AirCar, a dual-mode car-aircraft vehicle developed by Klein Vision, moved closer to production this week with a 35-minute test flight on Monday between the international airports of Nitra and Bratislava in Slovakia.
The AirCar Prototype 1 is equipped with a 160HP BMW engine, a fixed propeller and a ballistic parachute and retractable wings.
After landing, the aircraft transformed into a sports car in under three minutes and was driven by its inventor, Professor Stefan Klein and Klein Vision co-founder Anton Zajac to downtown Bratislava.
The flight between the airports is not the vehicle's first; it has already completed 141 prior successful landings and gained more than 40 hours of flight time, including steep 45 degree turns and stability and maneuverability testing. AirCar Prototype 1 can fly at up to 8,200 ft and reaches a maximum cruising speed of 190km/h.
A second pre-production protoype will be equipped with a 300HP engine and a variable pitch propeller and is expected to have a cruise speed of 300km/h and range of 1,000km (621 miles).
"This flight starts a new era of dual transportation vehicles. It opens a new category of transportation and returns the freedom originally attributed to cars back to the individual," said Professor Klein after the flight.
"AirCar is no longer just a proof of concept; flying at 8,200ft at a speed of 100kt, it has turned science fiction into a reality," said Zajac.