Personal Aircraft

Personal flying (by balloon, glider, hang glider, microlight, paraglider, and mini­copter) will continue to boom. Flying is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. Electric air vehicles hovering in city airspace would help reduce the traf­fic on overcrowded highways. Flying cars are already being developed.

The world’s first piloted fuel cell – powered airplane is a two-passenger electric aircraft. Based on the French – built DynAero Lafayette airframe, its hydrogen fuel cells are backed up by batteries like those in electric cars. Solar-powered microlight aircraft also might fill the skies over future cities. It is possible that solar-powered airplanes will replace oil-burning airplanes as the world begins to run out of oil.