Tesla flying car? I don't know, man

The Federal Aviation Administration is likely to think about the Tesla Roadster 2's ability to leave the ground.

where is my flying car The lingering question may somehow have an answer: in McGregor, Texas.

On Thursday, Tesla showed off a version of its new Roadster 2 sports car at a demonstration at SpaceX's Rocket Development Test Center. And the roadster, in its own way, flew a few tens of feet in a clumsy jerky maneuver. The vehicle, which does not yet have a price but is likely to be very expensive, is due to go into production in 2028. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said at the event that the vehicle had no human occupants during the demonstration "to make sure we didn't kill anyone."

Tesla's Roadster "might" be a real flying car because aviation experts say legal aeronautics in the vehicle would likely require government permits and a lot of red tape.

“[The Federal Aviation Administration] has jurisdiction over any machine that leaves the ground,” says Scott Miller, an airline pilot and lecturer in the aviation and technology program at San Jose State University. The vehicle "is going to introduce a whole host of regulatory issues."

At Thursday's event, Musk acknowledged this. "I'm not sure it's necessarily legal in all jurisdictions," he said. It's not necessarily a safety-optimized car."

The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Any flying vehicle weighing 250 pounds or more must go through the FAA's approval process and require a permit to operate in the country, says Michael McCormick, a former FAA official who now directs the air traffic management program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He predicts it could take "at least a year" to get the certification. At the same time, your standard driver's license won't cut it. Any Tesla owner piloting such a device would likely need to obtain a recreational aviation license.

Actually taking off and landing the Roadster 2 is likely to present its own set of problems. Most states require aircraft to take off from designated airports or airports. Road-to-air launches are subject to state or local laws, Miller said, and many places don't look at the concept of aircraft intruding on streets and highways. That's why "it's very rare that you can jump in a helicopter and land at your favorite steakhouse to eat a steak." Drivers may only be able to actually operate the vehicle on a large, private lot.

Today, the FAA is working on rules, regulations and pilot projects on another type of "flying car," or what is commonly known as an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle. These planes use multiple electric motors and smaller propellers to carry four passengers between 20 and 150 miles, sometimes independently. The companies building the technology envision them taking off from tiny local "vertipads," allowing riders to navigate city traffic by hovering above the ground.

The Trump administration this year launched a limited, three-year pilot project using the aircraft, where companies can test the technology in several states. It has taken years for these companies to receive federal government certifications.

When it comes to the Roadster 2, there are also practical questions. Real flying cars have struggled to take off because of the physics contradiction at the heart of the idea. What makes a car safe and durable enough to operate on the road is weight. But Miller says: "Weight is the enemy of the plane. "Flying machines haven't been able to find that power-to-weight balance."

Still, Miller found himself underwhelmed by Thursday's demo. "If it goes into production, it's a truly impressive feat of engineering and manufacturing," he says.