“YOU may smile, but it will come,” said Henry Ford in 1940, predicting the arrival of a machine that was part-automobile and part-aeroplane. For decades flying cars have obsessed technologists but eluded their mastery. Finally there is reason to believe. Several firms have offered hope that flying people in small pods for short trips might become a reality in the next decade. These are not cars, as most are not fit to drive on land, but rather small vehicles, which can rise and land vertically, like quiet helicopters.

1940年亨利·福特预测了一种半汽车半飞机新型机器的诞生同时说道：“你可以对此嗤之以鼻，但它终有一天会到来的。”几十年来，飞行汽车令技术让专家们魂牵梦萦，却始终未能掌握。终于，我们有相信的理由了，这一天会到来。一些企业给人们一些希望：在未来十年，人们能通过乘坐豆荚型的飞行工具实现 短途旅游。这些飞行工具不是汽车——因为大多数不适合在地面上行进，而是小型的交通工具，能像直升机那样平稳地垂直升空和降落。

A prototype of a small electric plane that is capable of flying up to 300 kilometres per hour, made by Lilium, a German startup, completed a successful test over Bavaria on April 20th. Lilium is starting work on a five-seat vehicle and hopes to offer a ride-hailing service. Another German company, e-volo, has been testing a flying vehicle for several years. It recently showed off the second version of its electric Volocopter (pictured), which could be certified for flight as soon as next year.

德国的一家创业公司Lilium研制出一架小型电动飞机原型，最高时速可达300公里，并于4月20日在巴伐利亚试飞成功。Lilium将研发一种五座交通工具，希望用于叫车服务。另一家德国公司e-volo几年来一直在测试一种飞行器，最近展示了第二代纯电动直升机，很可能明年得到飞行许可。

There are at least a dozen firms experimenting with making small flying vehicles in different guises, including Airbus, an aerospace giant, in partnership with Italdesign Giugiaro, a division of Volkswagen, a carmaker. Many plan to have a certified pilot in command at the beginning and then move on to an autonomous set-up when regulations allow. Motorcycle-type vehicles, which you sit astride, are also in the works.

至少有12家企业在试验不同外形的小型飞行器，这其中包括航空业巨头空客。空客与汽车厂商大众旗下的意大利汽车设计室Giugiaro合作。最一开始，很多企业让持证件的飞行员来操作，之后则在监管许可的情况下转向自动驾驶设置。摩托车外型的飞行器，即那咱两腿分开坐的，也在开发之中。

No matter which manufacturer is quickest to gain velocity, Uber, a ride-hailing firm, aims to be at the centre of things. On April 25th it held an event in Dallas to announce its plan to offer a service where people can hail an electric “vertical takeoff and landing” vehicle and ride it quickly to destinations that would otherwise take hours in heavy traffic. Uber does not want to build these aircraft or landing pads itself, just as it does not own its own cars. Instead, it plans to collaborate with other companies. But Jeff Holden, Uber’s chief product officer, does not exclude the possibility that the firm may at the outset own some aircraft, which he estimates will cost around $1m each.

无论什么厂商最先让起步，网约车企业优步的目标是成为该产业的核心。4月25日，优步在达拉斯举办发布会，公布其新服务计划——人们能约到能“垂直起飞和降落的”交通工具，避开几小时拥挤不堪的交通，快速地达到目的地。优步并不打算自己制造飞行器或者发射台，就像它没有汽车的所有权一样。相反，优步计划与其他公司合作。不过，首席产品官Jeff Holden表示，不排除会在一开始拥有一部分飞机的可能性，对此，他估计每架的成本大约是100万美元。

The firm plans to have a prototype of its service ready by 2020. It will launch it first in Dallas and in Dubai, both cities where the authorities have deep aviation expertise and where people commute long distances. The firm rather optimistically promises that the cost per aerial mile for passengers will be roughly that of its low-cost car service, UberX.

优步计划在2020年之前推出这项服务的原型。首先它在达拉斯和迪拜首发，因为这两个城市有着优秀的航空专家和需要长距离出行的乘客。优步相当乐观地承诺，每英里航空收费将大体上和价格相对低廉的汽车服务UberX差不多。

There is plenty for manufacturers and services like Uber to overcome beyond gravity. For battery-powered models, range is limited and the charging rate remains slow. Manufacturers will need to ensure that vehicles can take off and land quietly, if this new form of transport is to stand a chance in cities. How to oversee and license the new aircraft, which are subject to much tougher rules than cars, will be a subject of intense debate among rule-makers, who tend to move slowly and are just getting to grips with drones. Drivers of flying vehicles are also likely to require a pilot’s licence, albeit perhaps a simplified “sports” licence. The journey ahead will be a long one.

对于制造商和优步等服务商来说，除了重力因素之外，还要攻克许多难关。比如，能供电的电池型号范围有限且充电速度慢。如果要在城市里占有一席之地，制造商要保证这种车辆能够安静地起飞降落。如何监管和授权这种新型飞机，其监管规定要比汽车严格得多，这些问题将成为规则制定者激烈探讨的主题，而他们往往行动迟缓，并且才刚开始着手应对无人机。飞行车辆的驾驶人员可能也需要飞行执照，虽然可能就是个简化的“运动”证件。总之，这一切都还有很长的路要走。

编辑：翻吧君

来源：经济学人