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The imminent introduction of flying cars in the traffic fleet is anticipated to modify the mobility patterns of urban commuters. Flying cars' hybrid operation on the ground and in the air, in conjunction with their (semi-) automated capabilities, may lead to more appealing trip considerations, such as travel time, fuel consumption, or environmental emissions, as well as to the emergence of new sources of concerns for the potential users. In this context, the future adoption of flying cars is directly associated with individuals' perceptions of the benefits and concerns arising from the use of flying cars. This paper aims to identify the perceptual patterns of individuals towards travel time, cost and environmental benefits, as well as towards challenges arising from key flying cars operational characteristics. To that end, grouped random parameters bivariate probit models of individuals' perceptions are estimated using data collected from an online survey of 692 individuals. The statistical analysis shows that a number of sociodemographic, behavioral, and attitudinal characteristics affect respondents' expectations and concerns towards the adoption and implementation of flying cars. Even though individuals' perceptions are anticipated to undergo substantial changes until the introduction of flying cars in the traffic fleet, the findings of this work may shed more light on perceptual nuances with critical effect on public interest about the adoption of flying cars.

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From the early years of aviation, flying cars have constituted an appealing topic for science-fiction 35 scenarios. Currently, recent technological developments demonstrate that flying cars will be introduced in the traffic fleet over the next few years. Despite their forthcoming penetration in the automobile market, the level of anticipated acceptance from the traveling population has not been investigated yet in travel demand literature. This study aims -for the first time to the authors' knowledge -to provide a preliminary investigation of individuals' perceptions and expectations towards the adoption of flying cars. For this purpose, 692 individuals were questioned in the context of an online survey about their willingness to pay for and willingness to use flying cars for various pricing and trip scenarios, as well as about the benefits and concerns that will arise from the introduction of flying cars in the traffic fleet. To understand the determinants of individuals' expectations, their willingness to pay for and use flying cars was statistically modeled, by employing a grouped random parameters bivariate probit framework, which accounts for multiple 46 layers of unobserved heterogeneity in the respondent's decision-making process. The statistical analysis revealed that various individual-specific socio-demographic, behavioral and driving attributes, as well as individuals' attitudinal perspectives towards the cost, safety, security and environmental implications of the flying cars, affect their willingness to adopt this emerging transportation technology. Despite the current limited awareness about the operation of flying cars, the findings of this study can provide insights regarding critical challenges that should be addressed by policymakers, legislative companies, and manufacturing companies after the introduction of flying cars in the traffic fleet.

In recent years, our surface transportation infrastructure is suffering from overuse, extreme traffic congestion, and roadway disrepair. Instead of following the traditional infrastructure expansion policy, current transportation research focuses on developing innovative and novel solutions to the aforementioned issues. Current pathways to overcoming these issues include the gradual transition toward a number of emerging transportation technologies, such as, autonomous motor vehicles for human transport, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) and "drone" technologies for surveillance, and package deliveries. However, as a long-term solution, transportation scientists are also investigating the once-seemingly futuristic notion of flying car technology-a convergent form of ground/air vehicle transportation, and assessing associated regulations. In this paper, an extensive review of current literature is conducted to explore the technological capabilities of flying cars-each requiring appropriate regulations and governance-to become fully sustainable. Specifically, issues pertinent to training, safety, environment, navigation, infrastructure, logistics/sustainability, and cybersecurity and human factors are explored. This paper concludes with a preliminary quantitative analysis exploring the public perceptions associated with flying cars-including anticipated benefits, concerns, and willingness to both hire and acquire the technology once available to consumers. Insights offered by this data will help inform next-generation policies and standards associated with the gradual advancement of flying cars.

Flying cars, a new transportation mode capable of operating on both land and air, are expected to be introduced in the existing traffic fleet over the next decade or so. Due to their potential in offering flexible mobility patterns, as well as shorter and more reliable travel times, flying cars are anticipated to bring forth significant changes in the urban transportation network. Even though the launch of flying cars is expected relatively soon, potential effects of this new transportation mode on public preferences towards residence location, due to anticipated improvements in mobility access, have not been explored to date. This paper aims to analyse whether a residence relocation trend (from urban to rural areas, or vice versa) is imminent if flying cars are introduced in the not so distant future. In this respect, an online survey was conducted where 584 individuals from the United States participated. The data from this survey are then statistically analysed through correlated grouped random parameters bivariate and univariate probit models, which are capable of accounting for several layers of unobserved heterogeneity. The analysis reveals that various sociodemographic characteristics of the individuals, and their opinions towards the perceived benefits and challenges of flying cars affect public opinions towards considering residence relocation due to the future introduction of flying cars. Although the existing knowledge regarding the operation of flying cars is currently limited, the findings from this study can provide insights into the travel demand, land use, urban and regional planning related challenges likely to be faced in urban and rural areas by policymakers, urban planners, and manufacturing companies, upon the introduction of flying cars.

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