Own the one and only prototype of the Moller M400 Skycar®. This test vehicle has flown repeatedly and demonstrated its hover capabilities in over a dozen flights at the Moller International facilities in Davis, California. It is our intent to offer it for sale by auction on eBay to raise capital for the Company.
This is the Real Deal – A working “Flying Car” prototype!
The Skycar® prototype is a milestone in the development of vertical take off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The culmination of over 35 years of aeronautical engineering, the prototype M400 is the latest in a long line of vehicles designed and built under the direction of Paul S. Moller, President of Moller International. Ground and flight tests with this vehicle started in September 2001 and have continued to present. It is suitable for test and evaluation only and is not certified for use by the Federal Aviation Authority nor as a licensed road vehicle.
The prototype M400 Skycar®, is powered by eight air-cooled Rotapower® rotary engines; two in each of the four nacelles. Each nacelle contains two engines and two independently rotating fans and is capable of generating approximately 500 pounds of vertical thrust. The nacelles rotate 45 degrees and have thrust deflection vanes that provide for an additional 45-degree change in direction of the airflow to produce the 90-degree (vertical) thrust required for takeoff and hovering. Both the nacelles and deflection vanes are intended to operate in the horizontal position while at cruise speeds.
Stabilization for the aircraft is provided by an onboard digital computer system. The system is composed of two identical computers, providing redundant control over primary systems. Designated systems “A” and “B”, the digital computers process inputs from the onboard gyroscopes (2), accelerometers and rate sensors to determine the attitude of the aircraft and provide commands to each of the eight engines to correct for un-commanded changes caused by turbulence. The current M400 prototype’s system is the third generation of the computerized stabilization system, and is based upon systems used in the M200X (analog) and Aerobot® (digital).
The M400 prototype is currently being tested using methanol fuel, but can also be operated on 87-octane gasoline. The vehicle is currently equipped with two fuel tanks. Recent hover flights have used fuel provided by a small (8 gallon) pressurized tank to minimize the onboard fire hazard. This auxiliary system is designed to use methanol. The original fuel tank is in place and designed for use with gasoline. The engines are currently outfitted with high-flow fuel injectors suitable for use with methanol.
Remote control commands are provided via a set of computer consoles and connected via hardwire umbilical cable to the aircraft. The controller (pilot) provides input commands to the onboard computers to control the altitude and orientation of the Skycar during a flight. The umbilical line is approximately 300 feet in length, although the aircraft has been flown only to an altitude of approximately 40 feet. The onboard computer systems provide instructions to the engines via a “fly-by-wire” system designed exclusively for this one-of-a-kind aircraft. Feedback from the onboard systems is provided to the command consoles and provides detailed diagnostic and real-time flight condition information to the ground crew. Although the Skycar® prototype was designed for an onboard pilot and is equipped with cockpit-mounted controls, it has been flown only unmanned using the remote controls. Two command consoles and a third system used to remotely set Engine Computer Units (ECU) parameters are included in the sale of the prototype M400.
