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"We'd have most of what we predicted of the conquest of space, if we hadn't ignored parasite control."
- Larry Niven
 |
| Air-Car | ||
| A personal flying car |
As far as I know, this is the first use of this phrase in science fiction, if not elsewhere.
| In several scattered places were other roof doors like the one he had emerged from, and straight ahead stood a row of transparent objects that had to be the air-cars. One massive-headed man in purple was loitering near them, but he was the only person in sight. Allison strode casually over to the nearest car, studying it closely as he went. It, like the others, was small, hardly five feet high, with open sides and streamlined shells of a stuff like glass, front and back. Within was one wide seat, in front of which were three control levers which led to a boxed space below. It rested on three splayed legs. And that was all there was. No motive device was apparent, and there were no wings or vanes whatever. Allison was not pleased to have a witness to his first flight, but he stepped into the nearest car without hesitation and gingerly raised the lever he guessed would be the elevator. The car lifted. Slight pulls on another lever turned the nose of his craft, and the third gave forward velocity. It was extremely simple. A glance at the man below showed that he wasn’t even looking. Boldly, now, Allison ordered the controls, and within a minute he was climbing silently a hundred feet above the edge of the roof to where other air-cars like elongated soap bubbles were scattered through the sky above. |
| Technovelgy from A Matter of Size,
by Harry Bates. Published by Astounding Science Fiction in 1934 Additional resources -
|
See also the Tin Cabby from Cities in Flight, a set of novels written in the early 1950's by James Blish.
Just for fun, take a look at this visualization of the flying taxicab idea from Fifth Element, the 1997 movie starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich.
Compare also to High Kavalaan aircar from Dying of the Light (1977) by George RR Martin.
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Additional
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More Ideas
and Technology from A Matter of Size
More Ideas
and Technology by Harry Bates
Tech news articles related to A Matter of Size
Tech news articles related to works by Harry Bates
Air-Car-related
news articles:
- AirCar Completes Flight, Transforms Into Groundcar
| Volvo's Autonomous Truck |
| Eviation Alice Electric Plane First Flight |
| Robotaxi By Cruise Premieres in Austin, Texas |
| Aéroplume Blimp For One Reflects 150 Years |
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'Drake was the young spatial engineer he employed to terraform the little rock.'
'... with a weird simulation of life, the ten forked ends of each arm commenced a rattling pressing of the buttons.'
'Each of the four areas is enclosed by a sonic wall...'
'It's done with a flip of the third joint of the tentacle on the down beat.'
'If you surf over a bump... If you surf over a pothole...'
