Once again let us peer briefly at 1955 and see how your wife
handles a typical family helicopter as she flies fifty miles to
spend an hour with a friend. She opens the doors of the
helicopter hangar that is only slightly larger and higher than
your old two-car garage. She pushes the starter, the motor
purrs. Seated in the two-place cabin, she presses a clutch that
applies the engine power to the wheels. For this is a roadable
model; she does not have to push or pull it to the lawn. The
helicopter drives itself out of its garage to a suitable space
near your badminton court. Here she disengages the wheel-clutch
and applies the power to the overhead rotor blades. Your wife is
now ready to ascend. How does she accomplish this? To explain,
let me describe the controls. Directly before her is a knobbed
control stick, reminiscent of the gearshift on the earlier
automobiles. On her left is another lever like the familiar
emergency brake. Comfortable to her feet are two pedals
resembling the clutch and brake of a car