Paul Moller

Paul Sandner Moller (born December 11, 1936 in Fruitvale, British Columbia, Canada) is a Canadian engineer who has spent over fifty years developing the Moller Skycar personal vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle. The engine technology developed for the Skycar has also been adapted as a UAV platform called the "aerobot".[1] The rotapower engine itself has been spun off to a separate Moller company, Freedom Motors.

Paul Sandner Moller
Born (1936-12-11) December 11, 1936
Fruitvale, British Columbia, Canada

Education

Moller holds several degrees and certifications:

Career

In 1972, Moller founded Supertrapp Industries to market his invention of an engine silencing system. Moller sold Supertrapp in 1988 in order to fund development of his Skycar and its rotapower engine.

In 2003, the Securities and Exchange Commission sued Moller for civil fraud (Securities And Exchange Commission v. Moller International, Inc., and Paul S. Moller, Defendants) in connection with value of shares after the initial public offering of stock, and for making unsubstantiated claims about the performance of the Skycar.[4] Moller settled this lawsuit without admitting guilt by agreeing to a permanent injunction against claiming projected worth of Moller International stock and paying US$50,000.[5] The shareholders of Moller International - collectively known as SOMI ("Shareholders Of Moller International") banded together on a website (no longer active) to tell the Moller-side of the SEC issue.[6]

Moller was a professor[7] of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, from 1963 to 1975,[8] at the University of California, Davis and lives in Davis. He was featured in Popular Science's January 2005 issue[9] and appeared on the radio show Coast To Coast AM.

In 2007, Moller announced that the M200G Volantor, a successor to the Moller Skycar, would hopefully be on the market in the United States by early 2008.[10] His proposed Autovolantor model includes an all-electric version powered by Altairnano batteries.[11]

Moller is President of Aerobotics Incorporated, a wholly owned subsidiary of Moller International, which designed an aerial system for video inspection of bridges, for Caltrans. The project was suspended in 2008 after significant issues were identified with the test design.[12][13]

Moller's credibility has been questioned in recent years because of the vaporware nature of his creations. In April 2009, the National Post characterized the Moller M400 Skycar as a 'failure', and described the Moller company as "no longer believable enough to gain investors".[14]

On May 18, 2009, Moller filed for personal protection under the Chapter 11 reorganization provisions of the federal bankruptcy law, however Moller International (corporation) did not file for bankruptcy and continues to do business as of October 24, 2013.

By 2009, Moller International had accumulated a deficit of $43.1 million.[15]

Media appearances

See also

References
  1. aerobot from Moller.com
  2. "School University Awards 1958-05-09 No 1275". Alberta Genealogy Research. Retrieved 20 June 2022. Following are members of the 1957-58 graduating class: AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING ... Paul Moller, Fruitvale, B.C.; ... ART ... Karen Joanne Moller, Fruitvale, B.C.;
  3. Tech-art record 1957/58. Calgary, Alberta: Provincial Institute of Technology and Art. 1958 – via archive.org. Yearbook of Alberta's Provincial Institute of Technology and Art. In 1960, the name of the institution becomes the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (S.A.I.T.).
  4. "Complaint: Moller International, Inc., and Paul S. Moller". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 2003-02-19. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  5. Securities And Exchange Commission v. Moller International, Inc., and Paul S. Moller, Defendants from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website
  6. SOMI 2013 - Stock Holders of Moller International Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine website with Moller's side of the SEC settlement story
  7. Ernst, Kurt (January 2, 2014). "Cars of Futures Past - Moller M200G Volantor / Neuera". Hemmings Motor News. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  8. "The Flying Car". The Conspiracy Show. Talkzone. October 25, 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  9. Jeff Wise Paul Moller: Artful Dodger, with Eyes on the Prize Archived 2006-03-13 at the Wayback Machine. Popular Science, January 1, 2005. Retrieved 09.24.2009.
  10. "'Flying saucer' nears US take-off". BBC News. 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
  11. Paul S. Moller Autovolantor –An Automobile That Can Occasionally Operate Above Traffic Archived 2009-03-27 at the Wayback Machine, (presented at the 2008 SAE Wichita Aviation Technology Congress & Exhibition, August 21, 2008), www.moller.com website. Retrieved 09.24.2009.
  12. "Final Reports". Advanced Highway Maintenance & Construction Technology Research Center. Department Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering University of California at Davis. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  13. Moller, Paul (2008). "CALTRANS Bridge Inspection Aerial Robot (Final Report) UCD-ARR-08-10-01-01" (PDF). Advanced Highway Maintenance & Construction Technology Research Center. Department Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering University of California at Davis. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  14. "Flying cars". National Post, April 9, 2009
  15. Turner, Melanie (February 8, 2009). "Flying-car developer might lose space, but still driving research". American City Business Journals. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
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