There are a few flying car concepts doing the rounds and all claim to make the dream a reality. But do they actually work? In the case of the AeroMobil 3.0, it would appear so.
The AeroMobil 3.0 can be seen carving through the skies during a test run at the Pioneers Festival in Vienna in an official video released by the Slovakian company – and it’s far from terrifying.
Collapsible wings let it go from being a strange-looking two-seater car to an airplane in no time at all. Meanwhile a Rotax 912 engine provides a 100mph top speed on the ground and a 124mph top speed in the air, with take-off possible at 90mph. Range is said to be 540 miles as a car and 430 miles as a plane.
AeroMobile said on its website: “The current flying car prototype AeroMobil 3.0 incorporates significant improvements and upgrades. It is now being tested in real flight conditions since October 2014. Initially certified by the Slovak Federation of Ultra-Light Flying, it now entered a regular flight-testing program.
“The AeroMobil 3.0 prototype is very close to the final product. It is predominantly built from the same materials as the final product, such as advanced composite materials for the body shell, wings, and wheels. It also contains all the main features that will be incorporated into the final product, such as avionics equipment, autopilot and an advanced parachute deployment system.”
While it seems humanity is a step closer to the flying car dream, the AeroMobil requires a runway to take off, which makes it less practical than its Krossblade SkyCruiser and Terrafugia TF-X vertical take off and landing (VTOL) competitors.
The AeroMobil 1.0 first arrived in 1990. It was replaced by the 2.0 in 1995 and the 2.5 in 2010.
Sadly the flying car is yet to go on sale and when it does you can expect an eye-watering large price tag. There’s also the fact you would need a pilot’s licence to fly it.
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