by Alex Davies

In the past year, flying cars have gone from LOL, to maybe a real thing, to a booming industry raking in VC cash and churning out sweet renderings of an aerial future.

The chance to trigger the next great transportation revolution has drawn in big companies, like Airbus and Uber, big names, like Google’s Larry Page, and naturally, a horde of startups. They all believe the proliferation of vertical takeoff and landing (or VTOL) aircraft, which combine the best features of helicopters and planes, can make traveling throughout and between cities not just faster, but maybe cheaper and greener.