We may be a step closer to flying off at a moment’s notice, thanks to a Slovakian company.
Klein Vision completed its first inter-city flight between Nitra and Bratislava in the company’s AirCar prototype.
Once Stefan Klein landed at the completion of his 35-minute flight, he pressed a button that folded up the aircraft’s wings, making it into a car, and drove home, Engadget reported.
The wings fold near the side of the car, BBC News reported.
The AirCar is the culmination of 30 years of work. Klein himself has logged 142 successful landings and 40 hours of test flights, Engadget reported.
Klein called Monday’s flight normal and “very pleasant,” BBC News reported.
He thinks his latest version is the one that’s ready for the real world, Engadget reported.
It has two seats and has a maximum cruising speed of 190km/h, or about 118 mph. It flew at an altitude of 8,200 feet and was able to make 45-degree turns. It can have a combined weight limit of nearly 441 pounds for passengers, BBC News reported.
It does need a runway for takeoff and landing, unlike potential competitors that, to meet regulations, must be vertical take-off and landing aircraft, known as VTOL.
Once ready for production, it will have an aircraft certification and a road permit.
But the U.S. may be one step ahead of its European counterparts in certifying flying cars, as the Federal Aviation Administration issued a certificate for Terrafugia’s Transition “roadable airplane,” a light-sport category designation that allows it to be flown, Engadget reported.
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