[Iconic Moment] If Flying Cars Really Took Off, Every Profession's Commute Would Change
First, the facts. On the night of Oct. 15, Tesla unveiled its new Roadster at the company's test site in McGregor, Texas. During the demonstration, the white Roadster was lifted off the ground by its onboard cold-gas thrusters while in motion and flew over five vehicles in sequence — a Cybercab, a Cybertruck, a Tesla Semi, a Model Y and a Model 3 — before touching down smoothly. The propulsion system stores compressed air in carbon-fiber overwrapped pressure vessels (COPV) totaling 600 liters, which can be refilled. "Well, it worked. Flying cars are real," Elon Musk said on stage. Tesla says the car will enter production in 2028. GSM has since cut the demonstration into its 'Flying Cars to Work' short series; the entertainment edition was released on the GSM Official channel on Oct. 16, runs 3 minutes 8 seconds, and is embedded in full on this page.
The car is already airborne — and I'm still circling the block hunting for a parking spot. No wonder the comments quickly took a turn: if flying cars really went into mass production, the first thing rewritten might not be the traffic code, but how every profession gets to work.
What follows is creative riffing from netizens, purely for fun. Any resemblance to your own commute is purely the result of sitting in traffic too long.
The video edition features five of them — the realtor, the programmer, the lawyer, the accountant and the pastor; the other five appear here in text form for now.
The realtor edition: showings by flying car. When the freeway turns into one long line of cars, the navigation simply announces, "Congestion ahead — switching you to the air route." Pointing down at the neighborhood below, the agent adds, "This home's biggest selling point: no upstairs neighbors."
The delivery rider edition: meals delivered through the clouds, the insulated box strapped to the roof. The app notification gets an upgrade too: "Your order has taken off. Estimated arrival: just now."
The programmer edition: a 3 a.m. server alert, and the on-call engineer's car descends straight onto the office rooftop. Caption: "Skip the elevator — I'll fly straight into the meeting room."
The doctor edition: the emergency flying car drops straight onto the hospital roof. Every minute lost in traffic can be a life, so the ER would probably be first in line to switch.
The lawyer edition: three minutes before the hearing, the car settles neatly at the courthouse entrance; suit straight, cuffs adjusted. From that day on, "traffic" is struck from the list of acceptable excuses for being late.
The teacher edition: the car glides down onto the school playground as every student looks up in unison. The principal's only new headache: the parking lot now has to go on the roof.
The Chinese mom edition: the trunk is packed with tutoring textbooks and a piano. Piano lessons, math class and swim practice in three different districts? No problem — we fly. Homework gets finished in the back seat, and not one class is missed.
The accountant edition: on the night of April 15, the tax filing deadline, squadrons of flying cars converge on the IRS building — a scene grander than anything in Star Wars.
The police edition: a patrol car sweeps low over the freeway, lights flashing, loudspeaker on: "Vehicle ahead, you are 10 miles per hour over the limit. For the record, the officer above you just went supersonic."
The pastor edition: on Sunday morning, a car descends gently onto the church lawn. Being late for service now has exactly one excuse left: the clouds were too thick today.
Of course, mass-produced flying cars are still a long way off, and whether 2028 happens on schedule remains to be seen. But daydreaming while stuck in traffic — that, at least, is perfectly legal.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: GSM Official《娱乐版飞车上班》视频封面 / Cover frame of GSM Official's "Flying Cars to Work — Entertainment Edition" video
