According to media reports, the world’s first flying car was unveiled at an exhibition in Miami, Florida, USA. This “flying car” uses gasoline, can drive at a top speed of 100 miles per hour on the road, fly at a top speed of 200 miles per hour, and fly at an altitude of 12,500 feet. It is priced at US$599,000.
According to the Associated Press report, this vehicle called “Pioneer Personal Air Landing Vehicle” was developed by the Dutch PAL-V Automobile Company and has entered the mass production stage with an order price of US$599,000.
This flying car can accommodate two people. Moreover, the driver of the PAL-V flying car must have both a car driving license and a flight qualification certificate.
This flying car has a power of 230hp and is equipped with a four-cylinder engine. The body is made of carbon fiber and titanium-aluminum alloy materials. The vehicle weighs 1,500 pounds and requires a 540-foot-long take-off runway and a 100-foot landing runway. The car can transform from a three-wheeled car into a gyrocopter in 10 minutes, and can accelerate from standstill to 60 miles per hour in 8 seconds.
The car’s fuel tank can be filled with 27 gallons of gasoline, which is enough for a flight of 248 to 310 miles and a flight altitude of up to 11,500 feet. The road travel range is up to 750 miles.
Robert Dingemanse, CEO of PAL-V Automotive Company, said that after four years of hard work, the R&D team overcame technical and quality challenges and created a flying car that complies with existing safety standards and global driving regulations.
Dingemans said that by comparison, the flying cars currently being developed by competitors are still in the concept stage.
Dingemans said that the PAL-V is not a helicopter, but a rotorcraft. A helicopter’s propeller needs to be driven by a power unit, while a gyroplane’s propeller relies on airflow and is therefore more like a parachute. It is reported that even if the car’s two engines fail, the PAL-V’s propeller can still rotate.
According to reports, after the PAL-V flying car leaves the factory, it must undergo at least 150 hours of flight testing and pass strict inspections before it can obtain a qualification certificate issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
