If you’re one of the many wondering “where’s my flying car”, a Slovakian company might just have the answer you’re looking for. It’s called the Aeromobil roadable aircraft, and it’s the brainchild of transportation designer and flight aficionado Stefan Klein.
Klein has been working on launching (pun intended) the aircar for more than 20 years, enlisting the help of former ad man and angel investor Juraj Vaculik to fund its creation in 2010. Now in its third generation, the Aeromobil 2.5 (in flight in the video) is a prototype of the 3.0 version set to launch next year (renderings below).
Created in Bratislava, Slovakia, the two-passenger, six meter-long and 1.6m wide car has a set of retractable wings that allow it to be used as a conventional vehicle on the road and fill up at your neighborhood gas pump. But it can also drive up to and take off from your local airfield, deploying its wings to reveal its 8.2m-long wingspan.
Powered by a Rotax 912 engine, the Aeromobil 2.5 is claimed to achieve speeds of over 100mph on road and more than 124mph whilst airborne. The vehicle’s carbon skin is built over steel framework and the entire craft weighs in at just 450kg. With a flying range of 430 miles its fuel consumption increases on land, where it can achieve just 310 miles before needing to refuel.
The project began in 1990 with Klein penning the first prototype, the 1.0. Five years later he revealed the 2.0, and in 2010 a functional prototype, the 2.5, was built. It has since undergone rigorous testing to certify it for production.
A graduate of Slovakia’s Academy of Fine Arts and Design (AFAD) Klein became head of the school’s transportation department where he headed research projects for Audi, Volkswagen and BMW. He has also designed a walking excavator, locomotive, golf cart and an electric scooter.