A flying car company made history this week by taking the world’s first car flight with a passenger in what could be the future of transportation.
Legendary French electronic musician Jean-Michel Jarre became the first to hitch such a ride, soaring twice through the Slovakian skies in KleinVision’s AirCar in front of captivated onlookers.
“One second you speak to the driver, and next, you are up there in the air. An amazing experience,” Jarre, 75, told Sky News.
Video released by the company shows the sleek, winged sportscar speeding down the runway on four wheels before suddenly, like something out of a sci-fi flick, it’s airborne, climbing into the sky. Jarre can be seen beaming in the passenger seat.
The vehicle, invented and piloted by Professor Stefan Klein transforms from an automobile to a flight-ready aircraft in just minutes.
The AirCar was approved for flight in 2022 following more than 200 successful takeoffs and landings. The record-breaking vehicle became the first flying car to complete an intercity flight in 2021.
KleinVision’s co-founder Anton Zajac said he hopes it will be market-ready in a year.
The car runs on a 1.6 liter BMW engine — but Zajac said he hopes to run on batteries when the technology catches up.
It flies at speeds of up to 120 mph at altitudes up to 8,000 feet high, The Sun reported.
“We are bridging the gap between the road and the sky, giving cars the freedom they symbolized 50 years ago,” Zajac said in a statement.
In addition to a driver’s license, those interested in operating the AirCar must also complete a specialized two-to-three month flying course, according to Sky News.
Meanwhile in the US, SpaceX-backed Alef Aeronautics, a Silicon Valley-based startup, announced last month it received nearly 3,000 pre-orders for its Model A flying car totalling more than $850 million.
The 850-pound, two-seat car, first unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show last year, is an electrical vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL) capable of reaching speeds of 110 miles per hour in the air and up to 35 miles per hour on the ground.
It was approved for air travel in limited locations by the Federal Aviation Administration last year but still needs approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to hit the roads.
Last year the FAA published a report titled “Concept of Operations: Urban Air Mobility” which envisioned “air taxis” operating within corridors between vertiports built in city centers and airports.
