The World Could Soon Use Flying Cars For Regular Transport

For centuries, men have entertained the idea of having a private aerial view in arriving at their destination as evidenced by hundreds of movies, and perhaps, thousands of novels depicting cars hovering above houses. In 2017, man's dream of driving a flying car may finally become a reality. Such is the vision of Juraj Vaculik, chief executive officer of Aeromobil, as he revealed to the attendees during his presentation on Sunday, March 15 that his company will start selling flying cars two years from now.

"We believe that 2017 we'll be able to launch this to market," the CEO said in a presentation entitled "Bringing the Flying Car into Reality" during the 2015 SXSW Interactive Festival hosted by South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. The company's masterpiece is called AeroMobil 3.0.

The limited edition two-seater flying roadster powers up on a regular gasoline with 700-km range and works like its prototypes. When parked, the car-slash-plane looks and functions like any ordinary car, but when it spreads its collapsible wings from behind the backseat, the car transforms into a light plane and prepares to fly. Though Aeromobil's third-generation prototype showcased in Vienna in 2014 is similar in size to a regular limousine, it perfectly runs on the road, fits in any parking space and lands at any airport, MSN reported.

Well-Off Flight Enthusiasts And Car Lovers

The CEO envisions that flying cars will be for shared and private usage. Nevertheless, the first edition of flying roadsters will cater the market of wealthy flight enthusiasts and car lovers before the version for the masses shall be planned and produced.

"If something like a flying Uber and flying Lyft will be on the market, I think many users will find this a very efficient way to move," explained the CEO. He continued by saying people no longer need airports as commercial establishments may also make adjustments to their parking spaces to accommodate consumers who may arrive by their flying cars.

Modest Specifications, Sturdy Capability

Slovakian-based Aeromobil's Vaculik assured spectators at the conference that its company's creation is fully equipped with parachute and autopilot—functionalities that are basically required in any aircraft, but which were not available in its previous models. These features work automatically in case the pilot falls sick. Vaculik added humour by saying nobody has to jump out.

Though specifications for the roadster are not yet released, it can be gleaned that the roadster will be closer, if not better than its AeroMobil 3.0 that was last showed off at CityQuest, King Abdullah Economic City, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Based on its official website, AeroMobil 3.0 is powered by a Rotax 912 engine both for the mobile and the aeroplane forms. The roadster has a maximum speed of 160 kph when it runs on the road and 200 km when it hovers with a take-off speed of 130 km and altitude capacity of 3 km. The mobil-aeroplane consumes 8 litres of gasoline per hundred kilometres when running and 15 litres when flying.

Aeromobil is co-founded by Stefan Klein. The dream of manufacturing flying cars was inspired by their mutual desire of providing an escape from oppression by then-communist Czechoslovakia.