A closer look
Long before Silicon Valley bros were promising flying cars, Clifford C. Brooks was out here running the ultimate aeronautical grift. In the mid-20th century, he promoted 'roadable aircraft' that supposedly drove like a sedan and flew like a Cessna. He collected heaps of cash from starry-eyed investors desperate to skip rush hour traffic. The only problem? The physics of making a heavy car fly and a flimsy plane survive a pothole are fundamentally opposed. The vehicles were vaporware, proving transit scams are a timeless tradition.
