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A flying car. George Jetson had one. He flew the kids to school, the wife to the mall and then off to work at the beginning of every episode.

So what would you do if you had a flying car?

One Mercer Islander who sits on an advisory board to help develop an air vehicle -- the Skycar -- wants to use the invention to save lives by quickly flying defibrillators out to heart attack and stroke victims.

To do so, Henry Lahore is quitting his job as an engineer at The Boeing Co. to start a nonprofit organization called Skyaid. Its goal is to save 100,000 lives a year worldwide.

Lately, he's been spending about 60 hours per week working on the nonprofit and only 16 hours a week at Boeing, cutting into his vacation time.

Lahore became involved with the Skycar in 1990 when Boeing was approached by Moller International., the company developing the Skycar. Boeing didn't bite on the concept, but Lahore did.

Similar to a helicopter, the Skycar can take off and land vertically, hover, and fly horizontally at speeds up to 360 mph, according to Lahore's Web site.

The current model hasn't been tested yet, but the previous model flew more than 200 times.

While there are other uses for the Skycar, such as transportation and military, Lahore wants to see it help people.

The technology is the mechanism behind setting up the nonprofit to save lives, explained Lahore. He describes the Skycar on his site as a ``super aid car.''

The Skycar's pilot and medical technician, in the air at all times, would respond to an emergency call in less than five minutes to apply life-saving automatic heart defibrillation to a heart attack or stroke victim.

Once stable, the victim would be taken to the hospital by ground transportation while the Skycar would return to its 24-mile radius patrol area in the sky to be on call for the next emergency. {H.L. also have option to fly them to a critical care center}

Lahore said that if the victim can be treated within two hours of a stroke, the damage is reversible.

But the Skycar is just one component.

The second technological component is what Lahore calls the Skyaid Watch.

Worn on the wrist, the Skyaid Watch monitors the wearer's heartbeat and sends a radio signal to 911 emergency if the wearer went into cardiac arrest. It also has ``panic buttons'' if the wearer feels the onset of a stroke. The watch company Seiko is developing the Skyaid Watch, which may be available in six months. {H.L. second prototype perhaps in 6 months - not the final version}

Lahore just received the papers for nonprofit status in Washington state and plans on raising money to operate the organization. By donating, people can get Skyaid service for their city before it reaches other places. That way donors can see the benefits of the service and get a tax write-off, Lahore said.

It may take 10 years after the Skycar is approved to get Skyaid to the average town, Lahore said.

Eventually, Lahore said he could see Skyaid services in 500 different cities around the world.

Lahore is intending the Skyaid service to be available by 2005, unless there's a delay from the Federal Aviation Administration on the Skycar's approval for use. The Skyaid Watch technology, though, could be in place with 911 emergency systems by 2003.
He said he has Moller International's approval to form the nonprofit. Lahore would earn a salary from the nonprofit similar to the one he made at Boeing, he said.

According to his Web site, $7.5 million is needed to speed the development of the service and can even speed up FAA approval of the Skycar.

While some people may say he's putting the cart before the horse, millions of lives could be lost waiting for a similar service, unless the concept is advanced now, Lahore argues.

Lahore said he enjoys helping people and thinks there's a need for such a service. Or, he jokingly said, he's getting to the age -- 54 -- where heart attacks and strokes are of concern.

For more information, visit Lahore's Web site at www.skyaid.org.