This article was taken from the March 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Futurists have long dreamed of flying cars -- and Slovakian startup AeroMobil has finally built one fit for purpose. The 460kg machine only has room for two people, but it can fly for 700km at speeds up to 200kph.
Made from a steel framework with carbon coating, the AeroMobil 3.0 is powered by two 100hp Rotax 912 engines, one for the plane and one for the car, and has been invited to show at the Paris Air Show this June. "Many have tried to build flying cars and pretty much everyone has failed," says AeroMobil's Bratislava-based chief strategy officer Martin Bruncko, 38. "It's quite an engineering feat because cars and planes don't integrate." For example: stability in a car is achieved through weight and width, whereas planes need to be narrow and light. AeroMobil has found a way to balance both, inventingsmall wings for changing the direction of flight and a steering system that can be used for both driving and flying.
The 3.0 is the brainchild of AeroMobil cofounder Stefan Klein, who grew up in Bratislava (then Czechoslovakia) during the Cold War; he dreamt up the concept as an inconspicuous way to escape to Austria in the west, just over the Danube.
The AeroMobil 3.0 only needs 250 metres for take-off and 100 metres for landing, and doesn't even require Tarmac. It is also fitted with G2S avionics, which supply autopilot for safe flying. "AeroMobil is a fully functional car and a fully functional plane," says Bruncko. The startup now has 12 staff working on a retail version of the vehicle, but will not release its intended price.
We're looking forward to testing out any self-driving/self-flying versions.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
