A flying sports car made by Stefan Klein for Slovakia-based Klein Vision can transition from road vehicle to aircraft in merely three minutes. The mastermind behind the machine has previous experience in the discipline and has been working on the project for about twenty years.
The AirCar, as it is called, is the fifth prototype and a solid proof of concept – with a video to show evidence of its airworthiness. The footage presents the maiden flight of the flying car… and it’s actually flying! You can witness the vehicle in drive mode, making its way onto the runway, deploying its wings, then taking off into the sky and flying over Slovakia at 1500 feet.
The company says the AirCar has several potential uses, including commercial applications such as taxi services and leisure and self-driving journeys. It can fly at speeds up to 620 miles an hour.
Anton Zajac, Klein Vision’s co-founder, investor, and a pilot, said:
With AirCar, you will arrive at your destination without the hassle of getting a ride to the airport and passing through commercial security. You can drive your AirCar to the golf course, the office, the mall, or your hotel and park it in a normal parking space.
The new AirCar is a two-seater, four-wheeled car with fold-out wings that fly using a pushed prop. The wings move up and over the fuselage into their resting position automatically with the push of a button. The tail of the vehicle also extends a couple of feet back to make room for the winds. It’s a much more convenient approach than having to do it manually, like with the Pal-V – a flying car that just became street legal in Europe.
Klein Vision’s website reads:
AirCar is composed of several functional units. Its aerodynamic fuselage provides enough space for the passengers and, at the same time, contributes to better lift characteristics during the flight. Among advanced technologies are retractable wings, folding tail surfaces, parachute deployment system, etc. The folding tail surfaces contribute to better longitudinal stability and take-off characteristics, just like conventional aircraft. However, in the car mode, retracted tail results in a more compact size.
Dr. Branko Sarh, Boeing senior technical fellow, said:
The wing and tail deployment/retraction mechanism is very impressive, converting the automobile into an airplane. The cockpit providing space for the driver/pilot and a passenger is very roomy and nicely styled. The overall appearance of the flying car on the road and in the air is superb.
As legitimate as it looks, Klein still has to get the creation certified as a car and a plane – a hefty expense. That’s one of the reasons the Pal-V is a three-wheeler; three-wheeled vehicles are cheaper and easier to get certified. The process for a four-wheeler like AirCar is much more challenging.
Nevertheless, Klein is confident they’ll have the vehicle in the air and on the roads as early as 2021. Klein Vision’s CTO and test pilot, Professor Stefan Klein, said:
The key flight parameters confirmed all theoretical concepts and calculations that the development of the AirCar was based on. Following the completion of all required flight tests in compliance with [European Union Aviation Safety Agency] regulations, we will deliver a model with a certified ADEPT 300HP engine within the next six months.
Klein Vision even plans to make different versions: ones with either two or four seats and various engine sizes. There’s even talk about making an amphibious version that can fly, drive, and float!
