8 Cars That Can Drive and Fly
Here are 8 examples of flying cars…
1. TERRAFUGIA TRANSITION
The Terrafugia Transition showed up for the first time in 2009 when it had its first successful flight test. Its manufacturers had problems with FAA regulations due to the weight of the car. This was of course because of the many heavy parts included in an ordinary car like bumpers and airbags.
Since 2009, the car has been taken through several stages of redesigning, remodeling and so forth, which gave it a super beautiful appearance like that of a plane.
The company performed the second flight test in 2012, which was also successful. Its wings fold in and swivel vertically when the car is cruising on the road. Terrafugia transition can go up to 110kmh on the road, and 185kmh on the air.
2. PAL-V ONE
The PAL-V One is a Dutch-designed flying car that brings a much-improved design and format in the Autogyro crafts. It is designed with a single engine; which means that the power is switched from tires to the propeller when you want to go up, and back to tires automatically when the craft touches the ground.
The best thing with the PAL-V One is that it doesn’t fly above 1200 meters, which gives it a free pass when it comes to the government requirement for flying cars to file a flight plan. This requirement has proved to be a huge barrier to the modern flying car makers.
3. AIRMULE
This craft is being created by the Israeli Company Urban Aeronautics. It looks more of a flying ambulance than a traditional car, which is designed primarily to help in search and rescue during catastrophes.
What makes it more useful is that it can fly at the same speed as a helicopter while occupying half the airspace the aircraft occupies. This means that can reach deeper in the affected areas than a chopper in impassable places.
The AirMule is remote controlled, just as we fly airplanes in video games. This could be either a curse or a blessing because this craft can be used to save lives, but in the hands of a villain, it can be a dangerous weapon.
4. AEROMOBIL
Have you seen how cars transform into robots in Micheal Bay’s Transformers movies? That’s how the AeroMobil transforms, just that now it’s from an automobile to an aircraft.
The car was designed with aerodynamic features, as the perfect combination of a plane and a car.
The AeroMobil takes at most 3 minutes to transform from an automobile to an aircraft. Its wings unfurl like a dragon preparing to fly, with its propellers popping out from behind. The Slovakian company behind this extraordinary creation says that they will produce over 500 of these cars, with an estimated price of $1.2 million.
5. MODULAR POP.UP FLYING CAR
If it’s Airbus we’re talking about, then you’re sure they’re perfect in flying machines and the Modular Pop.Up Flying Car is their baby. The concept is a two-passenger pod that can either serve as an automobile, a plane, or even a train. A train?
Yes! A train. While earthbound, the pod can move by itself, with two passengers, or link up with other pods to make up a train, with many passengers. For it to fly, the pod hangs under a quad copter which makes the flying possible.
This is a real flying car that comes to ease the traffic on roads by cruising above other cars.
6. THE TF-X TERRAFUGIA FLYING CAR
According to the creators of this automobile-aircraft, it is a future high-end luxury car that will transforms from driving to flying mode in less than a minute. And not just that; you will not need a long runway to take off. If you have a clear stretch of about thirty meters in diameter you can take off with ease.
The TF-X Terrafugia Flying Car is designed with folding wings, making it appear less bulky than other flying cars that have their propellers welded at their tops.
The car also comes with a functioning autopilot that, once you set the course, the plane will take off, fly you to your destination, and land the craft without the need of your involvement.
7. NIRVANA AUTOGYRO GYRODRIVE
The Nirvana Autogyro is the creation of a 51-year-old Pavel Brezina. It’s a mini chopper that can still be used on the highway. According to Pavel Brezina, his car is the only roadable vehicle that has been certified to fly. While on the highway, the Nirvana Autogyro can cruise at a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour, and 112mh in flying mode.
It has three wheels for the road and helicopter-like blades for the air. When not flying, the blades are tied on the car from the front and back to ensure they do not start rotating and cause chaos on the road.
8. TAYLOR AEROCAR
This is not a flying car, but more of a helicopter that can also troll. It had two blades overhead spinning in opposite directions, and four wheels; two huge ones at the middle, and two small wheels at the front and back.
A small engine of 40hp powered the flying automobile. It had a tail vane controlled with foot pedals that allowed the car to fly in all directions and hover in the air just like helicopters do. The roadable gyrocopter was designed to fly at a maximum speed of 160kmh (one hundred miles per hour).
