A prototype flying car has completed a 35-minute flight between international airports in Nitra and Bratislava, Slovakia. AirCar, a hybrid car-aircraft which is equipped with a BMW engine and runs on regular petrol-pump fuel. Its creator, Prof Stefan Klein, said that it could fly about 1,000 km at a height of 2,500m.
AirCar was patented by Slovenian start-up Klein Vision. The recent test flight was its 142nd successful landing in Bratislava. Besides being fitted with a 160HP BMW engine, it is also equipped with a fixed propeller and a ballistic parachute. Under the supervision of the Civil Aviation Authority, the AirCar has completed over 40 hours of test flights, including steep 45 degree turns and stability and manoeuvrability testing.
The vehicle can transform into a sports car in under three minutes from an aircraft. Unfortunately, the aircraft are not able to take off and land vertically and it requires a runway. In the air, the vehicle reached a cruising speed of 170km/h. It can carry two people, with a combined weight limit of 200kg.
There is already high expectation in the market for flying cars, whereby in 2019 Morgan Stanley had predicted the sector could be worth $1.5 trillion by 2040. BBC reported that flying cars is considered a potential solution to the strain on existing transport infrastructure.