KleinVision's hybrid car-aircraft, AirCar, completed a 35-minute flight between two international airports in Slovakia. The Slovakian company was founded by Professor Stefan Klein, who has been devoted to “converting his flying-car dream into reality” since 1989 when he finished his diploma-thesis “AeroMobil - Personal Vision of Transport System.”
Powered by a 160-horsepower BMW engine running on regular petrol-plump fuel, the-two seater AirCar can reach a cruising speed of 170 km/h (106 mph) and carry a combined weight of 200kg. The prototype has had 142 successful landings so far, reaching an altitude of 8200 ft and completing steep 45-degree turns.
Zoom Out: More than a dozen companies, including Hyundai, GM, Mercedes, Audi, and Uber, compete to create electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles to bring an age of urban air mobility. The AirCar is one of the few that actually matches the flying car description as it can be driven on regular roads. Unlike VTOL vehicles, however, it requires a runway for takeoff and landing.
