Where the rubber meets the sky? Pa. lawmaker wants to regulate flying cars

Even as Pennsylvania continues to struggle with funding basic land-based public transit and highways, some lawmakers are looking to the sky.

In a plot line that sounds like it was ripped from an episode of The Jetsons, legislation to regulate "roadable aircraft" – or flying cars – is expected in the state Senate. The goal is to craft a legal framework for the not-yet-fully-realized technology.

A bill has not yet been filed, but a co-sponsorship memo from Sen. Marty Flynn, D-Lackawanna , seeks input for legislation to ensure that "roadable aircraft are integrated safely into existing traffic systems without causing disruptions or safety hazards."

At least two other states - Minnesota and New Hampshire – have changed their laws to include safety standards and operating rules for flying cars, and others have legislation in the pipeline. Such vehicles would also need a regulatory framework from federal highway and aviation authorities.

"Roadable aircraft" are those which can travel on wheels and then take off into the sky, and vice-versa. While several companies have said they are developing such vehicles – and solicited investors to back them - none have yet produced them to scale.

One company, Samson Sky, showcased its "Switchblade" flying car to a legislative subcommittee in New Mexico last year, according to KSFR radio . The company says it has a functioning prototype , and as of last year had accepted 2,500 pre-orders for vehicles with a starting price tag of $170,000.

Another company, Alef Aeronautics, has had cars in development since 2015 and gained Federal Aviation Administration testing clearance last year , although it's unclear what – if anything – the company has actually gotten airborne.

"While the implications of these innovations may not yet be fully realized, there is a significant need now for legislation that lays the foundation for integrating roadable aircraft into our commonwealth," Flynn wrote in his memo.

This would not be the first time Pennsylvania lawmakers have created regulatory systems for things that don't exist. Earlier this year, the legislature passed, and Gov. Josh Shapiro signed, a bill creating rules for "carbon capture" technology – which removes greenhouses gasses from industrial emissions and stores the carbon byproducts underground.