Building a workable flying car is difficult enough. Getting one certified for production is much harder. Actually getting one into production is harder still, especially when the bureaucrats enter the picture.

Back in the 1970s, I met Molt Taylor. He was an aeronautical engineer who'd spent about 30 years and a lot of money designing and certifying a flying car called the Aerocar. Lee Iococa (sp) planned to put the vehicle into production but then the bureaucrats stepped in. Rather than consider the vehicle based on its uniqueness (like a motorcycle is different from a car), they combined all of the restrictions and regulations for both cars and airplanes. As a car, it needed all sorts of heavy hardware like 5 MPH bumpers and the like. Weight is the enemy of all aircraft. At the same time, it was an airplane and had to meet all the FARs. In the end, an owner needed to have several different licenses and permits to operate the thing. The manufacturer backed out of the deal. Needless to say, Molt didn't have too many nice things to say about bureaucrats.