Klein Vision AirCar Completes A 35-Minute Test Flight Between Two Cities

AirCar is a dual-mode car/aircraft moving towards production after meeting a key development milestone this week. That milestone was its first inter-city flight, where the aircraft flew for 35 minutes from the international Airport in Nitra to the international airport in Bratislava. The flight was conducted on June 28, 2021.The flight also represented the flying car's 142nd successful landing in Bratislava. After landing, the press of a button inside the aircraft transforms it into a sports car in under three minutes where it can be driven like a normal car. The company behind the flying car says that it can cut typical travel time by a factor of two.

AirCar has an automated transition from a road vehicle into an air vehicle and vice versa. It has self-deploying and retracting wings and tail. The AirCar Prototype 1 uses a 160 horsepower BMW engine with a fixed-propeller. In case of emergencies, the vehicle is fitted with a ballistic parachute that can safely float the entire vehicle to the ground.

The flying car has completed more than 40 hours of test flights under the supervision of the Civil Aviation Authority. Its test flights included steep 45 degrees turns as well as stability and maneuverability testing. So for the prototype vehicle has flown to an altitude of 8200 feet and reached a maximum cruising speed of 190 km/h.

AirCar Prototype 2 is the pre-production model fitted with a 300 horsepower engine and received an EASA CS-23 aircraft certification with an M1 road permit. That particular vehicle has a variable pitch propeller and is expected to have a cruise speed of 300 km/h and a range of 1000 kilometers. The team behind AirCar says it's no longer a proof of concept, having transitioned from science fiction to reality.