m*- w - Clpdigital.org

'AERO-AUTO-CRAFT"—THE CAR OF THE FUTURE 175
THE GERMAN "AUTO-LAUNCH"
It hits forty miles an hour on land or twenty knots on water; and the Teutons are using it constantly.
autocraft will know neither hills nor there will be speed levels, the slower
skidding, and the principal talking point near the ground, the faster ones higher
will be, not the grades it can climb, but up. And lastly, there will be no acci­
the minimum coasting angle at which it dents, save such as are due to faulty con­
will descend with the power shut off. struction of the aeroautocraft itself, for,
The aeroautocraft will have no gas, no matter how many may flit through the
water or oil tanks, no gasoline motor, air, there will be room, always, up above!
starter, gear shift or steering wheel! A Structurally, the aeroautocraft will be
lapboard attached to a flexible cable, will light, but strong. It will have a steel-
place a series of buttons in front of the braced aluminum frame, unless some
operator, who will control every action of method of tempering aluminum to the
his means of transportation with a finger strength of steel be found. But because
touch.
it will have the minimum of machinery
The present trouble makers on aero­ and avoid the road shocks and stresses
planes, boats and automobiles will be no which the present automobile must with­
more. There will be no brake in the fustand, it will not need to have the weighty
ture—the two steering vanes together and massive strength of the chassis of
will stop the aeroautocraft in two lengths. today. Its body will be weather-tight, of
There will be nothing to oil, save a few course, and its conveniences remarkable
ball bearings twice a year. Tires will in their simplicity. It will not look in­
wear for thousands of miles,—probably side, like the engine room of a U-boat,
fifty to a hundred—because they will get but like a pleasure house. Xor will it be
so little wear. There will be no such difficult to drive, for automatic stabil­
thing as traffic congestion in cities, beizers—a fact today—will prevent upsets,
cause streets will be used only for land­ and as power failure will be impossible,
ing and starting—travel will be over­ danger will be nil.
head !
Power? Electricity! The propeller
There will be no speed laws—instead, will be driven with a light electric motor