Air-Car Flugauto Successfully Completes Its First Domestic Flight

It only takes two minutes and 15 seconds. Within this period of time, an airplane becomes a normal car at the push of a button. The trick also works the other way round: Then the Air-Car becomes a flying object again within a very short time. The inventor Stefan Klein has been working on this vision for around thirty years. During this time, he not only invested a million euros, but also developed three prototypes. The latest variant has now been subjected to a thoroughly realistic test. So Klein got behind the wheel himself and flew from Bratislava to Nitra by car. He reached an altitude of around 2,500 meters and a top speed of 170 kilometres per hour. As part of the functional test, some sharp 45-degree bends were also integrated into the flight route. These could also be completed without any problems.

The approval process is extremely time-consuming

The aviation pioneer then reached his destination after around 35 minutes. After landing, Klein finally pressed the magic button and drove to the waiting reporters. All in all, the test flight was extremely successful. Klein is therefore convinced that the next prototype will be ready for series production. For the first time, he could actually earn money with his project. In theory, a lot. An analysis by Morgan Stanley estimates the market for hybrid flying objects at around 1.5 trillion euros in 2040. Before that, however, some regulatory hurdles still have to be overcome. This is particularly difficult here because it is a completely new product category. Because so far there is simply no flying car with official approval - apart from the Aerocar from the 1950s, which would no longer receive a flight permit today. Therefore, numerous standards must first be established and tests completed.

An airport is required for take-off and landing

So far, the Air-Car developed by Klein has already had 142 successful take-offs and landings. In total, more than 40 flight hours have already been completed. There were no technical problems. So the basic concept seems to be working. However, the usability of the hybrid flying car is limited. Because it is not a whiz. A taxiway is therefore required for take-off and landing. As a rule, this should mean: You can only fly from airport to airport. The competitor PAL-V Liberty, on the other hand, relies on a mobile gyroplane that can take off and land anywhere. Here too, however, no full approval has yet been granted. The vehicle may currently be used normally in road traffic. Flights are only permitted for test purposes.