VIDEO: Flying car completes inter-city flight

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A dual-mode car-aircraft vehicle has progressed closer to production by completing a flight between two international airports – in Nitra and Bratislava, Slovakia. AirCar made the 35-minute flight on 28 June 2021.

Klein Vision’s patent-protected AirCar completed its 142nd successful landing in Bratislava at 6:05am. After landing, at a click of a button the aircraft transformed into a sports car in under three minutes and was driven by its inventor, Professor Stefan Klein, and co-founder, Anton Zajac, to downtown Bratislava.

“Professor Stefan Klein is the world leader in the development of user-friendly flying cars,” said Dr Branko Sarh, Boeing senior technical fellow. “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.”

The AirCar Prototype 1 is equipped with a 160hp BMW engine with fixed propeller and a ballistic parachute. Under the supervision of the Civil Aviation Authority, the AirCar has completed more than 40 hours of test flights, including steep 45° turns and stability and manoeuvrability testing. AirCar Prototype 1 has flown at 8,200ft (2,499m) and reached a maximum cruising speed of 190km/h (103kts).

Its makers say AirCar Prototype 2, the pre-production model, will be equipped with a 300hp engine and receive 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 (162kts) and range of 1,000km (621 miles).

“This flight starts a new era of dual transportation vehicles,” said Professor Klein. “It opens a new category of transportation and returns the freedom originally attributed to cars back to the individual.”

“AirCar is no longer just a proof of concept; flying at 8,200ft at a speed of 100kts, it has turned science fiction into a reality,” said Zajac.

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Izzy has been part of the Business Jet Interiors International team since its second issue, and the editor since 2011. She also edits Auditoria and Railway Interiors International. Outside of work, Izzy is rediscovering her love of art by learning how to paint with watercolors.

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