In “Back to the Future 2″ we saw a look at the year 2015. How far are we REALLY away from that technology?

Flying cars have already been invented. However, they are very difficult to operate, difficult to mantain and hard to get into the air. One example was designed by the U.S. Air Force. It had 20 foot wings that folded back against the car and a propeller along with a regular gasoline engine. The car was just plain impracticle to produce, though and the concept was later cancelled. A few other people and companies have undertaken the concept as well but have also had limited results. There is one guy I read about in Popular Science or Popular Mechanics several years ago that created a practical flying car. It’s design was based on multiple propellors which altered direction and therefore thrust. In many ways it resembled Brittian’s Harrier jump jet in which jet thrust is diverted to give it a verticle take off and landing ability. The U.S. Marienes have been using them for some time and one is featured on Arnold Schwartzenager’s movie “True Lies.” In the very near future the Harriers in the U.S. and maybe Brittian will be replaced by the new F-35C Lightning II. It also has verticle take off and landing abilities but is also steathy and is being manufactured by an American company for use in the U.S. Marines, Air Force, Navy and probably by Brittian and other allied countries.
Ideally, in order to manufacture flying cars such as those on the Jetson’s, the best engine to use as a powersource is currently beyond mankind’s understanding of physics. That would be to build an engine that creates an antigravity force. So far it has been unproven that such a force even exists in nature. It’s currently believed that all matter has a natural tendency to attract other matter to it by use of sub-atomic particles called gravitrons. Minor physicists have theories that anti-gravitrons might also exist in nature or could be created. Think of it as magnatism. Magnets have plus and negative poles. If opposite poles come together, they attract each other like gravity does. If the same poles comes together, they repel each other. Unlike magnatism, all known gravity is an attractive force. Perhaps then anti-gravity would be an repelling force. If possible, then cars would not require wings to fly at all. A person would get into the vehicle, turn on the engine and slowly switch the engine from pulling to repulsing. In this manor the car would slowly lift off the ground uniformly. Then the car could generate pulling or gravitational fields in front of it and anti-gravitational forces to pull and push the car at the same time. However, all of this is theory and may never be practical. If it is practical, however, spacecraft could be generated in the same way. Depending on the strength and length of the fields generated, a spacecraft could travel much faster than they can with today’s technology. The only reported evidence it anit-gravity is by the sounds, speeds and motions imposed by UFO’s (alien aircraft, assuming they’re real). Many believable reports indicate that this air vessels generate very minimum levels of sound or none at all. Yet, they can cruise at high speeds and make 90 degree and even backward 45 degree angles on a dime. It’s been theorized by ufologists that this could be the result of anit-gravity devices. Certain movies have also shown vehicles of the future which seem to use this technology as well such as 5th Dimension with Bruce Willis.
As far as hoverboards go, they would be too hard and too dangerous to control. Even if it was possible to manufacture them, I doubt that their use would catch on that much.
As far as most of that technology goes, I think 2015 would be a bit early to expect them as you suggested.

Ed