Its top speed is the same on the ground as in the air, around 180 km an hour. When the machine is not being flown these surfaces fold away allowing the vehicle to be driven quickly on its three wheels.
PAL-V said its flying car offers the ultimate in freedom and mobility. "If you want to fly over a mountain you can do that and then drive at the other end and go to your destination or fly over water or past a traffic jam of course," said PAL-V CEO and co-founder Robert Dingemanse. "All those kind of things are possible now."
YouTube link.
PAL-V said the machine is quieter than a helicopter due to the slower rotation of the rotor. The company says it takes off and lands with low speed, cannot stall, and is very easy to control, making it one of the safest types of aircraft. PAL-V said it meets regulations to be operated in the air and on the roads, though to fly one a customer must hold a private pilot's licence, requiring 20 to 30 hours of flying lessons.
1 comment:
Pretty hopeless in both elements really.
The old single front wheel configuration. That's going to be great on the road. Not! Ask anybody who's ever rolled a Reliant or indeed an ATC. If you are limited to three wheels then the only stable (ish) configuration is to have two at the front and one at the back.
But the one thing that worries me most about the whole concept of the "flying car" is air safety. Any pilot will tell you that they check their aircraft before every flight. Now just think of the every day knocks a car gets. From those little supermarket trolley dings to kerbings and potholes. Now these might not do much harm to a big solid conventional car, but a flying car by it's very nature is going to be lightweight and somewhat fragile by comparison.
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