We also had carriages before cars. What’s the deal of so many “X already exists therefore any replacement is pointless” posts?
It is not. Wilderness rescues are extremely resource constrained due to the costs involved coupled with the fact that those in need of rescue were fully aware of the risks before they set out. There's a severe limit to how many tax dollars will go towards bailing adults out of situations of their own making. Lowering costs would quite literally save lives.
Are we — as a species — really going to spend until eternity grovelling around on the ground?
If not, then we need personal aircraft.
Other than wait to be on the ground again?
Even birds spend the majority of their times on the ground.
The earliest cars were replacing the animal muscle power of carriages--a trivially easy feat given that the most primitive steam and combustion engines easily 10x both the raw power, power-to-weight, and power-density of a team of horses.