Slovakia-based company Klein Vision has successfully obtained flying permissions for its road vehicle and aircraft concept, the AirCar. CEO and founder Stefan Klein said that the company made a major step towards mass-producing airborne cars, although there is still work to be done.
Specifically, the company has to design a
production-friendly vehicle based on the prototype that has been approved, and
then obtain permissions for that one as well. The European Union Aviation
Safety Agency (EASA) spent 70 hours testing the prototype, during which it
performed over 200 takeoffs and landings, to ensure it was safe enough.
The AirCar features a transforming body with wings that can
be folded down and lined up with the sides of the car, while the impressively
sized tail automatically retracts into the rear end of the vehicle. A pusher
propeller is used to navigate through the air, and the official videos suggest
it is not foldable.
The concept vehicle uses a 1.6-liter BMW engine burning
petrol for 140 PS, but the company relies on ADEPT Airmotive
to supply it with engines for the production run instead. A new chassis will
have to be designed to accommodate those engines. The new prototype is expected
to be able to attain a top speed of 300 km/h and cover up to 1,000 km. Obtaining all the certificates for it may take up to a year, so
the production start date has not been decided upon so far.
