There was a time when flying cars reached a peak in their popularity; it was from the 1950s and 1960s when anything was possible – a time when film was speculative about cars that might leave the ground and we were working our way up to the moon landing in 1969. The Jetsons and Thunderbirds were both broadcast first in the early 60s – people imagined that the future was going to be filled with flying taxis, underwater cities, and house-cleaning robots and that it was only around the corner. Well, we have got there finally, although it is not exactly what the film Bladerunner had in mind.

The flying car as a reality for the working-class man or woman has gotten a little closer with the first official commercial flight of the Klein Vision AirCar, from the Slovakian-registered start-up. AirCar made an intercity flight that lasted 35 minutes from Nitra to Bratislava in Slovakia. This was the next successful landing in a series of more than 140, proof that it was more than sheer luck that the little car made its journey safely.

It was on June 28th this year that the momentous event took place, the car capable of a more than 8000ft altitude and 115mph ground speed. The feat was accomplished in the test car, using in one of its forms a BMW engine with 160hp - perhaps one from a Mini?

BMW-Engined Supercar For The Skies

Via: Klein-vision.com
Via: Klein-vision.com

The vehicle when in flight mode is distinguishable from regular planes and the front hints at its secondary intentions, but it looks like a futuristic little plane with wheels penetrating the aerodynamic frame.

On the website, you can see a short video showing the transition process which takes under 3 minutes according to the company. Butterfly doors open behind the cabin but not for access, it is to enable the wings to fold up and inwards into the fuselage, then turn and lie down on the same axis as the body. When this process is done, the tail wing moves forward and retracts into the body, shortening the plane dramatically and turning it into a Le Mans racing car in minutes. Only when the wings and tail are in car mode does the car then truly look like a car, not like the 1960s Aerocar, but like a supercar, one which you’d consider buying on a normal supercar-buying whim. If you’re familiar with flying car concepts you’ll already have seen that generally, the ‘car’ part of the design looks to have been bolted on as an after-thought. This is because it is secondary to the much harder to design aircraft part component, which is subjected to a more demanding set of remits than a rolling vehicle. The AirCar however looks like a real car in road mode and as a bonus a nice one. It is just a shame that it makes less power than a Prius. But then a Prius cannot fly.

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The Alternatives

Via: Klein-vision.com
Via: Klein-vision.com

You still cannot get in an AirCar, let alone buy one, but the road to developing, certifying, and releasing a flying vehicle for the masses is a long one, one can only imagine the R+D costs. Another company, which is hoping to sell the Transition, Terrafugia, is in the process of acquiring approval for its car which has around 100hp, a little less. It also looks a little more like a Cessna than a sports car, more like a car-inspired plane than a plane-inspired car like Klein Vision’s design. The Transition is probably one of the most well-known concepts under development besides the AirCar, but lest we forget the excellent-looking PAL-V. It is small, when the rotor blades of the helicopter-esque vehicle are stowed, it could be a quirky-looking 3-wheeled sports car. It is a 200hp gyrocopter with 100hp for the road, managing 100mph in both settings and capable of whisking you and your passenger 300 miles away for lunch, providing you are qualified and have the authorization to land at an airport near your destination. In-flight coffee and Wi-Fi are not available, but you can fly over any traffic jam.

What’s The Next Step?

Via: Klein-vision.com
Via: Klein-vision.com

With car planes aiming at short flights and basic-road worthiness as a goal, it is hard to see it not coming to fruition at least in the next decade or two – but again for people who have attained the correct license to fly. Surely if more and more people take the skies to make short-to-medium trips the infrastructure will need to be improved. Local take-off and landing strips near towns, training schools, accessibly-priced models, and safety framework to avoid the inevitable tragic accidents. One thing to remember is that running or using any aircraft is expensive and flying, although safer than car travel statistically; is more lethal when the worst happens, all things considered. In the event of a breakdown, it is usually more serious in the air.

With the cost of development and time satisfying the myriad requirements, the flying car is a slow thing to get moving. We can make cars relatively cheaply and quickly, and you can even buy a basic plane for less than the price of a small house. It is when you combine the two (and expect them to do a good job repeatedly) that the expense and complication begin.

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Not Too Sporty

Via: Klein-vision.com
Via: Klein-vision.com

The Cessna is one of the cheapest and most popular planes to have ever been sold, it has been sold with different engines but 100hp is enough to get you, 1 passenger, and a couple of kids into the clouds in a box weighing less than a ton. To make your own and to try to improve on the recipe, an easy way might be to start with the plane first, adding the car-related accessories and wheels later before you find a way to fold the wings. One thing that is lacking in the current prototypes is horse-power – you could try using a V8 from a Corvette for sound and speed thrills when on the highway, although with the high center-of-gravity you are looking at a cruiser rather than a bruiser.

The trade-off is this; the flying car for the moment is still battling with the merging of aviation and efficient road travel in one, with so many constraints and limitations, both the car and airplane components are compromised at best. It is just not possible currently to see a car that will go like a BMW M2 on the road and like a Cessna above the rooftops.

It is difficult to imagine a sporty plane but never say never, the AirCar has not been tested on the Nürburgring, but it does look the part in car mode, even if it is not as fast as it looks it still wins any comparison based on its aviation trump-card. Hats off to the people making things happen at Klein Vision for the work already done and let us hope they continue to keep the ball rolling on this interesting supercar for the skies.