Thoughts of flying cars have been around in all sorts of sci-fi movies and comic book stories. Who can forget the modified DeLorean from the Back to the Future movies in the 1980’s when Michael J Fox not only flies the car but goes back and forth in time? Harry Potter took off in a classic British made Ford Anglia in the ‘Chamber of Secrets’ movie. The popular 1960’s cartoon series ‘The Jetsons’ had the family flying around 100 years in the future in a sort of hybrid car… one that even fitted into a briefcase!
And who hasn’t had a fantasy of flying off into the sky when stuck in traffic?
But the thought of flying cars is one step closer to reality with the brainchild of Slovak designer and engineer Stefan Klein.
Inspired by Jules Verne, and with aviation in the family DNA, Stefan has been developing flying cars for nearly 25 years. He has created a two seated vehicle six metres in length that’s perfect for the garage or a parking spot in the city or shopping centre. But the beauty of this vehicle is that it sprouts wings when you get to the airport. Its maiden ‘flight’ took place in 2013 and the vehicle can reach speeds of up to 200km and travel 700km before needing refill at the next airport.
His sleek blue and white Aeromobil has been deemed the ‘the world’s prettiest and best-designed airborne automobile so far’ by US aviation magazine Flying.
Slovakia seems to be leading the way in flying car designs as it is also the home of the Slovak Ultra Light Aviation Federation who have monitored twenty such attempts to produce a flying car. One such ‘flying car’ under development since 2006 is the Terrafugia Transition® built as a light sport and road capable aircraft that can reach speeds of up to 110 km/h on the road with a cruising flight speed of 172 km/h.
As we reported in our previous article (The flying car is nearly here), US company Terrafugia are confident of the Transition® going into manufacture, boldly claiming on its website that it is ‘the transportation of the future today’ and that it’s ‘a street-legal airplane that converts between flying and driving modes in under a minute’. With good wholesome American sales speak it claims ‘the Transition® brings a new level of freedom, flexibility, and fun to personal aviation.’
And of course the company recommends ‘You can reserve your Transition® today.’
So whether it’s a down to earth traditional vehicle or one that can take off into the skies above, getting your car finance sorted out first will get you on the road quickly… or even airborne!
Image Credits: DeLorean Photo