This novel is the second book in a trilogy about the global impact of an antigravity device. In the first novel, The Red Box, the Flynn brothers, Matt and Murray, invent a toaster-size device that makes the host platform weightless. The first application is a seaplane, named Baldie after the bald eagle, manufactured in partnership with Mercedes-Benz. In that Indiana Jones-type thriller, the Chinese attempt to steal the game-changing technology. But in the end, the powerful Red Box rewarded President Werner with his second term, a $1 billion check to the Flynns, and the potential to create a million jobs in America. This novel applies the Red Box to an innovative personal air vehicle called a Turbopod, or T-Pod, a member of the AceloPod family of vehicles, which completely alters global transportation. Working again with Mercedes-Benz, the brothers perfect a weightless, all-electric, safe, personal flying machine-a century and a half after the Wright brothers' fifty-nine-second first flight.
Turbopod
By Jason O'NeilAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2016 Jason O'Neil
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-5049-7026-6Contents
Chapter 1 Flight, 1,
Chapter 2 Santiago, 4,
Chapter 3 Patent, 12,
Chapter 4 Kharbarovsk, 21,
Chapter 5 Phone Calls, 24,
Chapter 6 E-Fan, 33,
Chapter 7 Stuttgart, 40,
Chapter 8 Ordos, 46,
Chapter 9 Export, 50,
Chapter 10 Urban Flyer, 53,
Chapter 11 Kingsbury Mine, 59,
Chapter 12 Riverine, 67,
Chapter 13 Five Stars, 70,
Chapter 14 Certification, 74,
Chapter 15 Roll-Out, 78,
Chapter 16 Homestead, 81,
Chapter 17 Gold Run, 86,
Chapter 18 Chin Chin Po, 89,
Chapter 19 White House, 95,
Chapter 20 Midas Touch, 102,
Chapter 21 Sky Battle, 1108,
Chapter 22 Decision, 110,
Chapter 23 Sky Battle 2, 113,
Chapter 24 Race Day, 115,
Chapter 25 Medals, 121,
Chapter 26 Deep Space, 125,
CHAPTER 1
FLIGHT
The sun shone brightly over Key Biscayne, Florida, as the Flynn brothers sat poolside. The conversation moved effortlessly from sports to politics and then, inevitably, to their groundbreaking work.
"Murray, did you know that on his deathbed in 1519, Leonardo da Vinci said one of his regrets was he had not flown?" Matt asked his brother. "Thirty-nine years earlier he sketched a helicopter, but even today, almost 600 years later, safe personal human flight is not a reality. You know many lives have been lost and fortunes squandered pursuing the dream of flight? For crying out loud, Paul Moller has spent almost a quarter of a billion dollars on his Skycar, and he has yet to prove the thing even works."
Murray finished his iced tea as his brother continued, "Your invention, the Red Box, changes everything. It's the enabler because it means gravity is no longer an obstacle to be overcome. We are free to develop an automobile that can fly and land on and take off from water. It's a car, an airplane, a helicopter, and a boat that doesn't use fossil fuel. And with the Situation Awareness Suite, this new Turbopod is the safest vehicle on the planet."
Murray knew better than to stop his brother when he was on a roll, so he just smiled as Matt went on, barely stopping to take a breath. "And your 'T-Pod' has two other great advantages: It eliminates gridlock and air pollution. Sitting in traffic isn't a good use of American time and talent, even if the vehicle is self-driving or autonomous. These vehicles may allow passengers to work on computers while on the road, but they only add to the congestion. Your ingenuity is about to change global transportation forever."
"Thanks, brother," Murray said. "But let's see if we can get it approved for use in American airspace first."
"It'll happen, I'm sure of it," Matt said. "Most automobile manufacturers already offer electric vehicles. Mercedes-Benz's B-Class electric car is competitively priced and has some amazing features — it has an electric motor with 177 bhp and 251 pound-foot of torque, regenerative brakes, a lithium-ion battery, and a voice activation system."
"It's a sweet ride, that's for sure," Murray replied.
"And a safe one." Matt said. "It has electronic stability control, all-around air bags, emergency SOS services, park assist sensors, forward collision prevention assist, cameras, and inherent crush-zone design."
"And to think I spent all that time as a teen learning how to parallel park," Murray joked.
"You're still a horrible parker," Matt said. "But what I'm trying to say is that it would be in our best interest to continue working with Mercedes-Be
