The future of the automobile – and aviation – is, in part, being shaped right here in Vancouver.
Milner Motors, owned by President Jim Milner and his partner and son Chris Milner, is building prototypes of both the Milner ElectriCar and the Milner AirCar – both of which will be on display from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 14th at Pearson Field during the Spring Roll Out and Aviation Swap Meet.
The company was founded in 2005, when Milner decided he could design a “roadable aircraft” – yes, a flying car.
The next two and half years were spent working with various engineering consultant companies to design and build a prototype.
While the idea of a flying car is not new – various attempts have been made since the beginning of flight history – the Milners think the flying car’s time has come.
According to Chris Milner, there have been a number of technological revolutions in the last decade that can fuel a new class of aircraft, including new composite materials (plastics and plastic derivatives), improved automation and computing power in the cockpit (such as GPS navigation systems) and engine technology that makes rotary engines viable.
“These innovations lead us to believe we can build a machine and not have to invent large components,” he said.
The Milner ElectriCar grew out of the AirCar work.
“After we got started on the AirCar, we realized we could use the same design for an electric car – there’s a large overlap in design, such as lightweight materials and aerodynamics,” said Chris Milner. “It was pretty clear we had to do both.”
In March, both the ElectriCar and the AirCar were on display at the New York Auto Show, and also will be spotlighted on a national TV network this fall.
Growing local excitement
There is growing excitement about the Milner AirCar among local aviators.
“It’s a great concept if he can pull this off,” said Pearson Field Manager Willy Williamson. “We’re interested because it will help generate interest in aviation.”
George Welsh, president of Pearson Advocates for General Aviation, only recently heard about the company’s work.
“Something like that is going on in our backyard and no one knows about it?” he said with disbelief.
The Milner AirCar seats four people and can fly up to 200 miles per hour. Its unique design separates it from other competitors in the flying car market.
The wings do not detach, instead folding into a box-like structure that travels behind the car. The rear wheels move during the transition from driving to flying, so during take off, 90 percent of the weight of the vehicle is on the rear wheels. But while driving, the weight is evenly distributed across the car’s center of gravity – and the engine runs on regular gasoline, not diesel or jet fuel.
While the company is designing its ElectriCar to have wide appeal and affordability, the AirCar has a more specific audience and a heftier price tag – about $500,000. The Milners expect the AirCar’s primary market to be general aviation enthusiasts and salespeople who travel throughout the Northwest.
The flying car can solve a number of problems for these frequent fliers by allowing quick flights, no worries about finding ground transportation and if bad weather presents itself, drivers can fold up the wings and drive through the storm.
“People have been trying to solve the flying car problem for a long time,” said Jim Milner. “I hope ours is the practical solution.”
A Southwest Washington history
Milner Motors isn’t the first Southwest Washington company to attempt a flying car. In the 1950s, Moulton Taylor’s Longview company, Aerocar Co., built six successful Aerocars.
Portland’s KISN radio station bought one in 1961 for traffic reporting, and another was bought by the late TV actor Bobby Cummins, who reportedly flew Marilyn Monroe in it.
Cummins’ Aerocar was purchased in 1988 by a protégé of Taylor’s, Ed Sweeney, who flew it in air shows as late as 2002. Other Taylor Aerocars are in museums, including the Boeing Museum of Flight in Seattle.
Taylor’s Aerocar used a different design than Milner’s, as its “flight module” was detachable rather than having foldable wings. But the Aerocar had front-wheel drive, which didn’t become common until many years later, and had a fiberglass skin long before Corvette made the practice famous.
ElectriCar aimed at commuters
The ElectriCar – which Jim Milner calls the Volkswagen of electric cars – has the possibility of changing the world faster than the AirCar, he said.
“By next year, we could be offering the ElectriCar as a kit car, at a cost of $20,000 to $30,000,” he said, whereas a flyable prototype of the AirCar won’t be ready until at least 2010.
The ElectriCar seats four people, can go 100 miles on a single charge and includes a series electric hybrid motor similar to the General Motors Volt, in which gas doesn’t turn the wheels but charges the batteries.
Jim Milner said the Northwest was a perfect place to start his company, because there are more Prius models on the road than in many other parts of the country
“This shows people here are embracing cleaner fuel and are open to new ideas,” he said.
The company’s challenges in designing the ElectriCar include making it aerodynamic, comfortable, stable, lightweight and easy to use. Another important aspect is finding cost-effective reliable batteries, but the industry is seeing about an annual 30 percent price drop in batteries, said Jim Milner.
He estimates the cost of running the ElectriCar is about 80 cents per 100 miles, compared to more than $20 for five gallons of gas. And while there are many electric car wannabes out there, the company isn’t competing head-to-head with them.
“Some are building two-seater (electric) sports cars that go fast,” said Jim Milner. “We don’t think that’s the point.”
The design of both the ElectriCar and AirCar are not static. This year, the Milners are designing a new frame made of aluminum instead of fiberglass and steel and are working to shorten the body of both vehicles by about 20 inches. Both vehicles offer about the same headroom as a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla, and a length similar to a Toyota Prius, said Jim Milner.
