I've always thought that the fastest way to get flying cars would be to spread rumors that China built one first. Well, Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority just announced that they have a Chinese-made flying car, and intend to put flying taxis in service this summer. Meanwhile, we're still anticipating the flying cars promised by Uber Inc., Airbus Group SE, Larry Page's companies, and nearly a century's worth of aviation pioneers.

Why wait? Airborne urban transport has long existed in the form of helicopters. There's no legal prohibition against parking one in your backyard and buzzing to work every day. Trade-a-Plane has lots of listings ready to fly for less than the cost of a Tesla Model S. If flying cars can solve our transportation problems, why don't we have more heli-commuters?

Just like driving would be easy if there weren't so many other cars, flying would be easy if it weren't for all the other stuff in the air. We tend to think of blue sky as a free-for-all, but the Federal Aviation Administration has strict rules controlling where aircraft can go. If there's a lot of commercial air traffic, unscheduled flights will likely be denied. Unless a pilot plans to commute in the middle of the night, the control tower probably won't want to hear about their request to get to work. And if an airborne car enters the space without prior clearance, the pilot can expect an interception from a military jet or Coast Guard helicopter.