UPDATED November 15, 2004 After recent successful tethered hovering flights of the M400 Skycar, including at the at the WIRED NextFest in San Francisco in May, 2004, Moller International is accepting deposits to secure delivery positions this groundbreaking vehicle. A 10% deposit of US$100,000 will put you in the top 100 on the delivery list for the M-400 Skycar, which is expected to be FAA-certified for use by the end of 2005. Over 100 reservations have already been placed and demand is expected to grow as the working model nears production.
Untethered flight tests are planned when an additional M400 is completed (currently only one exists) and the flights will occur over a specially constructed lake in California. The lake will be approximately 3 metres deep with a silt, rock free bottom, making it ideal for test flights in which the Skycar will be equipped with flotation gear and operate at less than 50 feet altitude. If the minimun US$10K deposit is out of the question, www.moller.com reports that two M400 Skycar flight simulations are now available. For full details visit the Skycar site at www.moller.com or read Gizmag's story on the SkyCar.