Slovakian 'AirCar' Completes Test Flight Between Cities
A flying car made by Slovakian company Klein Vision has successfully completed a 35-minute flight between two cities.
"It has turned science fiction into a reality," company co-founder Anton Zajac said.
The prototype AirCar took off from the international airport in Nitra, Slovakia and landed about half an hour later in the capital Bratislava, some 75 kilometers away. It was piloted by its creator Stefan Klein, who described the flight as "very pleasant."
After it landed, at the click of a button, the aircraft folded away its wings and changed into a sports car in under three minutes. It was then driven from the airport to downtown Bratislava.
According to the company, this was the vehicle's 142nd successful landing. It has so far completed over 40 hours of test flights, flying at a maximum speed of 190 kilometers per hour.
The vehicle runs on the same gas used by normal cars and can carry two passengers, but it still needs a runway to take off and land.
The company says the prototype AirCar has taken about two years to develop. It is now working on AirCar Prototype 2, which is expected to be able to fly up to 1,000 kilometers at a time at speeds of 300 kilometers per hour.
Aviation expert Dr Stephen Wright told the BBC that the flying car "looks really cool," but also that it might take a while before the car is shown to be safe for use. "I can't wait to see the piece of paper that says this is safe to fly and safe to sell," he added.
