The Slovak Transport Authority has awarded a certificate of airworthiness to a flying car capable of reaching speeds of over 100 mph (160 km/h) and heights of over 8,000 feet (2,500 meters).

AirCar, a hybrid car airplane, is powered by a BMW engine and runs on ordinary gasoline.

It takes two minutes and fifteen seconds for an automobile to become an aircraft.

The certification came after 70 hours of flight testing and more than 200 take offs and landings, according to the business.

Prof. Stefan Klein, the founder of AirCar, remarked, “It opens the door to mass production of incredibly efficient flying cars.

“It’s official, and it’s the last proof of our potential to change the way people travel large distances.”

Feeling Good

The flying automobile flew between international airports in Nitra and Bratislava, Slovakia, for 35 minutes in June.

The news was “a good step down the road” for the company, according to Dr Steve Wright, a senior research fellow in avionics and aircraft systems at the University of the West of England, who said he was “cautiously optimistic that I will see a few AirCars one day but I think there is still a long way to go.”

Vehicles that can fly and be driven on the road are also being developed by other firms.

In Europe, the three wheeled PAL-V Liberty, which looks like a gyrocopter, is road legal and moving toward certification by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

Dr. Wright, on the other hand, is wary of the widespread appeal of flying cars.

“Yes and no,” he responded, “are flying automobiles the future?”

“The personal transport revolution is on its way, but it doesn’t look like it yet.

“In terms of transportation, it has a niche although a very exciting niche.”

Taxi Services by Air

A pilot’s license is required to fly the AirCar, which takes off and lands like a traditional plane.

However, a number of businesses are developing unpiloted air taxis that will fly autonomously and land and take off vertically.

They’re hoped to be a convenient and adaptable mode of transportation, and some of them are garnering a lot of money.

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