehicle when it is land-bound, and they can be released immediately for quick takeoff. Check out the Skycar in action on YouTube.

The cabin is a tight squeeze, but it can fit a pilot and a driver. In this case, the pilot for the Skycar’s maiden voyage is veteran adventurer Neil Laughton. He expects to reach his destination in February.

The inventors are hoping that the biofuel-powered, road-legal Skycar will appeal to the general public more than some other esoteric “flying cars” that have come before it. We at InventHelp will be sure to update you on the Skycar’s maiden voyage. Perhaps I’ve watched too many cartoons, but I’m still hoping to fly around in a space pod in my lifetime!

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