Is it a bird? A plane? Flying car to go on sale

MONACO — It may not be quite like the Jetsons, but for over a million dollars you too can soon fly around in a car.

Slovakian company AeroMobil unveiled on Thursday its version of a flying car, a light-framed plane whose wings can fold back like an insect, and is boosted by a hybrid engine and rear propeller.

It will be available to preorder as soon as this year but is not for everyone: besides the big price tag — between $1.3 million to $1.6 million US) — you’d need a pilot’s licence to operate it in the air.

“I think it’s going to be a very niche product,” said Philip Mawby, professor of electronic engineering and head of research at the University of Warwick.

Several companies are working on flying cars, either like AeroMobil’s two-seater that needs a runway, or others that function more like helicopters, lifting off vertically. But not many companies are seriously looking at marketing these vehicles anytime soon, Mawby said.

Among the big questions is how to control the air traffic if there are hundreds of such vehicles zipping through the air. There is no control except for traditional aircraft, notes Mawby.

So while vehicles like the AeroMobil could be used for recreational purposes by people who have a large piece of land, flying cars are unlikely to become a mass market reality anytime soon, he says.

The AeroMobil has a driving range of about 100 kilometres and a top speed of 160 km/h. When flying, its maximum cruising range is 750 km, and it takes about three minutes for the car to transform into a plane.