According to Hyundai Europe’s Chief Executive, Michael Cole, flying cars will be a reality in cities around the globe by the end of this decade. But for residents living in Slovakia flying cars are already a reality.
On 28 June, AirCar, a dual-mode car-aircraft vehicle running on petrol-pump fuel took to the skies for a 35-minute flight from Nitra Airport to Bratislava Airport. Klein Vision’s patent protected AirCar completed its 142nd successful landing in Bratislava at 6.05 am. After landing, at the click of a button the aircraft transformed into a sports car in less than three minutes, before being driven off by its inventor, Professor Stefan Klein and co-Founder, Anton Zajac to downtown Bratislava, cutting the typical travel time by a factor of two.
As he exited the AirCar cockpit at Bratislava Airport Professor Klein commented on how Monday’s flight starts a new era of dual transportation vehicles, as he said,“It opens a new category of transportation and returns the freedom originally attributed to cars back to the individual.”
Equipped with a 160HP BMW engine with fixed-propeller and a ballistic parachute, the AirCar Prototype 1, under the supervision of the Civil Aviation Authority, has completed more than 40 hours of test flights.
AirCar Prototype 2, the pre-production model, will be equipped with a 300HP engine and receive the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) CS-23 aircraft certification with an M1 road permit. With its variable pitch propeller, the Prototype 2 is expected to have a cruise speed of 300km/h and range of 1,000km.
“The automated transition from road vehicle into an air vehicle and vice versa, deploying/ retracting wings and tail is not only the result of pioneering enthusiasm, innovative spirit and courage; it is an outcome of excellent engineering and professional knowledge,” said Dr. Branko Sarh, Boeing Co. Senior Technical Fellow.
Meanwhile, Zajac concluded: “AirCar is no longer just a proof of concept; flying at 8,200 ft at a speed of 100kt, it has turned science fiction into a reality.”
The jury’s still out as to whether cars like these will actually become mainstream, but its certainly not inconceivable. However, you can just imagine the headache for air traffic control….
