Flying car completes first intercity test flight
Transforming AirCar travelled between Nitra and Bratislava
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Flying car is a term that's thrown around a lot lately, but often applied to quadrocopters that aren't designed to be driven on the road.
There are a few legitimate "roadable aircraft" out there, however, and one prototype has just completed its first intercity test flight.
The Klein Vision AirCar is a Slovakian-designed two-passenger vehicle with four wheels, a pusher propeller, switchblade-style retractable wings and a telescoping tail that transforms into a road legal package on the ground in just three minutes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The vehicle has made 142 test flights and this week traveled between the international airport in Nitra to the international airport in Bratislava, where it converted into a car and was driven downtown.
The AirCar is currently powered by a 160 hp BMW engine and has a top air speed of 118 mph, but will be upgraded to a 300 hp engine that will be capable of reaching 186 mph. It flew at a cruising altitude of 8,200 feet during the recent test.
"This flight starts a new era of dual transportation vehicles. It opens a new category of transportation and returns the freedom originally attributed to cars back to the individual." Professor Stefan Klein after exiting the AirCar cockpit in Bratislava.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Exact pricing for the customer version has not been announced, but the prototype cost a reported $2.3 million to develop.