Calling All (Flying) Cars

Thanks to these three manufacturers, the airborne automobile might finally come to market – for real this time.

- Words: Rohit Jaggi

THE FLYING-CAR SECTOR has been caught in a holding pattern between pie-in-the-sky promises and a marketable reality for decades. But the industry may be approaching a tipping point, with three outfits now close to ushering the concept – and to be clear, we’re not talking electric vertical take-offand landing (eVTOL) aircraft, but roadlegal cars with wings or rotors – into production.

Unlike eVTOLs, flying cars actually fit into existing regulatory structures. Of the three models being readied for market, two will initially be sold as kits, which requires a less arduous approval process. The US$300,000 Liberty Sport, from Dutch operation PAL-V International, is testing to be sanctioned by the European Aviation Safety Agency as a turnkey flying machine (a process that will take at least 18 months) and will require a gyrocopter licence to pilot. With first deliveries projected for 2024, the three-wheeler will offer twin 100hp Rotax engines – only one of which will be used during road operation – allowing it to operate over cities where single-engined aircraft are banned.