July 21, 2010 - But Will It Fly? MACRO sets its sights on real Transformer
"The objective of the Transformer (TX) program is to demonstrate a four person flyable/roadable vehicle that provides the Warfighter terrain-independent mobility."
MACRO Industries is on a mission to design a flying car for the Army. But it's not the first time someone from the Huntsville company will have designed a flying car. In fact MACRO is basing its design on a concept co-owner/president Norris Luce came up with as a 16-year-old - SkyRider. The Huntsville Times, by Budd McLaughlin. The online article is available at al.com.
July 13, 2010 - Flying-car company lifts off in NBC movie
Davis-based flying-car company Moller International gets a few minutes of fame on NBC’s TV move The Jensen Project, which airs Friday night.
The movie is about a family that is part of a community of geniuses who work on underground projects. Some members of the community go rogue, and it’s up to the family to keep the world safe.
While this production is a made-for-TV movie, it could turn into a pilot if the show takes off. The movie features Le Var Burton, Kellie Martin, Patricia Richardson and Brady Smith.
Moller’s Skycar is a vertical-take-off-and-landing vehicle. It uses small powerful motors to create lift and forward momentum. It is not a airplane, but more of a sleek hovering craft. It doesn’t have the air curtain of a hovercraft.
“We were contacted by Jensen (MUSE) Productions as they wanted to showcase the most technologically advanced autovolantor in their movie, The Jensen Project,” said Paul Moller, president of Moller International, in a prepared statement. “This is a major advancement for the vertical-take-off-and-landing industry as our Skycar gains continued popularity among the media.”
Mark Anderson, staff writer, Sacramento Business Journal
July 12, 2010 - DARPA Asks for a Flying Car, Gets a Dual-Rotor Road Warrior Turned Helo
Just after the new year, DARPA put out a broad agency announcement requesting a flying car, specifically a one-to four-person, vertical takeoff and landing-capable vehicle that can negotiate off-road conditions as well as take to the skies. Today, Fort Worth-based AVX Aircraft has responded with a proposal, releasing some mock-ups of a dual-rotor, ducted-fan driven aircraft that’s also road-ready. By Clay Dillow
June 29, 2010 - ‘Flying car’ intended for Amazon use
There are already more than 100 light sport aircraft you can buy, and now there is soon to be a new one, the I-TEC Maverick Sport Model. It isn’t exactly a flying car, more like a powered car-a-chute. It was developed for use by missionaries in remote areas of the Amazon to use roads—as far as they go—and to fly the rest of the way to indigenous people. (View a video.) By Alton K. Marsh
May 28, 2010 - The YEE flying car concept
Flying cars might still be a long way from becoming a commercial reality, but that doesn't stop designers letting their imaginations run wild when it comes to envisioning the airborne automobiles of the future... and they sure make for some gorgeous conceptual art. A case in point is the YEE, designed by South China University of Technology (SCUT) industrial design students Pan Jiazhi, Zhu Wenxi and Lai Zexin. Last month, their creation won the Gold Award for Best Creative Future at the First International Concept Car Design Contest in Beijing. One look at it, and it’s easy to see why. By Ben Coxworth
April 14, 2010 - US Marine's Plans of a Flying Humvee or Sky-jeep
The Government’s envisioned concept consists of a robust ground vehicle that is capable of configuring into a VTOL [Vertical Take Off and Landing] air vehicle with a maximum payload capability of approximately 1,000 lbs. more... Posted in Science by Lewis Page.
April 04, 2010 - Oldest Original Flying Car Sells for $65,175
The oldest original “flying car” — built in 1935 and the brainchild of Frank Skroback, a retired industrial technician and electrician from Syracuse, N.Y. — soared to $65,175 at a massive weekend auction held Mar. 13-14 by Red Baron. The craft was meant to be flown from house to house, using roads as runways.Photos courtesy Red Baron Antiques.
October 29, 2009 - Is This Mad Scientist and His Antigravity Drive for Real?
Inventor Roger Shawyer's anti gravity drive could bring George Jetson's flying car into reality. Shawyer says he's working on a version of his superconductor-packing Emdrive that can generate 300 pounds of thrust using a 6 kW input. The idea is to silently lift vehicles, spacecraft or missiles with the Emdrive, and then propel those projectiles forward using other means such as rocket or jet engines. More... Published by Charlie White
September 01, 2009 - SkyCar, World’s First Bio-fueled Flying Car
Gilo Cardozo, a self-taught aviation engineer, inventor and founder of British-based Parajet has created a two-seat flying car. This SkyCar is the first two-seater, high performance, road legal, bio-fueled flying car; capable of providing rally car performance on and off road, and light aircraft performance after just a few minutes of wing preparation.
The SkyCar is powered by a modified ethanol burning Yamaha R1 superbike engine.
June 23, 2009 - Flying Car Will Pose Challenges to Insurers
This article was published in Insurance Networking News and the author, Ara C. Trembly (www.aratremblytechnology.com) is the founder of Ara Trembly, The Tech Consultant and a longtime observer of technology in insurance and financial services.
In what could well be a nightmare for insurance companies, and perhaps rental car agencies, a Woburn, Mass. company announced recently that it had successfully completed flight testing of the Transition Roadable Aircraft—a flying car.
Terrafugia Inc. reported that the Transition completed its historic first flight on March 5, 2009 with 27 additional flights completed over the next several weeks. The company said successful completion of flight-testing with the proof of concept concludes the first of a four-stage process to bring the Transition into production. Work is underway on stage two, the Beta Prototype. First delivery is expected in 2011.
So what exactly are we talking about here? More...
April 24, 2009 - Dutch Flying Car Pal-V Test Flight
On Monday, April 27, a model of Dutch flying car, the Pal-V, is being test-flown in traffic for the first time. The car being flown is not the first prototype, but a model that will be used to test the combination of auto-gyro and the car in traffic conditions. The machine's developer, Dutch entrepreneur John Bakker, took six years to get to this stage with his creation. One of the hardest challenges he's faced thus far is getting official permission to test-fly in actual traffic situations. Bakker has been working with aviation and road-safety experts as he has been developing his design. Dutch authorities have determined that operators will require a driver's and small-craft pilot's license. Learn more about Bakker and the Pal-V at
Digital Journal
in an article written by Adriana Stuijt.
April 23, 2009 - Space Station Assembly Diagram
Check out
USA Today which features this International Space Station assembly diagram. Click on each part to learn about its function and history. It is interesting and amazing how the Space Station has grown!
April 20, 2009 - Powered Skydiving Flying Car
This powered skydiving flying car by SuperDell is in stock and ready to ship! It flies up to 18,000 feet and can reach 50+ mph in the air (well over that on the street). Launching and landing requires as little as 10 feet. You can have one for only $14,995. If you are interested in seeing more videos of the car, go to You Tube.
April 19, 2009 - MACRO's SkyRider XR2 is Listed in Blog
MACRO's SkyRider XR2 is listed #3 in this Blog by Rob Lammie that previews 7 Modern Flying Car
Designs on the website mental_floss. Lammie mentions that MACRO's flying car differs from others in that it will integrate a "highway in the sky" computerized navigation system being developed by NASA.
July 21, 2008 - Firefighters Flying Car
Seems everyone is tired of waiting for their flying car. See what a
group of Firefighters came up with. We love the idea, but the landing seems a bit hard!
LOL! (You may have to click the arrow twice.)
May 19, 2008 - Terrafugia's Drivable Airplane
The Xconomy story about Terrafugia's drivable airplane that appear on Slashdot brought more visitors to the site than any Xconomy story since their launch last summer (and temporarily brought down their Web server in the process). Quote "Judging from the comments last week, many commenters hadn't fully absorbed the factual points in the article (to put it politely). Others seemed to feel that because the concept of a car-plane hybrid has been on the drawing boards for so long, it must be inherently flawed. But if you hear out the prize-winning aerospace engineers at Terrafugia, you'll begin to understand why they feel so certain that current-day materials and electronics make a roadable aircraft--one that's safe both to fly and to drive--a feasible idea." The full story is available at "In Defense of The Drivable Airplane--Terrafugia CEO Responds to Legions of Doubters" written by Wade Roush 5/13/08
May 14, 2008 - 60 Minutes Segment on Flying Cars
60 Minutes did a segment called "Flying Cars". While SkyRider wasn't featured, they did feature many flying cars and the people who are working to make this a reality. 60 minutes also included a segment on
Highway In The Sky which does a good job of explaining how these "highways" will work.
March 20, 2008 - AirCar Displayed at the New York Air Show
An AirCar was displayed at the New York Air Show. The article
"Flying Cars! We interview one of the minds
behind Milner's AirCar" was written by S.E. Kramer and appears on the website
DVICE. The AirCar is not just a plane that can drive around: it's a lightweight
fully-featured car that can compact to be about the size of a Hummer and fit in a garage.
Soon it will transform into a flying car. Another article about this AirCar also appeared
on DVICE on March 10, 2008. The article
"Drive a flying car that looks like you built
it yourself" was written by Adam Frucci.
January 20, 2008 - Roadable Aircraft To Fly This Year
The MIT grads who embarked on the heretofore impossible dream of creating a practical roadable aircraft are featured in the article
"Roadable Aircraft To Fly This Year"
written by Russ Niles, Editor-in-Chief which appears on the AVweb
website. There is also a video.
September 02, 2006 - Flying Cars Used in GM TV Spot
The spot features GM vehicles "elevating" above grid-locked traffic in Los Angeles, New York City, Miami and San Francisco. And the song in the spot is "Get What You Need" by Jet. It was a great commercial but we do not think "flying cars" will ever quite work like that. But who knows!
July 12, 2006 - Flying Cars in PC Magazine
Flying Cars are referenced in "The Science Fiction Files" an article the author of Star Trek's famous episode "The Trouble With Tribbles," David Gerrold which was published in PC Magazine.
May 21, 2006 - SkyRider in Sneer Magazine
SkyRider is referenced in "Dude, Where's My Flying Car?!?!"an article by Cyprian Moore, published by Sneer Magazine.
March 31, 2006 - BusinessWeek Online Publishes Driving Airplane, Flying Car
BusinessWeek online publishes an article entitled "Driving Airplane, Flying Car" by Burt Helm. While SkyRider wasn't featured, they did showcase past and present attempts at building a vehicle that could be flown and then driven on city streets. Pictured in the photo is the 1959 Taylor Aerocar. One of the few flying cars to be certified for commercial production by the government. Be sure to take a look at the slide show to see the other vehicles. Congratulations to these folks and everyone who supports them as well as us.
January 26, 2006 - Letterkenny Army Depot (PA) and MACRO Agreement Signing
Letterkenny Army Depot (PA) commander COL Bob Swenson visits MACRO Industries for an agreement signing between Letterkenny and MACRO to manufacture items made of lightweight components for aviation support and missiles. Signing for MACRO Industries is Marcia Elkins, Vice President. This photo appeared in the Redstone Rocket on February 1, 2006. Photo by Skip Vaughn.
September 30, 2005 - MACRO Industries and SkyRider is Referenced in Article
MACRO Industries and SkyRider is referenced in "Highways in the Sky: Flying Cars and the Future of Travel" an article by Mark R. Whittington, which appeared on the website http://www.finetuning.com
September 14, 2005 - Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey Briefing
Col. Gunn gives Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey a briefing during his tour of Letterkenny Army Depot on August 27, 2005. The material they are looking at is SC Wafer - MACRO's proprietary composite material. Letterkenny Army Depot is the first depot to make composite boxes using SC Wafer. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Carmen L. Burgess.
September 01, 2005 - MACRO Industries Encourages Contributions
At MACRO Industries, we are doing all we can to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. We encourage you to do the same. That's because every little bit helps. If you have not already contributed to the relief efforts, consider the following:
If you're making a financial contribution, make sure to maximize your gift: Your financial contributions could be matched by your company -- doubling or tripling each dollar you contribute. Contact your human resource department and ask about matching gifts.
July 24, 2005 - Cars That Fly? It's Not Pie in the Sky
July 10, 2005 - Inventors Who Build Personal Flying Machines
60 Minutes did a
segment on "Inventors who build personal flying machines". While
SkyRider wasn't featured, they did showcase Woody Norris' Air Scooter II, Moller's Skycar, the SATS system,
Carter Aviation Technologies' CarterCopter
and Trek Aerospace's Springtail™.
Congratulations to these folks and everyone who supports them as
well as us.
June 01, 2005 - Discovery Channel's Monster Garage
The host of Discovery Channel's "Monster Garage" has built a flying car for his show. It was designed with the help of three Cessna engineers.The team started with a Panoz Esperante sports car, added wings and an aircraft engine. The flying car did get off the ground, but not by much. It flew for two seconds and traveled 240 feet.That's twice as far as the Wright Brothers' first flight. Making your own flying car isn't very practical, though.While the Monster Garage team only spent $9,700 on the conversion, they got the $100,000 sports car for free.
May 01, 2005 - MACRO's Composite Bustle Box
MACRO receives positive feedback from the first group to mount the Composite Bustle Box onto the Avenger. The Ohio Army National Guard 2/174th ADA was the first group to receive their boxes. They were very impressed with the weight of the box. A traditional Bustle Box normally weighs over 100 lbs. MACRO's Composite Bustle Box weighs 45 lbs, which allows the soldiers to add more weight to the vehicle where needed. This material is very versatile and can be used to make a variety of products when weight is a concern. See Composite Materials for more information. Photo courtesy of the Ohio National Guard.
May 01, 2005 - Business Alabama Feature
SkyRider is featured on the cover of Business Alabama. The accompanying story is titled "Driving a Dream" by Jim Dunn.
May 01, 2005 - Technology Alabama Feature
MACRO Industries and SkyRider is featured in the magazine Technology Alabama. The accompanying story is titled "Keeping a Dream Alive" by Jim Dunn.
April 01, 2005 - Small Aircraft Transportation System
The Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) research project reaches its conclusion with a proof-of-concept demonstration in June 2005. The proof-of-concept demonstration will be the culmination of the five-year public/private project and will occur in Danville, Virginia on June 5, 6, and 7, 2005. For more information visit their website at NASA SATS Student Page.
February 01, 2005 - History Channel's Modern Marvels - Concept Cars
MACRO Industries, Inc. and SkyRider is featured in the History Channel show "Modern Marvels - Concept Cars"
December 18, 2004 - Fancy Flights in your Automotive Future?
September 01, 2004 - Sternstrasse Television Footage
MACRO Industries submits footage to a Film production group called Sternstrasse Television, based near Munich in Germany. They are producing a scientific magazine called "AHA - Das Wissensmagazin", which is broadcasted by the Austrian private TV Station ATV.
September 01, 2004 - Brazilian Automotive News Magazine Autoesporte
MACRO Industries submits information on SkyRider to a Brazilian monthly automotive news magazine called Autoesporte, which belongs to the biggest media group in Latin America, Globo organizations. It is the second largest selling magazine of this kind in the country. They are preparing a report about flying cars.
MACRO Industries and SkyRider is featured in The Voice of Prophecy broadcast "NEW CARS AND NEW MEN."
June 03, 2004 - Scitech News Article
MACRO Industries and SkyRider is referenced on "Scitech"
April 01, 2004 - MACRO Industries Submits Information on SkyRider
MACRO Industries submits information on SkyRider to Patrick J. Gyger, Curator of Maison d'Ailleurs (The House of Elsewhere) Museum of science fiction, utopia and extraordinary journeys, in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland. They are working on a publication about flying cars and their history in fact and fiction.
February 01, 2004 - Marcia Elkins Appointed to the City of Huntsville's Metropolitan Planning Organization
Marcia Elkins is appointed to the City of Huntsville's Metropolitan Planning Organization, Transportation Committee.
February 01, 2004 - MACRO Industries Sponsors Monster Mechanics
MACRO Industries sponsors the "Monster Mechanics," a robot team comprised of students from New Century Technology High School (NCTHS), located in Cummings Research Park in Huntsville, AL. The school is a partnership between students of high technology and technology industry companies and agencies. The foundation philosophy of NCTHS is to work with local companies and agencies to produce students with exceptional technology skills that will help industry.
December 17, 2003 - MACRO Industries Attends the Wright Brothers Centennial
MACRO Industries attends the Wright Brothers Centennial in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The 1/4 scale model of SkyRider, which is being marketed as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is a big hit with the crowds. This UAV is called the Scout and based upon the design of SkyRider.
August 11, 2003 - Man's Unending Quest to Fly a Car
MACRO Industries' SkyRider is featured in Metropolitan Computer Times. The article is entitled "Man's Unending Quest to Fly a Car" by Art Anciano, Jr.
August 03, 2003 - MACRO Industries, Inc. and SkyRider Featured in Orlando Sentinel
July 31, 2003 - Marcia Elkins a Guest on Jim Blasingame's Radio Show
Marcia Elkins has a guest spot on Jim Blasingame's radio show, The Small Business Advocate, broadcasted from Birmingham, Alabama during an SBA matchmaking event.
The Aviation and Missile Command held a ceremony on April 7 to transfer its newest calibration and test equipment, CALSET 2000. The CALSET 2000 Team Redstone members provide systems development and improvement support, product assurance, safety and environmental support, prototype development and manufacturing support, contracting support, and materiel release approvals. The team includes PM-TMDE, USATA, 95th Maintenance Company, Training and Doctrine Command, OMEMS, Redstone Technical Test Center, the AMCOM Reuse Office, AMCOM Acquisition Center, AMCOM Safety Office, the Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center, MACRO Industries, Inc., Science Applications International Corp., General Products Inc., LLC, Dynetics Inc. and CAS Inc. The article is entitled New calibration equipment by Dr. Carol Sedlacek.
November 28, 2002 - The Future Is [Almost] Now
MACRO Industries and SkyRider is referenced in the article "More": The Future Is [Almost] Now..
February 01, 2001 - MACRO Industries' SkyRider Featured in Popular Mechanics
MACRO Industries' SkyRider is featured in Popular Mechanics. The article is entitled "Electric Motors Lift SkyRider."
January 31, 2001 - MACRO Industries' SkyRider Featured on CBC/Radio Canada
MACRO Industries' SkyRider is featured in the CBC/Radio Canada broadcast "Flying Cars." This is part of Alan Neal's Shifting Gears traffic series in Canada.
March 18, 2000 - MACRO Industries' SkyRider Featured in The Decatur Daily News
MACRO Industries' SkyRider is featured in The Decatur Daily News. The article is entitled "Riders in the sky".
January 25, 2000 - MACRO Industries, Inc. Featured in The Huntsville Times
MACRO Industries, Inc. is featured in The Huntsville Times. The article is entitled "It might fly: New valve idea ignited by research on SkyRider".
December 01, 1999 - MACRO Industries, Inc. Wins SBIR Funding
MACRO Industries, Inc. wins a SBIR for the Automated Modeling of Incongruent Interfaces in FEA.
November 01, 1998 - MACRO Industries, Inc. Receives Patent
MACRO Industries, Inc. receives patent #5,839,399 for the Cartridge-Type Rotary Valve.
September 01, 1998 - MACRO Industries, Inc. Featured in The Huntsville Times
MACRO Industries, Inc. is featured in The Huntsville Times. The article is entitled "Riders on the Sky".
October 01, 1997 - MACRO Industries, Inc. Submits Patent Application
MACRO Industries, Inc. submits a patent application for the Cartridge-Type Rotary Valve.
