Will the flying car go mainstream?

As far back as the 1960s, there has been speculation as to when flying cars might become commonplace on the roads and airways.  As of late, there has been a flurry of discussion on a more realistic approach, including this recent CNN article.  As the article points out, there are many issues that need to be addressed before the vehicles are pervasive, such as training for the operators of these vehicles and the overall issue of safety in the sky. A Boston based company, Terrafugia already has 100 orders for their Transition model, with sights set for future models with more mainstream capabilities like vertical takeoff and little to no pilot training requirements.

Although the company concedes they are probably a decade or more away due to dependence on some infrastructure issues, the conversation begs the question - is the world ready for a product like this? One answer is for a company to dive in and learn by continuing  to advance their product, increase their understanding of the marketplace and consumers, and in some cases create a short term more focused opportunity. Success, and learnings, in a niche market can pave the way to a more widespread opportunity.  So perhaps we will see the flying car metro express service before we see a flying car in our neighbor's garage.