It looks like flying cars are no more a fantasy as the Slovak Transport Authority has granted Certificate of Airworthiness to a convertible flying car
Flying cars are something that we’ve seen in the fictional world – there have been just too many movies on them, right? Now, however, it looks like they are no longer merely a figment of imagination as Klein Vision Aircar has just got officially certified for its airworthiness by the Slovak Transport Authority.
The flying car has been tested multiple times and the tests that were conducted included many full range flights and performance maneuvers that brought to light the vehicle’s static and dynamic stability. In fact, astonishingly, the take off and landing manaevours were conducted without even the need of the pilot having to touch the aircraft controls. The Klein Vision Aircar started life as blueprints and it has taken 8 specialists and more than 1 lakh manhours to convert the initial drawings to working models through CFD tests, wind-tunnel testing and even a 1:1 prototype that draws power from a 15kW electric engine. A later prototype was powered by a BMW-sourced 1.6-litre engine that helped this flying car bag the important certification.
At the moment, the AirCar flying car from Klein Vision has clocked more than 70 hours of rigorous flight testing in compliance with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards. The testing even includes 200 takeoffs and landings. Next, the company is developing a more powerful and lightweight version with ADEPT Airmotive aviation engine that will be capable of helping the car achieve speeds of more than 300 km/h and a range of 1,000 km. This model is expected to achieve the Certificate of Airworthiness in the next 12 months.
“AirCar certification opens the door for mass production of very efficient flying cars. It is official and the final confirmation of our ability to change mid-distance travel forever,” said Professor Stefan Klein, the inventor, leader of the development team, and the test pilot. “50 years ago, the car was the epitome of freedom,” says Anton Zajac, the project co-founder. “AirCar expands those frontiers by taking us into the next dimension, where the road meets the sky.”
“Transportation Authority carefully monitored all stages of unique AirCar development from its start in 2017. Transportation safety is our highest priority. AirCar combines top innovations with safety measures in line with EASA standards. It defines a new category of a sports car and a reliable aircraft. Its certification was both a challenging and fascinating task,” said René Molnár, the director of the Civil Aviation Division (Transport Authority of Slovakia).
