The Slovak company Klein Vision successfully carried out the world's first passenger flight using a flying car, marking a significant advance in the field of personal air travel.
The flight took place on the runway of a Slovak airport, and the famous French electronic musician Jean-Michel Jarre was the privileged passenger.
The vehicle responsible for this feat, the AirCar, demonstrated its dual capabilities on the runway. Starting out as a sports car, it accelerated before making a smooth transition into an airplane and flying off into the sky.
The flight, captured in a Klein Vision promotional video, showed the AirCar's seamless transition from the ground to the air, culminating in a safe landing with Jarre and the pilot on board.
This event underlines a series of developments in the flying car sector. In 2021, the AirCar reached another milestone by completing a 35-minute intra-city flight between Nitra and Bratislava international airports in Slovakia.
In January 2022, it received its certificate of airworthiness and logged 130 flight hours, along with 520 take-offs and landings at various international airports, reports Interesting Engineering.
Jijo Malayil
Klein Vision's AirCar has been designed with a number of innovative features to support its hybrid functionality. It has retractable wings, folding tail surfaces for greater stability and a parachute opening system for increased safety.
The vehicle transitions smoothly between a compact car and an airplane, making it suitable for urban environments and long-distance journeys.
The current model of the AirCar, powered by a 160 hp BMW engine, supports a two-seater configuration and is equipped with a fixed propeller and a ballistic parachute.
It has demonstrated the ability to reach altitudes of up to 2,500 meters and a maximum cruising speed of 190 km/h. Weighing approximately 1100 kilograms, it has a lifting capacity of an additional 200 kilograms.
Looking to the future, Klein Vision is developing an advanced model with an ADEPT Airmotive aviation engine known for its power, lightness and fuel efficiency.
The company has also completed designs for a monocoque model with a variable pitch propeller, which should reach speeds of over 186 mph (300 km/h) and a range of 621 miles (1,000 kilometers).
Although Klein Vision has not yet announced a launch date or marketing plans for the AirCar, these technological advances suggest that the reality of flying cars is getting closer.
This pioneering work not only paves the way for future personal air travel, but also opens up new possibilities for travel and mobility in the coming years.
